BY BROCK SHERIDAN
After a poor start in the Grade 1 Forego on Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course in his last race, Florida-bred Cagliostro returns to more comfortable surroundings at Churchill Downs for Saturday night’s $400,000 Ack Ack (G1) against six other 3-year-olds and older going a one-turn mile.
In three starts at Churchill, Cagliostro has a stakes win and two seconds, including a score in the $279,000 Hanshin going a mile on June 30. Prior to the Hanshin, the Cherie DeVaux-trained son of Upstart was second to Highland Falls in the Grade 3 Blame going nine furlongs under the twin spires on June 1. His other runner-up performance at Churchill was last year in June in a first condition, $100,000 optional claiming won by Scotland.
Purchased by DeVaux for $385,000 at the 2022 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale out of the Two Oaks Equine consignment, Cagliostro has been a solid graded stakes horse, having finished second in last year’s Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx Racing and third in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis. His career ledger reflects three wins, four seconds and a third in 12 starts with earnings of $466,668.
Out of the Hard Spun mare A Rosefor Isabelle and owned by Wathan Racing, Cagliostro was bred in Florida by Lance Colwell and Janice Clark.
Jose Ortiz takes the call on Cagliostro from post three.
Tumbarumba, who was second to Cagliostro in the Hanshin, tries to snap a streak of three second place finishes for trainer Brian Lynch.
Also owned by Wathan Racing, Tumbarumba was just a nose shy of winner Steal Sunshine in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 2 and missed by a neck against winner Il Miracolo in the Grade 3 Ghostzapper going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on March 30 at Gulfstream. In one other start this year, he won the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper going a mile at Gulfstream on Jan. 27.
The reliable Tumbarumba is by Oscar Performance out of Naïve Enough, by Street Sense and has won five with five seconds and two thirds in 15 career starts. The 4-year-old gelding will also run in the colors of Wathan Racing and has banked $538,190 in his career
Tumbarumba has post one and jockey Luis Saez.
Trainer Brad Cox enters millionaire Saudi Crown for the Ack Ack in search of the colt’s second straight stakes victory.
After starting the year winning the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds in January, Saudi Crown traveled to Riyadh where he was third in the US$20 million Saudi Cup won by Senor Buscador (G1) at King Abulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 24. He remained in the desert but disappointed when finishing out of the money in the US$1 million Godolphin Mile Sponsored by Emaar (G2) won by Two Rivers Over at Meydan Racecourse in Dubia.
After a four-month lay-off, Saudi Crown came back strong at Ellis Park on Aug. 11, winning the $150,000 R.A. “Cowboy” Jones by nearly two lengths going a mile as the odds-on favorite.
Saudi Crown was purchased by Faisal Mohammed Alqahtani for $240,000 at the 2022 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale where he was consigned by Top Line Sales. The grey or roan colt has since earned $2,193,900 for FMQ Stables Inc., winning half of his 10 career races with two seconds and a third.
Florent Geroux will ride Saudi Crown from the outside post seven.
Rounding out the field for the Ack Ack are Stage Raider with rider Brian Hernandez Jr., Mufasa (Chi) and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Rafael Bejarano takes the call on Three Technique and Big Blue Line will have Luan Machado in the saddle.
Return to the September 25 issue of Wire to Wire
