The Great War leads overflow field of veteran runners in today’s Forego Stakes at Turfway Park

An overflow field of 14 has signed up for the $50,000 black type Forego Stakes at Turfway Park today, including several veteran Turfway winners.

Trained by Wesley Ward, 5-year-old The Great War has spent most of his career among stakes company in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Comfortable on any surface, he won the 96ROCK Stakes on Turfway’s Polytrack as a 3-year-old and was graded stakes-placed the same year in the G2 Nearctic on Woodbine’s turf.  Two starts back, at 4, he won a top allowance race on the dirt at Keeneland at the Forego’s 6 1/2-furlong distance.

The Forego will be his first start since Nov. 24, when he finished fifth, beaten four lengths after setting the pace, in the Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct. Julio Garcia was aboard for the win at Keeneland and has the call again Saturday, breaking from post four.

Charlie LoPresti sends his 5-year-old mare Elusive Holiday out to face the boys after her front-running  7 1/2-length allowance score over fillies and mares at Turfway last out, her second win in two sprint starts over the surface. She prepped for the Forego with a four-furlong bullet work among 10 over Keeneland’s Polytrack training surface Jan. 12 and will break from post eight under returning rider Alonso Quinonez.

Breaking next to Elusive Holiday in post nine is Crewman, who won his last outing, a mile at Turfway, by more than three lengths after two good seconds at the Forego distance, one each on the dirt at Churchill and Keeneland. In his favor is apprentice jockey Jack Gilligan, who has been the hot rider at Turfway in recent days.

Dee Poulos trains.

The veteran of the field in both earnings and experience is Ghost is Clear, a 9-year-old making his 44th start for trainer Mike Maker. His earnings of $501,729 reflect an impressive record of 14 wins, nine seconds and three thirds coming into Saturday’s race, with victories over dirt, all-weather and turf.

Ghost is Clear won this race two years ago and was second the year before that. A dedicated sprinter, he has six wins and five seconds at the Forego distance, including an optional allowance win at Turfway two starts back. He will break from post two under Rafael Hernandez.

Multiple stakes winner Dac comes in to the Forego off a gritty head victory in the Prairie Bayou Stakes Dec. 17 at Turfway, but while he loves the Turfway track, he loves it going long and closing, so he may run out of real estate in the Forego. He carries high weight of 124 lbs. to his rivals’ 120. Rodney Prescott returns to ride for trainer Scott Brumley.

The field for the Forego from the rail out: Mongol Bull (jockey Edgar Perez); Ghost is Clear (Hernandez); Expected Ruler (Sonny Leon); The Great War (Garcia); Blue Wings (Perry Ouzts); Dac (Prescott); Cerro (Orlando Mojica); Elusive Holiday (Quinonez); Crewman (Gilligan); Mellow Fellow (Alejandro Contreras); Snow Leopard (Richard Bracho); and Hollywood Talent (Albin Jimenez). Copperplate and Attain are also eligible.

The Forego is the sixth of nine races on Saturday’s card. First post is 6:15 p.m.

Turfway Park