Sophomore Gelding Set to Run in $100,000 James W. Murphy on Grass

BALTIMORE – It’s back to the grass for J R Sanchez Racing Stable’s Shake Em Loose after the claimer-turned-multiple stakes winner on dirt breezed over Laurel Park’s world-class turf course Sunday morning.

Working in company with 6-year-old stakes-winning mare Can the Queen, Shake Em Loose and his partner were timed in 51.20 seconds over the yielding course, with Shake Em Loose and jockey Jevian Toledo galloping out five furlongs in 1:03.

“The filly doesn’t usually breeze in company, but he’s been breezing in company lately,” owner-trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon said. “It went very well for both my horses. They did pretty well over the course.”

Sanchez-Salomon said Shake Em Loose will make his next start in the $100,000 James W. Murphy for 3-year-olds going one mile on the grass May 21 at historic Pimlico Race Course. He had been under consideration for the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, the same day.

By Shakin It Up, a Grade 1-winning dirt sprinter, Shake Em Loose has raced once before on the grass for his previous connections, a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Laurel where he lost all chance after getting bumped and pinched back at the start and finished 11th. Two starts later, Sanchez-Salomon claimed him for $16,000.

Since then, Shake Em Loose has won three of five races including the Dec. 26 Heft at odds of 59-1 in the first start for Sanchez-Salomon. Following his victory over Joe in the March 19 Private Terms, he was nominated to the Triple Crown by the late deadline for $6,000. He ran a troubled third behind Joe in the April 16 Federico Tesio, which offered a free pass to the Preakness for Triple Crown-nominated horses.

“I was pretty excited and very happy with his work on the grass, I’m going to go to the Murphy,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “I’m not going to force him too much. A race like the Preakness is really, really tough. Anybody can win the race; you saw what happened in the [Kentucky] Derby. Anything can happen, but I don’t want to push him too much. I like this horse a lot and I want to protect him a little bit. I don’t want to push him and break his heart.

“The horses that are coming in [for the Preakness], I don’t want to go over there just to show up. I just want the horse to be happy and let him be a racehorse, and he can continue winning races,” he added. “There’s a lot of races for him. I think he’s a grass horse. I have this filly Foggy Dreams, who is by the same sire as Shake Em Loose, and she loves the grass. I think he will love it, too.”

Sanchez-Salomon is wheeling 6-year-old mare Foggy Dreams back in six days to run in the $150,000 Gallorette (G3) going 1 1/16 miles on the grass on the Preakness undercard. Foggy Dreams was fourth, beaten 6 ¾ lengths, in a five-furlong off-the-turf optional claiming allowance Saturday at Pimlico.

On Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Day program, Sanchez-Salomon plans to run both Can the Queen in the $100,000 The Very One sprinting five furlongs on turf, and 3-year-old filly Click to Confirm against her elders in the $150,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff (G3) for females 3 and up going 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

“It’s nice, but it’s nicer to go over there and compete,” he said. “It’s great when you can go over there with some nice horses and they can run a little. We’re excited.”

Sanchez-Salomon won Race 6 Sunday at Pimlico, a six-furlong starter-optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up, with Lugamo Racing Stable and J R Sanchez Racing Stable’s Askin for a Baskin ($16.40). It was the fourth career win for the 4-year-old gelding, who hit the wire in 1:10.76 over a main track labeled good.

Notes: Jockey Tais Lyapustina doubled Sunday with Askin for a Baskin ($16.40) in Race 6 and Moneyinthebanksey ($12.20) in Race 8 … Live racing returns to Pimlico with an eight-race program Thursday to open Preakness Weekend. Post time is 12:40 p.m. … Entries will be taken and post positions drawn Monday for the 147th Preakness (G1) starting at 4 p.m., when the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) will also be drawn. The event is being live-streamed on the Preakness Facebook and Twitter feeds.