Trainer Ian Wilkes admitted Sunday morning to feeling a sense of relief after 'TDN Rising Star' McCraken (Ghostzapper) ran to odds-on favoritism to stretch his record to three-for-three in Churchill's GII Kentucky Jockey Club Gold Cup Saturday. “It's a relief,” the hot-handed Wilkes said. “With the anticipation and hype around a 2-year-old, you don't want to let anyone down and you always want him to run well. He made real good progression [Saturday], so it's a good relief and we're just happy to see the horse win. He looked good [Sunday] morning. He jogged and was bucking and playing around.” A rare debut winner for Wilkes sprinting under the Twin Spires Oct. 2, the Whitham homebred rallied impressively to annex the one-mile Street Sense S. four weeks later by open lengths. “He needed a little test,” Wilkes said of Saturday's effort. “He had to really run, they didn't hand it to him. It wasn't easy. He came through for us. He had to really belly down and run so that was good.”
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