Wilko, a two-time allowance winner on turf in England, is heading to the $1.5 million Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) after being purchased in part by California owner Paul Reddam. The Awesome Again colt will arrive in the Dallas Fort Worth area on the Oct. 25 flight from the United Kingdom.Reddam said previous owner Susan Roy will retain a minority interest in the colt. Wilko will run in the Juvenile under the name of current trainer Jeremy Noseda before being transferred into the care of Craig Dollase in California.Wilko most recently finished a troubled third in the one-mile Hackney Empire Royal Lodge Stakes (Eng-II) at Ascot. "I've seen videos of all his races," Reddam said. "His last race was going a mile in a group II at Ascot. He doesn't have the turn of foot that a lot of the European horses have, but he looks like he's a real tryer and a stayer so we're hoping that will suit American racing a little better."Wilko raced 10 times in England this year, tallying two wins, two seconds and four thirds. All of his starts have come on turf."We're hoping the dirt picks him up but you just never know," Reddam said. "He could go forwards or backwards and we won't actually know until the race. He's going to work at Lindfield on the all-weather surface there before he comes over. It's not quite the same as a dirt track."Reddam said Wilko was purchased specifically for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on Oct. 30 at Lone Star Park.
"If we didn't have this race in mind we wouldn't have bought him," the owner said. "I think the Juvenile, as of now, is wide open."Wilko brings the number of Reddam horses in the Breeders' Cup to four. The 49-year-old philosopher and financier also owns Elloluv ($2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff -- Presented by Nextel), Pt's Grey Eagle ($1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint) and Sharp Lisa ($1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies).Wilko, bred in Kentucky by Austin, Texas resident Ro Parra, has made all of his starts in the U.K. "I have a gentleman, Jamie McCmalmont, who works for me over in England," Reddam said. "He found him and they've been talking the last couple weeks. We finally put the deal together over the weekend."Reddam said no decision has been made on who will ride Wilko.
