Springboard Mile Preview: Outadore Tries Dirt for First Time

A strong field of 11 will line up this Friday evening for the $200,000 Remington Park Springboard Mile, which serves as one of the final opportunity for 2-year-olds to earn Kentucky Derby points. The winner receives 10 points, second place earns 4, third 2, and fourth 1.

A total of six stakes races highlight the Friday card at Remington Park. The Springboard Mile is race 12 with a local post time of 10:28 PM Central.

Headlining the event is the Wesley Ward-trained Outadore, who tries dirt for the first time here. A star on turf, he captured the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint Stakes before running a strong third last time out in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). The classiest horse in the race drew post 9 for this event and will have leading local rider David Cabrera aboard. 

Another turf star switching to dirt is Cowan, a fast-closing second last time out in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2). The Steve Asmussen trainee hit the board in 2 other big turf stakes, but his only victory came on debut over the Churchill Downs dirt. Stewart Elliott will have the mount when he breaks from post 8. 

Proven local hopeful Number One Dude rides a 3-race win streak which includes the Don C. McNeill Stakes by a widening 6 lengths over this course and distance last time out. The Oklahoma-bred will break from post 2 with Ezequile Lara up for his first try against open company. 

The full field from the rail out: Senor Buscador, Number One Dude, Vim and Vigor, Gushing Oil, Red N Wild, Game Day Play, Saffa’s Day, Cowan, Outadore, Joe Frazier, and Flash of Mischief. 

Top Choice

#1 Senor Buscador – Let’s take a swing with this 15/1 shot! He has just 1 start under his belt, an impressive debut victory over this track by 2 1/2 lengths. He displayed a tremendous turn of foot, flying home down the stretch after dropping back to last early, and earned a dirt speed figure better than anyone he faces here. His pedigree suggests that he should improve when stretching out in distance, too: his dam, Rose’s Desert, produced solid two-turn runners Runaway Ghost and Sheriff Brown. With a hot pace likely, Senor Buscador could be awfully tough to hold off down the stretch. 

Horses to Use in Multi-Race Wagers

#9 Outadore – If this guy brings his turf form to the dirt, he should win. He’s definitely the classiest horse in the race and there’s little doubt that he’s the most talented, too. He’s had a lot of hype from Day 1 has lived up to the billing thus far, but the surface change is a big question mark, as is overcoming a potentially hot pace. He might be worth taking a shot against as far as a win bet goes, but he’s a must-use in all multi-race wagers. 

#8 Cowan – It’s odd that he’s known as a turf horse, yet his only victory to date came on dirt. The surface change isn’t a major question, but the distance is. He’s yet to try routing despite already making 4 starts, but Asmussen must be respected, especially when his top local rider (Elliott) is aboard. 

#2 Number One Dude – The local hopeful faces open company for the first time, but his dirt speed figures are very similar to the rest of this field. With proven success over this course, he has a big shot to upset the out-of-towners.

Exotic Plays

#10 Joe Frazier – Trainer Brad Cox’s horses can always be trusted to show up ready to run in stakes. After dominating maiden claiming company on debut, he was a well-beaten third last time out in a Churchill Downs allowance. There’s a chance he didn’t like the wet track, but it’s still odd that they debuted him for a tag; it likely means they weren’t all that high on him. 

#11 Flash of Mischief – He lost to our top choice on debut but won a maiden special weight impressively at Delta Downs in his next start. That victory caught my eye and is another reason why I picked Senor Buscador on top. His speed figures are still a notch below this group, but he looks like he’s still improving. 

#6 Game Day Play – He’s been wildly inconsistent so far, but at his best, he can compete with this group. He won the Clever Trevor Stakes (the local prep for this) last time out. A similar effort gives him a shot to hit the board here.

Party Crashers

#7 Saffa’s Day – He defeated a decent Keeneland maiden special weight field with ease on debut, which earned him a shot at stakes company next time out. Even though he was 3/1 in the Nyquist Stakes, he faded badly in the stretch, finishing sixth. That race was ultra-tough, though, so he could show up with a better effort here. If he does, he’s playable – if he stays at 12/1.

Throw Outs

#5 Red N Wild – His win last time out against allowance company is a positive sign, especially since it came at this distance. He’s a logical longshot here, but we prefer others a bit more. 

#4 Gushing Oil – He broke his maiden like a horse with a big future, but he struggled in a big way last time out in the Clever Trevor. He could rebound here, but we’re taking a wait-and-see approach. 

#3 Vim and Vigor – He’s run well since stretching out in distance, but he’ll still need to improve from a speed figure standpoint to have a chance here. 

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