Ocho’ Gets Gras in Solid Penn Mile

D P Racing’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense) makes a postponed turf debut in Saturday’s $500,000 Penn Mile, having last been seen finishing 14th in the GI Kentucky Derby May 2. The dark bay romped in Santa Anita’s rained-off Juvenile Turf Sprint last November, and remained on the main track to annex the lucrative GIII Delta Downs Jackpot later that month. Eighth in Santa Anita’s GII San Felipe S. on seasonal debut Mar. 7, he prepped for the Derby with a third-place run in the GI Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Apr. 4. “I think he’ll like the grass,” offered veteran conditioner Jim Cassidy of the great grandson of Hall of Famer Personal Ensign and relative to recent turf graded stakes winners Animal Spirits (Arch), Divine Oath (Broken Vow) and Interactif (Broken Vow). “The distance he’ll like. I don’t have any doubts. He’s pretty keen to go. I don’t see any negativity.” 

Also shipping from California is Cellist Racing Group and Ali Nilforushan’s Papacoolpapacool (Temple City). Transferred from Jeff Mullins to Phil D’Amato off a fifth-place run when trying dirt in Santa Anita’s Jan. 10 GIII Sham S., the bay gelding has since reeled off three-straight victories on the Santa Anita sod, including the Mar. 21 Pasadena S. and Apr. 18 La Puente S. “The money is good and, more importantly, the timing is good,” D’Amato said of the decision to ship across the country. “I decided if it was time to step out and race against horses from the East and see where we stand, this is the spot. He handles his foes pretty easily in his races [at Santa Anita], and he’s just been training lights out. It made my decision to ship out there easy to test the waters.” 

Ken and Sarah Ramsey won this race last year with Bobby’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), and have a solid shot to go back-to-back with ‘TDN Rising Star’ Granny Kitten (Kitten’s Joy). A debut winner sprinting at Belmont last July for Mike Maker, the Pennsylvania-bred scratched from the GII American Turf S. on Derby day in favor of a nine-panel Churchill allowance May 10, which he won by daylight. 

Woody Weeks’s Woodwin W (More Than Ready) is a perfect four-for-four so far in his career. The Jamie Ness pupil took a rained-off special weight in the Tampa slop Feb. 27, and added a starter/optional claimer on the Gulfstream lawn Mar. 18. He kept his hot streak going in a Pimlico allowance Apr. 24, and enters off a 3/4-length defeat of Force the Pass (Speightstown) in the James W. Murphy S. on the GI Preakness S. undercard May 16.