Photo:

Coglianese Photography / Gulfstream Park

Trainer Jose D’Angelo is hoping he gets a big bang out of Howard Wolowitz in Saturday’s Grade 1, $2 million Franklin-Simpson. The 3-year-old colt by Munnings, owned by Al Gold’s Gold Square Racing, is named after the character of the same name from the hit TV show “The Big Bang Theory,” which ran from 2007-2019.

“He is a character, too,” D’Angelo said about the colt at the Kentucky Downs stable area Thursday morning.

D’Angelo will be running his good-natured colt in the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin-Simpson in his second career start on the grass.

The first one, didn’t go so good.

In the 5 1/2-furlong listed Mahony Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 11, Howard Wolowitz finished fourth, beaten by just 1 1/4 lengths.

“He had a really bad trip at Saratoga,” said the Florida-based D’Angelo. “He was inside, behind horses, and he never got to clear. In the last furlong of that race, he could not make his move because he didn’t have any place to go.”

Before the Mahony, Howard Wolowitz broke his maiden on the Tapeta course at Gulfstream Park by 7 3/4 lengths. That race was also at 5 1/2 furlongs. That race was the second in Howard Wolowitz’s career and first in D’Angelo’s barn. He started his career in Brittany Russell’s barn and finished eighth in his debut at seven furlongs on dirt after a rocky start.

Howard Wolowitz will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., for the first time in the Franklin-Simpson. He will start from post position 10 in the 12-horse field.

D’Angelo thinks the added ground will help his horse, who is the 9-2 second choice on Kentucky Downs’ oddsmaker Nick Tammaro’s morning line behind Mansa Musa, who is 4-1 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

“I really like our chances,” D’Angelo said. “Every morning, he looks like he is handling the track better and better.”

D’Angelo has another stakes horse that he hopes gets a chance to run on Saturday.

Twirling Queen will need three scratches to get into the Grade 2, $2 million Music City for 3-year-old fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs. A daughter of Twirling Candy, Twirling Queen has won all four of her starts this year, three of them ungraded stakes races.

“She is a nice filly, the distance is perfect for her, and she looks like she likes the track,” D’Angelo said. “I hope I get to the gate.”

D’Angelo was getting his first look at Kentucky Downs on Thursday.

“Really like it,” he said. “There is grass everywhere!”

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Hedwig Maclean’s Music	5.34	Eoin G. Harty Luis Saez	1st, ELP AOC (08/11/2024-R4)	10-1
Last Race		1st, ELP AOC (08/11/2024-R4)
2		Evade Wootton Bassett	0.00	Michael J. Maker Jaime Torres	6th, 2024 City Plate Stakes LS	12-1
Last Race		6th, 2024 City Plate Stakes LS
3		General Ledger Summer Front	5.12	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Jose L. Ortiz	4th, 2024 Secretariat Stakes G2	15-1
Last Race		4th, 2024 Secretariat Stakes G2
4		Yellow Card Lost Treasure	0.00	Michael W. McCarthy John R. Velazquez	6th, 2024 Mahony LS	15-1
Last Race		6th, 2024 Mahony LS
5		Bear River Flameaway	4.79	J. Keith Desormeaux James Graham	6th, Van Clief S.	12-1
Last Race		6th, Van Clief S.
6		Apollo Ten Violence	4.34	Christophe Clement Tyler Gaffalione	3rd, 2024 Mahony LS	6-1
Last Race		3rd, 2024 Mahony LS
7		Joe Shiesty Air Force Blue	0.00	Eric N. Foster Abel Cedillo	7th, KY Downs Preview Turf Sprint S.	8-1
Last Race		7th, KY Downs Preview Turf Sprint S.
8		Please Advise Palace Malice	5.12	George Weaver Flavien Prat	4th, 2024 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame G2	8-1
Last Race		4th, 2024 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame G2
9		Vote No Divisidero	4.45	William E. Morey Gerardo Corrales	4th, HAW AOC (07/25/2024-R7)	20-1
Last Race		4th, HAW AOC (07/25/2024-R7)
10		Howard Wolowitz Munnings	0.00	Jose Francisco D’Angelo Irad Ortiz, Jr.	4th, 2024 Mahony LS	9-2
Last Race		4th, 2024 Mahony LS
11		Mansa Musa Ten Sovereigns	5.84	William I. Mott Junior Alvarado	7th, 2024 Mahony LS	4-1
Last Race		7th, 2024 Mahony LS
12		Smokey Smokey Mendelssohn	6.06	Michael J. Maker Ricardo Santana, Jr.	5th, 2024 Quick Call G3	12-1
Last Race		5th, 2024 Quick Call G3
13		Barksdale Street Sense	0.00	William Walden Luis Saez	8th, 2024 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame G2	15-1
Last Race		8th, 2024 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame G2
14		Where Ya At Vince Paynter	0.00	Larry Rivelli Gerardo Corrales	4th, HAW ALW (06/08/2024-R4)	20-1
Last Race		4th, HAW ALW (06/08/2024-R4)
15		Save The Trees Preservationist	4.79	Michael J. Maker Jose L. Ortiz	1st, ELP ALW (08/19/2024-R3)	8-1
Last Race		1st, ELP ALW (08/19/2024-R3)
16		How’s Ur Attitude Street Sense	0.00	John Ennis Frankie Dettori	2nd, Dade Park Dash S.	8-1
Last Race		2nd, Dade Park Dash S.