Ole Crazy Bone stamps BC ticket in Kentucky Turf Cup

Trainer Mike Maker has a knack for claiming horses and developing them into money-spinning turf marathoners. Ole Crazy Bone became his newest success story in Saturday’s $2,496,667 Kentucky Turf Cup (G2), a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).

Making his second start off the claim, the 6.75-1 shot not only scored a stakes breakthrough and gave Maker a record sixth win in this race. Ole Crazy Bone put an exclamation point on his performance, drawing off by open lengths in course-record time at Kentucky Downs. 

Winning owner Jay Provenzano, whose nom de course is Flying P Stable, was ebullient in speaking to track publicity via Maker’s phone:

“No, I have never won a $2.5 million race before. I’m at a loss for words right now. It’s like I won Powerball already tonight.”

Provenzano wasted no time in confirming that Ole Crazy Bone would use his Breeders’ Cup ticket and make the trip to Del Mar.

“Well, Jay was already screaming Breeders’ Cup when I called him,” Maker said. “I’m guessing that’s the direction we’ll go.”

Haltered for $100,000 out of a near-miss in a June 26 optional claimer rained off the turf at Churchill Downs, Ole Crazy Bone came close to winning first out for his new connections. Maker had put him straight into stakes company in the Aug. 3 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup at Ellis Park, and the Ghostzapper gelding came up just a head shy despite trouble. 

“If you watch his trip, I felt he was the best horse in the race,” Maker said, “but he didn’t get paid for it.”

Provenzano offered a more colorful description. 

“Listen, I couldn’t wait to run this horse there. He ran so big last time, it felt like I got kicked in the groin when we lost. Because we gave up 30 lengths the last race and we just got beat.”

Ole Crazy Bone made the most of a straightforward passage on Saturday. New pilot Flavien Prat had him well placed in a stalking role as front-running Corruption doled out splits of :24.20, :48.87, 1:12.89, and 1:36.61 on the good course.

In contrast, the top contenders were enduring tougher trips. Fort Washington, the slight 4.52-1 favorite, was hung out wide in midpack. Defending champion Grand Sonata had to expend energy to improve position in midrace, and Utah Beach never got going after getting shuffled back in traffic early. 

While Corruption was traveling sweetly turning into the stretch, Ole Crazy Bone hit a flat spot and came under pressure. But as soon as Prat asked, Ole Crazy Bone went through his gears. Suddenly surging past Corruption, he bounded 3 3/4 lengths clear. 

Ole Crazy Bone clocked 1 1/2 miles in 2:24.72, eclipsing Grand Sonata’s 2:24.93 from last year’s Kentucky Turf Cup. The track has had timing issues this meet, but Equibase was listing this as a new course record.

Tawny Port flashed home for second, exactly a week after taking the silver medal behind Flatten the Curve in the Bowling Green Gold Cup. Corruption was relegated to third, another half-length astern. Mercante crossed the wire in fourth, trailed by Grand Sonata, Fort Washington, Divin Propos, and Anglophile (who dead-heated for seventh), Utah Beach, El Rezeen, and the distanced Vote No. 

Ole Crazy Bone furnished a $15.50 return while advancing his scorecard to 19-7-5-2, $1,759,254.

“Honestly, I had a good trip,” Prat recapped, “but when I got to the three-eighths pole, I didn’t have much horse. The winner looked like he was traveling so well, and then all of a sudden, he turned for home, he went to his right lead, and he really engaged and went on and got the job done.”

Ole Crazy Bone was a stakes-caliber competitor for his former connections, Allied Racing Stable and trainer Bret Calhoun. Second by a head in last summer’s Texas Turf Classic at Lone Star, the dark bay was third to the Maker-trained Sugoi in the Jan. 25 John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston. Ole Crazy Bone had only one other stakes opportunity, the April 19 Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland, where he raced evenly in seventh. 

When Maker saw that he was entered for the tag at Churchill in his next start, he swooped in for the five-year-old who was far from over the hill.

“I wanted a horse that looked like he’d appreciate a mile and a half. We had the race at Ellis in mind (the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup) and this race, of course.

“He was in great shape, really classy horse, easy to ride,” Maker added, refuting the notion of a radical transformation on the barn change.

The laconic trainer also didn’t bask in his record number of Turf Cup trophies. 

“Well, we’ve had an overabundance of marathon horses, and obviously the purse keeps growing,” Maker said matter-of-factly. 

Like his Hall of Fame sire, Ghostzapper, Ole Crazy Bone was bred in Kentucky by Adena Springs. His dam is the Smart Strike mare Southern Gem.