Friday, January 13, 2012
Contact: Ashley Herriman
JIMMY WINKFIELD DRAWS SEVEN SOPHOMORE SPRINTERS
Deliburnsky, a New Jersey-bred son of Flatter, is one of the most experienced in the field with three victories in five starts, two of those in six-furlong stakes. He exits a 2 ¼-length front-running score in the Dave's Friend Stakes at Laurel Park on November 26, which followed a six-length romp in a sloppy edition of
"He's such a big horse, but he wants to leave a little quick, so he tends to stumble out of there," said Wilson, who trains Deliburnsky for Happy Tenth Stable. "I want to send him over more ground and I thought about running him in the Count Fleet last weekend, but I wanted to get one more sprint into him. He's still a baby and we've been spacing his races; there will be time for that later in the year."
After a fourth-place finish in an open company maiden outing at Monmouth on July 2, Deliburnsky came back to trounce a field of state-breds in his second effort, airing by 8 ¼ lengths going five furlongs on July 25. He then stepped up for Monmouth's Grade 3 Sapling, but finished a disappointing ninth after dueling through the early stages. Deliburnsky has been forwardly placed in all of his starts, and
"He'll show some gas," said Wilson, who is based at
Regular rider Pedro Cotto, Jr. has the return call aboard Deliburnsky, who drew post position 3 and was made the 7-2 morning-line third choice.
Another shipping in from out of town is Fresh Start Stable's Yo Koffy, an 8 ½-length debut winner at Parx Racing on November 21 and second as the favorite in an allowance there on New Year's Day, both at six furlongs.
The William Anderson trainee, a gelded son of Kafwain, will leave from the rail under Jose Luis Flores as the 5-2 morning-line second choice.
King and Crusader, one of two supplemental entries from the barn of trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., also brings stakes experience to the table, having won the Maryland Juvenile Championship at
King and Crusader was made the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Jimmy Winkfield and drew post 4 under Cornelio Velasquez.
A gutsy maiden win on December 17 earned Darley Stable's
"He stepped it up," Art Magnuson, assistant to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, said of the son of Street Cry. "He ran terrible on the turf, but his first run was kind of sneaky good. It was a pretty good race, he was green. We were kind of surprised the way he split the rail and won like that last time, and very happy. He continues to train well, and here's the next step. We think he belongs in there."
Tabbed at 8-1 on the morning line,
Completing the field are He Can Run, who broke his maiden in a six-furlong optional claimer on the main track at Aqueduct on November 18, and Done Done Done, who won a six furlong optional claimer over the inner on December 18 in which He Can Run was second.
The field for the $75,000 Jimmy Winkfield:
PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Odds |
1 | Yo Koffy (KY) | J L | 116 | W D | 5-2 |
2 | He Can Run (KY) | J Alvarado | 116 | A E Goldberg | 6-1 |
3 | Deliburnsky (NJ) | P L Cotto, Jr. | 120 | T | 7-2 |
4 | King and Crusader (MD) | C H Velasquez | 118 | R E Dutrow, Jr. | 2-1 |
5 | Done Done Done (KY) | J Valdivia, Jr. | 118 | I Correas, IV | 15-1 |
6 | | M J Luzzi | 116 | K P McLaughlin | 8-1 |
7 | Reserved Quality (KY) | I Ortiz, Jr. | 116 | R E Dutrow, Jr. | 10-1 |
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