By Ben Baugh
Dogwood Stable’s Aikenite is back in training at Todd Pletcher’s barn at Belmont Park and is being pointed toward a race in September, said W. Cothran Campbell, Dogwood Stable president.
A winner of consecutive graded stakes races as a 4-year-old, Aikenite scored back-to-back Grade 2 victories in the Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland and Churchill Downs Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Aikenite also finished 10th in the 2010 Preakness.
“With his race record, the ultimate objective is to find him the appropriate home for stallion duty,” said Campbell, in a press release. “However, we couldn’t have retired him at a worse time – he had no options for the 2012 season.”
The Florida-bred son of Yes It’s True has been rehabbing at Dr. Barry and Shari Eisaman’s Eisaman Equine in Williston, Fla.
“Barry (Eisaman) and I talked in June about the feasability of putting him back in training, inasmuch as the stallion market doesn’t heat up until the fall,” said Campbell. “The result has Aikenite showing great enthusiasm – for a horse that ran hard, but was never one to volunteer much in his training.”
Aikenite had been poised to return for his 5-year-old campaign this winter and returned to training when his left front ankle started to become inflamed. The horse was retired in March, and was eventually sent to Eisaman Equine to layup and rehabilitate from his injury.
“I want to salute Barry Eisaman for his handling of this horse,” said Campbell. “He is both a veterinarian and an excellent conditioner of race horses, and I have great confidence that the horse arrived at Belmont with a splendid foundation underneath him. We can hope he can go on to win some more races for us.”
Aikenite has five wins from 23 career starts, four seconds and three thirds, and has a lifetime bankroll of $866,635. Dogwood Stable purchased Aikenite for $225,000.
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Dogwood Stable’s Aikenite is back in training at Todd Pletcher’s barn at Belmont Park and is being pointed toward a race in September, said W. Cothran Campbell, Dogwood Stable president.
A winner of consecutive graded stakes races as a 4-year-old, Aikenite scored back-to-back Grade 2 victories in the Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland and Churchill Downs Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Aikenite also finished 10th in the 2010 Preakness.
“With his race record, the ultimate objective is to find him the appropriate home for stallion duty,” said Campbell, in a press release. “However, we couldn’t have retired him at a worse time – he had no options for the 2012 season.”
The Florida-bred son of Yes It’s True has been rehabbing at Dr. Barry and Shari Eisaman’s Eisaman Equine in Williston, Fla.
“Barry (Eisaman) and I talked in June about the feasability of putting him back in training, inasmuch as the stallion market doesn’t heat up until the fall,” said Campbell. “The result has Aikenite showing great enthusiasm – for a horse that ran hard, but was never one to volunteer much in his training.”
Aikenite had been poised to return for his 5-year-old campaign this winter and returned to training when his left front ankle started to become inflamed. The horse was retired in March, and was eventually sent to Eisaman Equine to layup and rehabilitate from his injury.
“I want to salute Barry Eisaman for his handling of this horse,” said Campbell. “He is both a veterinarian and an excellent conditioner of race horses, and I have great confidence that the horse arrived at Belmont with a splendid foundation underneath him. We can hope he can go on to win some more races for us.”
Aikenite has five wins from 23 career starts, four seconds and three thirds, and has a lifetime bankroll of $866,635. Dogwood Stable purchased Aikenite for $225,000.