Laurel-based Old Time Revival to try luck in G3 Gotham

by | Mar 9, 2018 | Breaking, Maryland, MD Racing, Racing

Old Time Revival (between horses) led for a long way before settling for second in the Miracle Wood Stakes. Photo by Laurie Asseo.

From a New York Racing Association release

The Fred J. Brei-owned colt Old Time Revival was being readied to ship up to Aqueduct from Maryland’s Laurel Park on Friday afternoon with a date in Saturday’s Grade 3 Gotham, a $300,000 race for three-year-olds contested at one mile.

The sophomore son of Brethren will face his toughest competition yet in his sixth career start, but the chance to run against graded stakes company was a chance that trainer Kenneth Decker and his connections decided to make based on his recent improvement. Old Time Revival is 15-1 on the morning line. Free Drop Billy (9-5) is the morning line favorite.

“He came out of his last race pretty well and he had a pretty sharp work the other day,” Decker said of Old Time Revival. “So, we’re hoping he’ll run pretty good up there, and we’ll see how it goes. All is well.”

The Florida-bred Old Time Revival launched his career at five furlongs on June 17 at Laurel, where he came with a strong finish for third among a field of nine at Laurel Park. He returned the following month and finished a fading fifth after getting bumped at the break. Decker stretched his colt out to seven furlongs in December, and a convincing front-end journey allowed him to break his maiden by 4 ¾ lengths.

His 2018 season began with a seventh-place finish in the $100,000 Frank Whiteley Jr., but the colt redeemed himself with a front running effort in the one mile $100,000 Miracle Wood, where he was caught by a neck at the wire at 34-1. That effort led Decker to come north and try his colt to see how he fares against tomorrow’s field.

“We’re hoping. It’s the first time running up there, and we figured we’d try to run someplace different,” the trainer explained. “We’ll see what he’s got. We were nominated to the Jerome, but we didn’t get the opportunity to come up there, so we’ll run up there tomorrow, and just hope for the best. We’ll ship up today, van up, and go from there.”