Matt Winn Looks a Two-Horse Affair

The trainers who have supplied the two most recent winners of Saturday's GIII Matt Winn S. look to have the race surrounded with horses who stand a chance to make some noise during the second half of the season. 

Bob Baffert sent out Code West (Lemon Drop Kid) to win the 2013 Matt Winn for owners Gary and Mary West, and the Triple Crown winning-conditioner will tighten the girth around 6-5 favorite Fame and Power (First Defence) for the last of the evening's four graded events. A maiden winner through four starts at two, the homebred was treated with Lasix for the first time and promptly defeated next out SW Wolf Man Rocket (Mineshaft) in a seven-furlong Santa Anita maiden Mar. 8. Third to subsequent GI Preakness S. third Divining Rod (Tapit) in Keeneland's GIII Coolmore Lexington S. Apr. 11, Fame and Power got blinkers on and set a searching pace en route to a three-length defeat of Bold Conquest(Curlin) in the Sir Barton S. on the Preakness undercard May 16. His winning Beyer Speed Figure of 99 was just three points lower than his Preakness-winning stablemate later on the program. 

The latter is trained by Steve Asmussen, who sent out Tapiture (Tapit) to a popular score in last year's Matt Winn, and though he has just a maiden win to his credit, Bold Conquest has proved he belongs at this level. Third to Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GII Rebel S. Mar. 14, the Ackerley homebred was a decent fifth in the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 11 ahead of his Sir Barton effort. 
An allowance winner going a flat mile at Oaklawn Mar. 26, Phenomenal Phoenix (Summer Bird) came from off a generous pace to round out the trifecta in the GIII Illinois Derby Apr. 18 in his final appearance for the Donnie Von Hemel barn. The form of that race was validated when Conquest Curlinate (Curlin) finished second in the GII Peter Pan S. in his next start. Ron Moquett takes over the training duties off a private purchase by Harlow Stables from Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch.