Stephen Foster Preview | Kevin Kilroy

The M1O57, we'll be Kevin Kilroy, we welcome him back to

the program at Trust Your Luck on the socials.

Really glad he's able to make time for us this morning.

Kevin, I had a run in with the hose man this morning.

How about that little hose talk? Hose man is that the the jokes

are coming through my head. I can't say on air.

Many, many jokes, yes. So his job is to after the

horses school in the paddock to, you know, hose everything down.

Essentially, yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's a good stuff.

It is a good stuff I think if. I were to make the track happen.

I work hard like that every day. Unseen heroes, you know. 90°

out, my man's in a black jacket, hood over his head so he doesn't

get sprayed all over the place and he's completely cut.

He looks like a like a wrestler in the day of a the day of the

weigh in is what you poor guy looks like.

There you go. Inside or outside?

Are you sweating right now? Where you at?

I'm sweating right now. Yeah, no, it's called.

You know what it is? I tell people, though, and if

I'm going to say this as one of my monikers, then I have to shut

the hell up and just do outdoor radio.

I tell people horse racing is like college football.

You just look at what the weather report is and then you

go right, I mean, just go figure it out.

And so if it's going to rain, it's going to rain.

If it's going to snow, it's going to snow.

We're just going to go running horses.

It is what it is. That's the truth, right?

It's all about getting that adrenaline going, bet betting

the ponies and and enjoying yourself, man, It's it's the

best and today's better than yesterday in terms of the heat,

that's for sure. At least so.

Far it is considerably better. I'm with you.

The over ear headphones are really what's making me warm.

I think it's weird weird earmuffs out to this thing.

Weird places you wear over the head earphones.

That's good news on your ear. It's not good.

Kevin Gilroy with us from Churchill Downs tomorrow, man,

just go ahead. I'm going to, I'm going to put

you in a in a spot here. Go back, think about your entire

career. When's the last time you got to

see a Derby winner, an Oaks winner, a Horse of the Year and

a Breeders' Cup Classic winner in the same card?

All on the same card. All on the same card.

I mean it's. It's unbelievable, sick racing.

It really is. And then up and down.

I mean, just, I've already done a good amount of work on the the

undercard. It just feels like feels like a

Derby day, Oaks day card. You know, it's just top to

bottom, big fields, very, very formal runners, very exciting

runners that they will be a major players throughout the

summer and probably come Breeders' Cup time too.

Yeah, incredible Torpedo. Anna will run tomorrow.

What do you make of what happened to her in her previous

outing and do you expect a bounce back for her from her in

race? 7:00 tomorrow, the floor to

leave. Yeah.

You know, that was, it was a little bit right like a debate

right after. I mean, I, I, I didn't think it

was enough to to to think that wow.

That's why she, you know, an excuse for her not to, not to

win, let alone run when she finish up 7th, 7th.

If you're a champion, you fight through moments like that, you

keep on coming, you don't stop. So it's a big knock against her.

And you know, it's, it's so secret that she hasn't been

quite the same since the traverse.

She's had them soft fields to face.

All that being said, she could be loose on the lead and she's

pretty dangerous and she's loose on the lead and she's confident.

So but I think it's it's worth, it's worth taking a swing

against. And I and I do still love Royal

Royal Spa on the rail in the Shawnee.

She she looked fantastic. She had a little bit of trouble

early and she fought back from that and she, she ran down

Jinjin like nobody's business and she showed big energy in the

gallop out big energy. And that's what we need because

we're going a little bit further.

You know, it's a violence Mayor that that Rudy said she just

wasn't mature enough to go two turns.

They had tried, you know, and just just wasn't she wasn't

there. But she's there now and it

wasn't a fluke last time. I think she'll she'll hold for

him and and likely improve seeing her gallop out.

So flogging prat up gets the rail and she could be more

forward than last time. She shuffled back as everybody

was attacking that that cheap speed, that Hillary horse.

