The impressive two-year-old Synchrony, who won a 7 1/2-furlong allowance race at Churchill Downs last time out, is expected to make his next start in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park on January 18th.
On December 17th, Synchrony gave the track at Oaklawn a test run, breezing five furlongs in 1:02 4/5. He breezed again on the morning of December 24th, going five furlongs in a quicker 1:01 2/5.
According to the Oaklawn Report for December 19th, Synchrony’s trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel decided to give Synchrony a rest after his allowance win in order to prepare for the Oaklawn meet.
“We thought three races [as a two-year-old] was sufficient,” Von Hemel was quoted as saying. “We wanted a good, sound horse for Oaklawn.”
The Oaklawn Report also noted that Von Hemel’s unbeaten colt Secret Passage has been sidelined with a “minor physical setback” and is not expected to run during the Oaklawn meet, making a Kentucky Derby bid unlikely. But on a brighter note, Von Hemel’s colt Suddenbreakingnews–who finished second in the Remington Springboard Mile last time out–has arrived at Oaklawn Park and is a possible starter for the February 15th Southwest Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn.
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