NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Morrison barn ready to hit the ground running

by Keith McCalmont

• Morrison barn ready to hit the ground running
• G2 Remsen-winner Shotski back in training; NY-bred Ilchester Cheetah under consideration for $100K Bachelor at Oaklawn
• Notables on the Belmont work tab  

Trainer John Morrison is keeping his barn in good order led by popular New York-bred stakes winner Carrera Cat, who breezed a bullet half-mile in 47.01 on April 16 on the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Owned by Stone Bridge Farm and Very Un Stable, the now 5-year-old daughter of Courageous Cat enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2019 winning four-of-eight starts including a score in her stakes debut in the Union Avenue in August at Saratoga Race Course.

Morrison said Carrera Cat, bred in the Empire State by W.S. Farish, enjoyed some downtime at Camden Training Center in South Carolina after completing her campaign with an off-the-board effort in the NYSSS Staten Island in November at the Big A.

"She's back for another campaign. We're just hurrying up and waiting. Hopefully, we get back to running soon," said Morrison. "She needed a little break. She's probably about a month away from being race ready.

"She danced every dance and tailed off a little bit at the end of the year," continued Morrison. "We gave her some time off in Camden and she's been back here for about a month now and settled back into her routine."

Live racing on the NYRA circuit is currently on hold due to changing circumstances in the racing community relative to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but more than 1,300 horses continue to train at Belmont Park.

Morrison said the talented bay, who boasts a record of 16-5-3-2 and purse earnings in excess of $300,000, will be pointed towards New York-bred sprint stakes.

"Everything will have to be revamped and we don't know yet what the stakes schedule will look like, but the plan would be to follow the filly and mare state-bred stakes schedule," said Morrison.

Morris said the Union Avenue score by Carrera Cat was a special one for the barn when besting graded-stakes winner Holiday Disguise and stakes winner Jc's Shooting Star.

"We had targeted that race from her second start off the layoff in May and she came into the race the right way," said Morrison. "She beat a really good field that day. We were so pleased with her."

Morrison said he is also looking forward to bringing Stone Bridge Farm homebred The Last Ace back to the races following an impressive 6 ¼-length debut win on February 29 in a 6 ½-furlong state-bred maiden sprint at the Big A.

"He's the real deal," said Morrison of the 3-year-old son of Honor Code, who is out of Acey Deucey, who won the Grade 1 Prioress for Morrison in 2005.

Piloted by jockey Kendrick Carmouche on debut, The Last Ace turned away three foes when challenged around the far turn to win handily, while garnering a 77 Beyer for the gate-to-wire score.

Morrison said The Last Ace needed time to develop.

"He was a very immature 2-year-old and he had a lot of developing to do, so we took our time with him," said Morrison. "It sure looks like it's paying off now."

The veteran conditioner said he will continue to allow The Last Ace to grow into himself and mature when live racing resumes.

"Right now, he seems to be versatile," said Morrison. "We'd like to try and get to an 'a other than' and with this break we've had, we know all the races will come up pretty tough.

"In his training, he seems to have moved forward off that maiden victory," continued Morrison. "He's the reason you get up in the morning. You watch him train and you wish every horse in the barn could be like him."

Morrison said he intends to have his stable ready to roll when live racing is able to resume in New York.

"We have five in the barn and five more at Camden ready to come up if all goes well," said Morrison. "When we do start up, we should be hitting the ground running...literally."

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G2 Remsen-winner Shotski back in training

Trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer enjoyed great success this winter at the Big A with three wins and two seconds in 10 starts, including stakes scores in the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen with Shotski and the $100,000 Ruthless with Cruise and Danze.

Shotski, who was second in the Grade 3 Withers at the Big A and fourth last out in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream in February, is currently 22nd on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 19 points.

Owned by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Pantofel Stable and Howling Pigeon Farms, Shotski is nominated to the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby slated for May 2 at Oaklawn Park which may be split into divisions after 99 horses were nominated to the nine-furlong Derby prep.

Shotski, who had traveled to Dubai for a start in the canceled UAE Derby, has yet to return to the work tab following his return from overseas and O'Dwyer said the Blame colt is not likely to travel to Oaklawn.

"I've given him a bit of down time after coming back from Dubai," said O'Dwyer. "He's done a fair bit of traveling. He's had some turnout and he's been galloping. We might breeze him here later this week and see how he is."

O'Dwyer also nominated maiden winners My Friends Beer and Amen Corner to the Arkansas Derby.

Designated Hitters Racing's My Friends Beer, by Stay Thirsty and out of Slew's Quality, is a half-brother to 2018 Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Shamrock Rose.

Purchased for $25,000 at the April OBS, My Friends Beer graduated at fifth asking in a $40,000 maiden-claiming sprint at Laurel Park. Following a closing second in the Private Terms at Laurel on March 14, My Friends Beer shipped to Oaklawn to finish third in an optional-claiming mile on April 11 that garnered a career-best 81 Beyer Speed Figure.

