Fountain of Youth (G2) winner SOLDAT (War Front), 11th in the Kentucky Derby
(G1) in his most recent start, has been sent to a farm near Lexington, Kentucky,
for a month or two with a possible return to the races in the fall.
“His feet were just a little tender,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said, “and we
wanted to stop on him and hopefully have a top horse in the fall or next year.
“There wasn’t anything specifically wrong with him. We just had a gut feeling
that he wasn’t doing as well as he was before the Derby.”
Prior to his emergence on the dirt at Gulfstream Park this winter, Soldat had
been accomplished on the turf. Last year, he captured the With Anticipation S.
(G3) at Saratoga and ran second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2). Soldat
will revert to the grass upon his return, according to McLaughlin.
The horseman had more upbeat news of two other notables in his barn, IT’S
TRICKY (Mineshaft) and TRAPPE SHOT (Tapit).
It’s Tricky, impressive 3 3/4-length winner of the June 11 Acorn S. (G1) at
Belmont Park, is gearing up for a start in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1)
during Saratoga’s opening weekend on July 23.
The Darley Stable filly had her first official workout since the Acorn on
Thursday at Belmont, going four furlongs in :49.04, 10th-fastest of 22 works at
the distance.
“She worked great and is doing fabulous right now,” McLaughlin said. “Her
performance in the Acorn was scary good.”
McLaughlin explained that the temperamental three-year-old often lives up to
her name.
“She is a little tricky, ‘It’s Tricky,’ she’s tricky,” he joked. “We have to
lead her out to the track every day with a pony. Sometimes she backs up and
might spin around and drop the rider and not want to go.
“We were actually concerned in Florida because she was doing everything too
well. She was not being tricky, but now she is back at Belmont and being tricky
again.”
In her lone start in Florida, It’s Tricky was fourth, beaten 22 1/4 lengths
in the April 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), her only loss in five career starts.
She has won her other four races by a combined margin of 18 1/4 lengths.
McLaughlin indicated that they may wait to ship her to Saratoga shortly
before the Coaching Club because of her unique personality.
“She is doing better, but we will not move her up to Saratoga until maybe two
weeks, or five days, or even a day out from the race,” McLaughlin said. “We
don’t want to change her location if we don’t have to — she is that tricky.”
No such problems exist for Trappe Shot, 8 1/2-length victor of the June 11
True North H. (G2), and pointing for the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1) on August
7 at Saratoga.
“He’s doing great and is very straightforward to train and be around,”
McLaughlin said. “He will go up to Saratoga as normal for the Vanderbilt.”
The trainer believes that he could have a potential champion sprinter in the
Mill House-owned colt.
“Absolutely he could be champion sprinter,” McLaughlin said. “He ran huge in
the True North and we wouldn’t trade places with anyone going a mile or less.”
According to the trainer, Trappe Shot, who has not worked since the True
North, will likely have three breezes leading up to the Vanderbilt.