Wise Dan back to defend Maker’s 46 Mile

Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – Two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan will make his 2014 racing debut Friday as he attempts to defend his victory in last year’s $300,000 Maker’s 46 Mile at Keeneland.

The 7-year-old gelding, trained by Charles LoPresti, will start from post 3 in the seven-horse field over Keeneland’s turf course. Last year Wise Dan posted a one-length victory over 2012 race winner Data Link in the stakes. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez returns to ride the champion

“You have to get started somewhere and you can’t worry about getting beat,” LoPresti said. “In a perfect world, I’d like to have another five-eighths work, but with the weather that we had, that was the hand I was dealt.”

Owned by Morton Fink, Wise Dan has won the last two Breeders’ Cup Miles and suffered just one defeat last year in seven starts. The six-time Eclipse Award winner has earned nearly $6.3 million with 19 wins in 27 lifetime starts.

Here is the field for the Maker’s 46 Mile in post position order: Za Approval, Julien Leparoux; Alakazan Alakazan, Jose Lezcano; Wise Dan, John Velazquez; Gentleman’s Kitten, Rosie Napravnik; Reload, Javier Castellano; Lochte, Orlando Bocachica and Kaigun, Alan Garcia.

The Maker’s 46 Mile has an approximate post time of 5:13 p.m. ET.

Categorized in: Horses