"He's very nicely bred. We only paid $25,00 for him and he's a bit on the smaller side, but he's done nothing but mature," said O'Dwyer. "He's never run a bad race. Once he broke his maiden, he's steadily improved with every run and stretching him out seems to be a good thing for him as well.

"The biggest part of him is his heart," added O'Dwyer. "He never lays down. He always comes running. He was third in a very good allowance race last week. He was a little outpaced before they turned in, but he stayed on well to the line and got up for third. He's one that would appreciate the mile and an eighth."

Howling Pigeon Farms' Amen Corner, a bay son of Malibu Moon purchased for $70,000 at the Keeneland November sale, graduated at second asking in a Laurel Park maiden sprint in January. Following a pair of off-the-board efforts in the Miracle Wood at Laurel and the Rushaway at Turfway Park, Amen Corner shipped to Oaklawn Park where he closed to be fourth in an optional-claiming mile on April 11.

With a number of heavy hitters nominated to the Arkansas Derby including the undefeated Nadal, O'Dwyer said he could also target an allowance race instead on Arkansas Derby day.

"The earnings would likely stop Amen Corner from getting into either of the divisions if they split, but at the same time I'd like to run one of them in the allowance race that day," said O'Dwyer. "He's [Amen Corner] not as hardened as My Friends Beer even though I think there's very little between them ability wise. My Friends Beer is much more in the game right now, while Amen Corner will progress throughout the year."

Both My Friends Beer and Amen Corner are currently stabled at Oaklawn Park and O'Dwyer said they will train up to their next start.

"I won't breeze either of them back if they're running again in three weeks' time. They'll just need their maintenance gallops and schooling to keep them ticking over," said O'Dwyer.

Designated Hitters Racing's Ilchester Cheetah, bred in New York by Cheryl Anne Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Thomas Gallivan, is nominated to face the boys in the $100,000 Bachelor, a six-furlong sprint set for April 25 at Oaklawn.

The sophomore daughter of Itsmyluckyday has a career ledger of 9-5-1-1 and last raced on February 21 at the Big A when a front-running winner of an open optional-claiming sprint.

Ilchester Cheetah was looking to become O'Dwyer's third Aqueduct stakes winner when entered in the $100,000 Cicada, which was slated for March 21 at the Big A before live racing was canceled amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

She has since continued to train at Laurel Park but with 24 horses nominated to the Bachelor, including the Bob Baffert-trained Grade 1-winner Eight Rings, O'Dwyer said he is still considering the best option for the filly's next start.

"I'm mulling that over," said O'Dwyer. "I wouldn't normally have considered it...I'd rather have run her in New York. She was going to be second choice at Aqueduct against the girls before they canceled. There's a number of tough horses in the Bachelor. She could end up fifth or sixth after running a race that might be a winning one somewhere else.

"I'm between a rock and a hard place with her at the moment," added O'Dwyer. "When you have a filly that's doing well, you don't want to put them in a spot where they might struggle a little bit and knock their confidence, but at the same time I've been sitting on her for two months."

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Notables on the Belmont work tab

A number of notable stakes-winners surfaced on the work tab at Belmont Park this week, including Grade 2 Wood Memorial-winner Tacitus who breezed a half-mile in 50.16 on April 15 on the dirt training track.

The Juddmonte Farms homebred, a striking gray son of Tapit out of the Eclipse Award-winning mare Close Hatches, was among the favorites for the Group 1 Dubai World Cup which was slated for March 28 until canceled.

The 4-year-old colt was among 38 horses nominated to the Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap slated for May 2 at Oaklawn Park. He was joined on the nomination list with new stablemate Endorsed, previously trained by Kiaran McLaughlin.

Also nominated to the Oaklawn Handicap was last year's Grade 3 Withers and Grade 2 Jim Dandy champ Tax, who is trained by Danny Gargan for R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch and Corms Racing Stable.

Mark Casse sent out a pair of Grade 1 winners mid-week to breeze on the Belmont dirt training track including last year's Belmont Stakes hero Sir Winston, who covered three-eighths in 37.32 on April 16 and Spinaway winner Perfect Alibi who went a half-mile in 49.46 on April 15.

Linda Rice sent out Arkansas Derby nominated Max Player for a six-furlong breeze in 1:14.78 on April 15. Owned by George E. Hall, the Grade 3 Withers winner is currently 34th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 10 points.

The Rice-trained Montauk Traffic, who captured the Jimmy Winkfield in February at the Big A ahead of a rallying fourth in the Grade 3 Gotham on March 7, breezed a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.15 on April 16.

Owned by Chris Fountoukis, Montauk Traffic had been targeting the Grade 3, $250,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores initially slated for April 4 at the Big A.

Multiple stakes placed New York-bred Bourbon Bay went a half-mile in 48 flat on April 18 on the Belmont dirt training track for trainer Mark Hennig and Bourbon Lane Stable.

The sophomore son of Bayern, bred in the Empire State by Oak Bluff Stables and Christophe Clement, graduated at second asking in December at Aqueduct and followed up with runner-up efforts in the Jerome and Gander ahead of a last-out third in the Damon Runyon all at the Big A.