Harold
Queen’s 2-year-old homebred colt Burning Time was timed an easy half-mile in 51
3/5 over a ‘sloppy’ track Sunday
morning at Calder Casino & Race Course for trainer David
Fawkes in preparation for a start next Saturday in the $300,000 In Reality
Division finale of the Florida
Stallion Stakes series, a highlight of the track’s annual Festival of the
Sun program.
Burning
Time earned a chance in the 1 1/16 miles In Reality with an impressive 2 ½
lengths score in the $100,000 Foolish Pleasure going one mile and 70 yards here
last out on Sept. 17,
the first time in four career starts he finished first.
A
son of Burning Roma, Burning Time was placed first on a disqualification in his
debut on July 10
after finishing second, followed by a troubled ninth-place try behind Fort Loudon in the
$75,000 Dr. Fager Division of the FSS in early August and second again in the
$75,000 Seacliff
Stakes going a mile on Aug.
27 before the Foolish Pleasure.
Burning
Time is expected to be one of the biggest threats to stop Jacks or Better
Farm’s Fort Loudon
from a sweep of the three ‘open’ divisions in the In Reality, a triple Fawkes
posted with Queen’s emerging star Big Drama as a 2-year-old in 2008. Fawkes and
Queen will also be represented in the $300,000 My Dear Girl Division finale of
the FSS on the Festival card by homebred filly Drama Queen, who got her
final workout Saturday morning.
Fawkes
also had Big Drama out on the squally Sunday morning at Calder as the 2010
Eclipse champion sprinter breezed a half-mile in 49 2/5. The son of Montbrook
is back home after returning from New York where he was scratched from a planned
start in the $350,000 Vosburgh Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park after spiking a temperature the day
before.
Fawkes
hopes to train Big Drama up to defending his victory in the Breeders’ Cup
Sprint (G1) at Churchill
Downs on Sat.,
Nov. 5, a race in which he also hopes to run Donald Dizney’s
4-year-old Apriority, a troubled 7th in the Vosburgh being bothered
significantly at the start.
Battle of Love Can
Take Softer Spot on Thursday
Trainer
Henry Collazo
has had a good year with M E S Stable’s 3-year-old filly Battle of Love as she
finished first in five straight races at Calder Casino & Race Course,
working her way up from breaking her maiden for a $16,000 claiming tag and no
takers in late April, to winning the $63,000 Three Ring Stakes on July 30.
Collazo
has Battle of Love nominated for next Saturday’s $75,000 Frances A. Genter
Stakes on the Festival of the Sun program, but has another option taking
advantage of her conditions to be entered in Thursday’s fifth race, a
starter/allowance scheduled for a mile on turf.
Jockey
Ruben Silvera has been the regular rider of Battle of Love and is named
Thursday in the field of 10. The daughter of A.P. Warrior, purchased for a
modest $3,500 at an OBS sale in 2010, has run twice since the Three Ring
victory, finishing third as the favorite in the $60,000 Crystal Rail Stakes on Aug. 20 after
that race was forced off turf and fifth last out on turf in the $75,000 Judy’s
Red Shoes Stakes on Sept. 17.