Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) looks for his third straight win since turning back to grass sprints in Friday's loaded GIII Troy S. going 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga.
The 2019 GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. winner followed a sixth-place finish in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. Mar. 6 with wins in Belmont's seven-furlong Elusive Quality S. Apr. 24 and the six-furlong GI Jackpocket Jaipur S. last time June 5. The re-opposing Chewing Gum (Candy Ride {Arg}) completed the exacta that day at 28-1 while the speedy and favored Bound for Nowhere (The Factor) tired to third.
“We backed him up to six furlongs and that was okay, five and a half is a bit of a different race on a different type of course,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said of Casa Creed. “It's a tighter course here, so we'll have to see how he negotiates that.”
Imprimis (Broken Vow), disqualified from first and placed third for interference in this race last year, exited a narrow win in Gulfstream's Janus S. Jan. 1 with consecutive second-place finishes in Tampa's Turf Dash S. Feb. 24 and Keeneland's GII Shakertown S. Apr. 3. He was beaten a nose by the aforementioned classy 7-year-old Bound for Nowhere in the latter.
“He's a very good fresh horse,” trainer Joe Orseno said of the 3-1 morning-line favorite. “When he came out of the gate in the Shakertown, he broke a bone in his nose. We took precautions over it, but he's been fine and ready to run. The Troy has been on our radar since that race. I was thinking about the Jaipur and decided to skip it, but he's ready to go.”
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