So a royal spot for me in that one.

There you go, the one horse in race 7 for Kevin tomorrow on

Stephen Foster Day here in all stakes.

Pick 6 tomorrow on the card that was race 7.

The start of the pick 6. The start of the pick 5 here is

the Teppan. No nitrogen, no problem.

Should we lean on the two horses that were right behind her in

the Edgewood and Lush Lips and Vixen?

I mean, maybe right I've had those are those are two good

ones. I think lush lips.

I don't think we've seen the best from her.

I think she is better in a more forward position.

I don't know something stronger seems seems like the one that

you maybe want to take a swing with.

I mean, I think that justify Philly is is better going longer

and she was so game so game to run down.

She wants war Lucy McGee going that Sprint distance last time

and it was it was a forward turf course.

You know, maybe just get it done wire to wire there for a good

stretch. So stretching back out has a

nice draw. I think Jimmy Graham might might

have a very, very good mouth there for for Al stall.

But I think I think it's a wide open race.

I think it's going to be more wide open then it's going to get

bet anybody could get it done. And when I have that feeling I

just want to want to look for prices.

So I do think that fixing to be quite dangerous in here.

Laurent up on that one and love you anyway.

The two rush year Arnold's need need some consideration too.

But I don't know these these three-year old turf races,

they're fun. You know, they're 3 year olds.

They're still moving forward, they're still figuring things

out. So you can kind of you can kind

of catch them sleep. And when they think that we've

seen that we know these these Phillies, these colds that

we've, we know what they have because there's always a little

bit more at this time of year. Yeah, I'm interested in the

outside horse favor to you comes in from Santa Anita for Phil

d'amato, Antonio Fraser, who just won the riding title out

there in to ride for this one. And two, two sprints to a route

is the California way on turf man.

And so this one I think sets up well and a potential upset

candidate on the outside. And by the way, I think we're

going to get every bit of 12:50 on that horse, maybe even better

by the time we get to post time. The Kelly's Landing 6 1/2

furlong Sprint, quarter million in the Kitty for this one.

It is a grade 3 Kevin for three and up in this spot.

Some horses that we've been really lucky to watch for many

years. Doctor Venkman's a 5 year old.

We get the 8 year old 3 technique in here, but Booth is

the class man. Do we expect that to translate

and transfer here? I think we do, don't we?

I mean, Gee, as a four year old, he's just been sensational.

He's been sensational and I think he is, you know, I won't

say loose on the lead because they'll apply pressure.

I mean, horses like Durante broke very sharp last time, but

sort of rated behind. So they'll, they'll bring it.

But you know, Eric Asperson, I think he's a very strong forward

rider, obviously knows this boost quite well.

I, I think, I think this is the one that we've got to lean on

forward inside was very good yesterday, on Thursday on the

track. We'll see if that sort of holds

today of a booth, you know, maybe maybe go a little bit

further than we want to. We've only gone this distance

twice. So he wanted to get away.

Doctor Bankman, you know, cutting back from 7 after that,

you know, didn't run for a long time since the Pacific Classic.

They tried to go along with this one and you know, good second to

Nicos. I thought that I thought the

track, even though we had a nice little little set up forward, I

thought it did set up for for off the pace runners there at

Santa Anita on the 31st and thinking has the rail and he's

got the guy that you mentioned Fresno who's got the big time

outs throughout the card. You know, Mark, glad stuff from

coming in. So those two Durante, what do

you think? Do we take that at face value?

The Jacobson runner who looks sensational?

What? An I know just an impossible one

to know. The interesting thing there

though, is and I, I don't, I, I try not to do this.

I I made the the comparison yesterday, Kevin, you know, in

162 game Major League Baseball season, I think of a manager as

being worth 5 or six wins, something like that, right.

At the end of the day, it's still the dudes.

I think of that with jockeys, they're worth, man, I don't

know, a move for, you know, like a three out of 10 something like

that to improve a horse. And maybe it was the move to

Jose last time that made the difference, right?

