McCraken Aiming for February Return

McCraken | Coady

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Fresh off the plane from a three-week trip to his native Australia, trainer Ian Wilkes is looking forward to getting back to business with his unbeaten GI Kentucky Derby hopeful McCraken (Ghostzapper).

“I'm going to work him again [Friday]–he's just going to have another nice, maintenance work,” Wilkes reported from his Palm Meadows base. “I'm very happy with the horse.”

The Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred, last seen impressively capturing the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. in come-from-behind fashion at Churchill Nov. 26, has already logged a pair of four-furlong breezes earlier this month in Florida under the watchful eye of Wilkes's former boss, Hall of Famer Carl Nafzger.

“My Hall of Fame assistant didn't let me down, he did a good job with him,” Wilkes said with a big laugh. “The horse looks good. I actually think he's grown a little being away from him and he's filled out a bit, too. That's what you want to see.”

While admittedly in no rush to start mapping out his route to Louisville for the First Saturday in May, Wilkes does have a timeframe in mind when the road could begin.

“Where are we going with him?” Wilkes asked. “I don't know yet. I've only been back for four days now, but I talked a little bit with Mrs. [Janis] Whitham and Clay Whitham about it.”

Wilkes continued, “It will probably be sometime in February, but this far out, I'm just not sure yet.”

Unbeaten in three career starts, all at Churchill Downs,

McCraken aced his first two-turn test beneath the Twin Spires with an eye-catching 1 1/4-length tally as the 4-5 chalk after a wide journey in Kentucky Jockey Club. A debut winner while overcoming some traffic in the stretch sprinting Oct. 2, he earned his 'TDN Rising Star' badge in style with a seven-wide rally in the one-mile Street Sense S. Oct. 30.

If it feels like Wilkes has been here before, he has. Well, sort of.

He partnered 1990 Kentucky Derby hero and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Unbridled in his morning preparations and also later served as an assistant to Nafzger for Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire})'s memorable 2006-07 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile-Derby double. While not able to draw any direct comparisons, the trio do share one common important thread, per Wilkes.

“I think he's a different horse compared to both of them,” Wilkes commented. “One thing they all do have though is a good turn of foot. That's the important thing.”

Wilkes enjoyed one of his biggest moments since going out on his own with the Whitham family's 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Fort Larned (E Dubai). What's it like being in this position with an unbeaten Derby contender heading into the New Year?

“Well it's fun, isn't it?,” Wilkes concluded. “It's fun. You can train a horse getting ready for the Breeders' Cup Classic, but there's so much more hype and excitement in having a young 2- year-old that looks to have the potential to be a Derby horse. There's just so much hype about the Derby and it's always fun.

I'm blessed to be able to have a horse like this.”

McCraken Pedigree Notes:

McCraken, named after a small town in Kansas, is a son of 2004 Horse of the Year and leading sire Ghostzapper. Runner-up in the GIII Endine S., McCraken's dam Ivory Empress (Seeking the Gold), a half-sister to GI Gamely Breeders' Cup H. heroine Mea Domina (Dance Brightly), has a yearling colt named Kearny County (Stroll) and a filly of this year named With Dignity (Declaration of War). She was covered by Majesticperfection this year. McCraken's second dam is GSW Madame Pandit (Wild Again), who was runner-up in the GI Santa Monica H. and is a half-sister to SW Sunlit Silence (Trempolino). The latter is responsible for MGSW & GISP Greek Sun (Danzig) and this is also the family of GSW Fiscally Speaking (Belong to Me). McCraken's lightly raced third dam Tuesday Evening (Nodouble), a runaway Santa Anita maiden winner in her career finale at second asking, was purchased for $75,000 as a weanling by the Whitham family back at the 1983 FTKNOV sale.

 

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