Friend
Or Foe, winner of the 2010 Empire Classic, exited a bullet five-furlong
work on Friday in good order and is ready to begin his 4-year-old campaign,
said trainer John Kimmel.
The
Friends
Lake
colt, who won four of his seven starts and finished fifth in the Grade 1 Cigar
Mile to conclude his 3-year-old season, went five furlongs in 59.45, the
fastest of 15 at the distance.
“He’s
ready,” said Kimmel of Friend Or Foe, who was named 2010’s Top New York-bred
3-Year-Old Male. “He’s a fresh horse and he’s doing very well. He’s got a lot
of topside. We’ll look for a race for him in the next couple of weeks. He’s
still eligible for a non-winners of three other than.”
One
of the spots Kimmel is considering down the road for the strapping chestnut is
the Grade 2, 1 1/8 mile Suburban on July 2.
“We’ll
see how he does,” said trainer. “We hope to go a little further with him.”
Kimmel
added that Uncle T Seven, winner of the 2010 Ashley T. Cole, is also
nearing a return, having finished fourth in an optional claimer on the turf at
Gulfstream in February in his most recent start.
“He
went to the farm for a couple of months after that for a freshening,” he said.
“He breezed a half-mile Friday [48.97] and he didn’t get tired. The Kingston
is a possibility. We’ll have to go under the premise he didn’t lose much
conditioning.”