And no one is seeing, you know, the track better than Jose Ortiz

right now, certainly at Churchill Downs.

And so it is it repeatable? I think it potentially is

because Jose's keeping them out, I'll put it that way.

Yeah, because he's keeping them out for me with the jocks.

I think more about the agents. I think they do such good work

to make sure that the they're on the right horse, you know, And

then when you have jocks like like, you know, like Jose or,

you know, the Saez or, you know, our regular guys, Gaffley on

when he's back, they don't make mistakes, you know, they, they

do, they do the tiniest things, the tiniest details that really

give their horse the best shot. So I don't know, draws to the

outside won't won't have quite as much speed.

He had that world record. And who was our guy Skelly?

They they were cooking pretty fast.

So it did set up nice for Durante to come with it.

But yeah, when these Jacobson horses get good, sometimes they

stay good. And that's that's a big question

mark about Durante. Yeah, I mean, back-to-back, big

old speed figures roll on. Big Joe was part of one of those

races a couple back too. It's just yeah, this is a

another tough one. You know, if that form translate

and you get a bankman booth kind of, you know, showdown in the

stretch, I wouldn't be stunned. But boy, a lot, a lot of speed

in this one. By the way, you mentioned Tyler

got Felion. We know he's back working

horses, at least in the mornings down in Florida.

He will be my guest 11:00 this coming Wednesday.

We're going to do an Ellis Park preview hour on Wednesday and so

Tyler will join us for 20 minutes on on Wednesday.

I really appreciate him carving out some time.

Pretty cool. That's great.

That's great that he's going to be stationed at, at Ellis and

well. That part too, Yeah, No kidding.

Be really, really good to have him back in the Commonwealth.

I miss seeing him, frankly, at the spring meet.

It's it's it's a different it just the sport will be better

with him back in it. Kevin, the late pick three

starts here. Race 10, the wise Dan 4 and up

going a mile on the 16th on the turf course for a half million

bucks in here. Kevin, We all have the horse.

We seem to always have one and then we get we find a new one

that we love, but they never win.

That's Waganos for me. Can he get it done here?

It's so hard right when you're. Like it really is.

I can't quit him. I mean, you know, Mercanti and

brilliant birdie, they were favorable forward last time.

I thought it was a forward flow race and then Lagos was able to

to be very game for that late rally.

So mile the 16th, we just had the one win at the distance, but

in great form. I got to think that Henry was

just hoping that, you know, we might go off the turf and that's

why he's in there. So we'll be sitting on the rail,

I'll be able to get a clean trip.

Very dangerous in here, but how good has Fort?

Washington been. That's my.

Yeah, I mean, you just can't knock him.

I don't I don't get the morning line on him.

I I see him as as a very short price favorite in here because

this form has been so good. But but you never know how they

bet these things and they do like to bet brilliant pretty

quite hard. So for Washington most likely

winner and I think if you wanted to get away from those two back

to our guy Fresu me hermano Ramon Mark lats runner has been

very good, very good out of California.

You never know how that California turf form translates

and this is a good group. So you know it's hard to go

against both of those taking candy.

I think few slashed out brilliant birdies game probably

doesn't want to be leading the whole way.

That's probably not the most comfortable trip for that guy.

So, you know, but I, I do think the, the form that we're seeing

from Port Washington is, is the rest kind of pale in comparison.

So I'm I'm going to lean on that one most.

Yeah, I mean, his only real blemish is a 2 and a quarter

length loss in the Pegasus World Cup turf invitation all which I

mean, that was Spirit of Saint Louis.

That was major dude. I mean that that was a that was

a big boy feel down there. Gulf St.

Park in January, obviously back-to-back in the Canadian

turf, also at Gulfstream Park. And then in the dinner party,

maybe my favorite name of the stakes race in the United States

there. And it rained all week, Nick,

what's interesting about that there is he's going to get Miami

weather here tomorrow, right? And he's one in that weather.

