Buy TicketsA year ago, Andrew and Rania Warren’s Raise Cain was fresh off a victory in the Gotham (G3) and on the Kentucky Derby trail, which included a fifth-place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass (G1).
On Saturday, Raise Cain again will participate on the Toyota Blue Grass card. The Ben Colebrook trainee will begin his 2024 campaign in the 37th running of the $300,000 Commonwealth (G3) going 7 furlongs on the main track.
“He is doing great and has progressed well from age 3 to 4,” Colebrook said on a chilly Thursday morning as Raise Cain galloped in front of the Grandstand. “We’re back home now.”
A troubled eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve, Raise Cain continued running in two-turn races through the summer and early fall before Colebrook cut him back to 7 furlongs in the Perryville (L) here in October.
The result was a head victory under Luis Saez, who will be aboard Saturday and exit post 4 in the nine-horse Commonwealth.
“I think he can go two turns, but he is pace dependent,” Colebrook said. “Going one turn, he can sit back and finish better.”
After the Perryville, Raise Cain received a short vacation and then ventured west to Santa Anita for the Malibu (G1) on Dec. 26 in which he finished fifth.
“That’s a stallion-making race, but it was a nightmare getting there,” Colebrook said. “There were no planes and we had to van out there and then they couldn’t train a couple days because of weather.”
A good performance here Saturday could be a springboard to the $1 million Churchill Downs (G1) Presented by Ford on May 4.
“That would be the obvious spot if he runs well,” Colebrook said. “I never could win the Commonwealth with Limousine Liberalbecause it was always his first race back (his seasonal debut), but then he ran well at Churchill.”
Limousine Liberal ran third in the 2017 Commonwealth and second in the 2018 running before going on to win the Churchill Downs four weeks later in both years.