By Jessica Martini
Allen Racing and Bloom Racing Stable's Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who shipped east for a third-place effort in Friday's GI Kentucky Oaks, will remain on the East Coast and join trainer Steve Asmussen's barn, co-owner Jeff Bloom said Monday, confirming a story which was first reported in Daily Racing Form.
“Looking at the rest of the year, we realized all of the important races for 3-year-old fillies are on the East Coast,” Bloom said. “We really didn't have too many options out west. And since she was already back that way and the fact that the end of the year finishes with the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs, it just made so much sense to do that for the filly.”
The Southern California-based Bill Spawr trained the filly to wins in the GII Santa Ynez S., GIII Santa Ysabel S. and GI Santa Anita Oaks, before saddling her to her third-place finish as the favorite in the Kentucky Oaks.
“Bill and his team did a fabulous job getting us to this point,” Bloom said. “It was purely a business decision to afford the filly as many options as possible to enhance the rest of the year.”
Asmussen already trains Bloom Racing's multiple graded stakes placed Snapper Sinclair (City Zip), as well as multiple stakes-placed Sal the Turtle (Caleb's Posse).
“We already have a really good working relationship with Steve and his crew, so it was an obvious place to leave her,” Bloom said.
Bloom said connections are keeping all options open for Midnight Bisou's next start.
“The [June 9 GI] Acorn S. is one of many options,” he said. “We are going to take a few days to let the filly settle and give Steve an opportunity to gauge things before we make any kind of firm plans. So anything is open right now. But she did come out of the Oaks in excellent shape.”
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