And then he went to Pimlico where it rained for like 6 days

straight before the Thursday before the Preakness, and that

grass was taking buckets of rain and so that he can run and

everything. So I think Fort Washington very,

very live tomorrow. Let's go through the Foster

field kind of quickly and get your thoughts on this.

But I mean, this is when you talk about grade ones and once

in a while, I'm sure Kevin, like me, you look at it and you go,

man, this is like a grade 2 minus.

Like right. This is this is a great like the

Grade 1 E of grade one. This is a grade one plus.

And I've never said that before. By the way, I've never in my

career said this is a grade one plus.

The Stephen Foster tomorrow is a grade one plus.

You get mind frame coming out of a grade one win since coming out

of a grade two win and he is graded 6 placed in grade ones

twice. Skippy Longstocking is running

his 33rd race. He has won 11 times, just won

the Gold Cup at Santa Anita. He won the challenger earlier

this year at Tampa. I mean his his resume goes

forever. You get Sierra Leone, the

Breeders Cup Classic winner who finished in that three-way

incredible finish here in the Derby last year.

You get Mystic Dan who won that race, came back the best race of

his career since that Derby in the blame last Outlook,

Fantastic, cut the corner again under Brian Hernandez junior and

then, Oh yeah, no big deal. You get a horse who won a $20

million race and hit show in the sixth spot.

I mean, Kevin, this is grade one plus.

It's unbelievable. It is unbelievable.

I think it's $27 million total, total earnings for these and

which is maybe it's the highest I'm here in the highest ever for

for a sakes race here and then you know, North America.

So it's it's what you want. And and Halvo bet it will be

very interesting to see. I mean for me, my frame is, is,

is the guy 4 year old that I think you know, won the the race

of the year so far, you know, last out in the Churchill Downs

May 3rd Derby day, beaten Vanishing and beaten ISO's next

out winner. Also we had Bokum Dano finishing

fourth in the next out winner. Big improvement in terms of

speed figures from both of those.

And I mean, I think we're better going longer.

I mean, we haven't been as fast as since we've done the

Goldstein Park Mile and the Churchill Downs as we were doing

in the Belmont and the high school.

And I think more distance for this Constitution colt who's

been working very well since that May 3rd effort.

We'll just move him forward. So I read up and I think he can

he can work out the trip. Who's going to go to the front?

Could could someone try to steal it out front?

Maybe Mine Frame does try to steal it out front.

Maybe Skippy tries to steal it out front.

We know First Mission doesn't want to go to the lead.

We saw that last year. He just needs to come off from

off of it even though he's got the ability to get into a race.

So I think the forward horses are going to have the advantage

in here. Skippy did run third in this

race last year, first Mission 4th behind both Pyrenees and

then Kings Barnes, your eventual winner in this one.

I do remember that stretch one. That was a cool move by Kings

Barnes in the stretch. That was an actually an awesome

finish to this race last summer. So hopefully something similar

this year. We will get the probably the

last starter, certainly a Churchill Downs under the name

of Wayne Lucas in this one, again in Ashcroft.

We're just hoping for a good check here, right?

We want to see like a third, second, like upset the applecart

here. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, it would be great for him.

I mean, there's some back for him.

When we were in California. It would, I don't know, just let

Rue try to steal it out front. Maybe that's it, just that that

call and that could that could change the dynamic.

So if you see him sort of break into the front, watch out for

that. But he hasn't been that good the

last two. So not sure what to do with

Ashcroft. America Derby will finish up the

card race. 12 quarter million in this one mile and a 16th on the

turf. This is the other boys race

here. The three-year olds are in this

one. The boys Teppin.

We get a couple of Derby alums in here.

Flying Mohawk getting back to the turf.

Obviously, we saw him win at Fairgrounds earlier this year.

