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Wise Dan ready to run in Woodbine Mile Grade 1 hero Wise Dan will arrive at Woodbine on Friday morning ready to run in the Grade 1, $1-million Woodbine Mile on September 16 over the E.P Taylor Turf Course. The bay son of Wiseman's Ferry, trained by Charles Lopresti for owner-breeder Morton Fink, arrives for the Mile off a spectacular five-length score in the Grade 2 Fourstardave at Saratoga. Wise Dan should have no problems handling the Woodbine turf as he has notched graded wins on multiple surfaces -- Grade 3 Phoenix, Grade 2 Fayette and Grade 3 Ben Ali all at Keeneland on the synthetic Polytrack; Grade 1 Clark over Churchill Downs's dirt; Grade 2 Firecracker at Churchill and Fourstardave at Saratoga, both on the turf. Lopresti, who won the Woodbine Mile last year with Turallure, has been very impressed with how Wise Dan has been training heading into the event. The five-year-old chestnut gelding sizzled four furlongs in :45 4/5 over the Saratoga training turf on August 24. "It turned out phenomenal. None of us could believe it, including the clockers," Lopresti said. "I told his exercise rider I'd be happy if he goes in :48 and change. He probably went in :46, but they got him in :45 and change. He did it really easy. He looked like he was going :48." The sharp work is a good sign. The gelding's final breeze before the Fourstardave, a five-panel jaunt over the Saratoga training turf, was clocked in a dazzling :58 2/5 on July 30. "That was incredible," Lopresti recalled. "He went :58 and change, they got three-quarters in 1:10 and out seven furlongs in 1:22. It looked like he had the hand brake on when he was doing it." With the hard training taken care of, Wise Dan breezed an easy six furlongs over Keeneland's Polytrack on September 5 in 1:13. "He was just cruising around there," Lopresti noted. "He's so fit. If he's not fit enough to run this race, I don't know what will get him fit!" Lopresti's star contender will be partnered in the Mile by regular rider John Velazquez. The recent Hall of Fame inductee steered Miss Keller to a memorable win in the Grade 1 E.P Taylor Stakes at Woodbine last October. "It's an incredible turf course," Lopresti added. "I couldn't believe it the first time I looked down that stretch. It's pretty neat. I know Johnny knows it well, I just hope Wise Dan realizes how long he has to run down the lane and saves it for the quarter-pole home." For more information on the $1-million event, please visit www.woodbinemile.com. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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