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Concrete Rose Prepares for 2020 Return

Author: Don Mckee
Published: Wednesday February 19, 2020
Trainer Rusty Arnold is in Florida preparing for Kentucky. He is looking toward the spring meet at Keeneland, and four high-class turf horses are being readied to make a 2020 return. Sitting at the top of that list is millionaire Concrete Rose, a four-time stakes winner in 2019. 

Concrete Rose resumed breezing on Feb. 17 at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida. The filly worked three furlongs on grass in :36 4/5, and she is being prepared to start in the April 11 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) in Lexington. 

She is a 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy owned by Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing. She has scored at the grade 1 level, taking the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) at the age of 3 last summer. She also won the Edgewood Stakes Presented by Forcht Bank (G3T), the Florida Oaks (G3T), and the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes last year. 

Leader of Division in 2019

Concrete Rose, who was one of the leaders in her division in 2019, was forced to miss the second half of the year after suffering from a fracture in her right foreleg. According to Arnold, that injury has healed and was given a positive prognosis by Dr. True Baker at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. 

"Knock on wood, everything has gone on schedule," Arnold said. "She had her first work yesterday, and it went well. It was a touch quicker than we thought, but she went nice, galloped out nice and came back really good today."

If the filly needs more time to make her return, Arnold said that an alternative race is the May 2 Longines Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (G2T). 

At Keeneland, she will face company with stablemates Morticia and Leinster. Both of those horses also breezed toward their first outings of the year. The two graded stakes-winning turf sprinters will likely run in the Giant's Causeway Stakes April 11 and Shakertown Stakes (G3T) April 4, respectively. 

Both of those stakes are run at 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, and the Giant's Causeway is restricted to fillies and mares. 

Leinster and Morticia

On Feb. 16, Leinster breezed three furlongs in :39 4/5. Morticia also breezed the same distance in :38 3/5 on Feb. 17. It was Morticia's second workout of the year and Leinster's first. Both of the horses have not run since the Fall. 

Leinster is owned by the partnership of Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables, and Jean Wilkinson. His last race was the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Santa Anita Park, and he finished seventh out of 12. 

Morticia's last race was the Oct. 11 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland, where she finished second. She was supposed to be retired after that race, but owner G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and Arnold decided to let her run this year at age 6. 

"I think there is so much opportunity right now for these horses. I think it's great, really, for racing," Arnold said. 

Another horse looking to make his 2020 return in the Spring is five-year-old Totally Boss. He finished 10th in the Turf Sprint for Arnold and will not join his trainer in Florida. 

According to Arnold, owners Jim and Susan Hill want the Street Boss gelding to freshen and have him complete his early-season training at Margaux Farm in Kentucky. He will then rejoin Arnold in the middle of March after the string is sent to Keeneland.