Now those guys back with a, with a, with a, with a broom.

I got to learn people's names. Everybody's got a job here and I

just refer to them by their jobs.

Kevin, it's no good. It's like, you know, like a

tractor driver. That's not his name, Louis.

That's he has a name, you know. But Flying Mohawk gets back to

the turf. Tastic gets back to the turf.

But I want to ask you a different way.

He won twice on the turf and it was at Kentucky Downs.

How do you try to handicap that heading into a race like the

American Derby? Yeah, You know, you just have to

not trust it completely, right, especially, especially on those

forward days at Kentucky Downs. But he came from off of it and

he did it within a week, right, or a little bit over a week.

He just came back-to-back and took on those those juveniles.

So he he was a very good form, very good early.

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, we've been on the main

track for a long time. We're we're switching back to

the turf. I think there's this just trying

to figure this guy out and the figure this is a good spot to to

give it a go. So tastic I'm against in there,

but Minaret Station coming back is very interesting.

I agree with. You the key getting Fallabi and

Pratt up is very interesting in this race.

But for me this is Sharita Bell, Jose Ortiz, most likely winter

combo Reagan's wit on the rail looking very good at Pimlico

last out. I think more distance is better

and we will just be flying late. I love that that that late kick

we saw last time and I think we'll see it in a big way.

So Reagan's went for me this this authentic cold.

I think we'll we'll be able to trip out and has been working

very sharp especially for the Devoe barn since that since that

JW Murphy went. Did Joe Kossel run better in the

American turf than we're giving him credit for?

He did he. I think so too, yeah.

He's game. I mean that that's, that's the

price towards, don't you think? I I think so especially, you

know, Ben Curtis seems to be learning this place a little bit

too, especially on the on the green stuff.

And so I, he's an interesting one to me.

He's going to be a definite include, you know, second, third

and a lot of plays for me. I love it.

Yeah, I'm with you on him. I think he's he's, he's better

than the market will give him credit for, that's for sure.

Yeah, we saw him in the Iroquois.

They tried to get him into the end of the Kentucky Derby, but

he does have a win over the the turf here going a mile and a

16th already at Churchill in an allowance race.

So I'm I'm very interested to see how he gets back to a second

race here on the turf after trying the Jeff Ruby sticks.

Well, Kevin, we appreciate you. I do have a texture that always

wants me to ask. And so I've asked you before, I

apologize, but do you have a favorite dinosaur?

Oh triceratops, absolutely. That's good answer.

That's good answer. Yeah, it could take take on the

the Lt. Rex little little guy.

I'm always a fan of the little guy to give me the date.

You know, I think Triceratops is the David of the dinosaur world.

Oh man, So what are you doing after Sunday brother?

What they got you working on? Colonial, colonial down.

So I'll be doing those for that. I'll be popping on for Ellis the

next week and then mostly colonial throughout.

So yeah, it'll be a little bit of reprieve, but it'll be fun to

to turn the attention out to Virginia that that program out

there is huge four days a week, Wednesday through Saturday.

So it's going to be fun. Yeah, you know, we get to the

end of this meet. I always get sad because I can

just drive here and go to the races.

But at the same time, I'm also like, all right, Ellis Park 2

year old program. I'm excited.

Colonials getting going. I'm excited.

You know, you know, I'm I'm covering the Indiana Derby next

weekend. That's fun.

You know, those getting to be at a track on its biggest day is

always fun. And so, you know, you forget.

Hey, summertime. We got good stuff going too.

So Ellis, of course, and colonial for our guy Kevin at

trust your luck on the socials. Kevin, have a great day today,

tomorrow and hopefully you get a piece of that Pick 6 on Sunday.

Yeah, that big was it, $1.3 million carry over into the day.

So hope it keeps on rolling forward.

So yeah, I'll take a swing for sure for the people Public Day.

There you go, brother. All right, we'll talk to you

soon. Man, there you go, Kevin.

Kill right?