Photo:

Jessica Morgan / Eclipse Sportswire

Friday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs drew a field of 10 who will race 1 1/8 miles. This Thanksgiving weekend feature includes a pair of 3-year-olds who will face older horses.

The Clark has five graded-stakes winners, including only a single Grade 1 winner, and four of them earned more than $1 million in their careers.

Here is a full-field analysis with the official morning-line odds from Churchill Downs. The Clark is set as race 11 of 12 with post time scheduled for 5:48 p.m. EST.

1. Bolzy, 12-1. Gun Runner – Donnie Von Hemel / Frankie Dettori – 10: 2-1-0 – $259,562. Bolzy gets blinkers even after he ran the best race of his career when he finished second in the Fayette (G2) after setting the pace from the start until the top of the stretch. He is expected to be part of strong early fractions. International star Frankie Dettori retains the mount. Toss.

2. Grand Aspen, 20-1. Dialed In – Jonathan Thomas / Jose Ortiz – 10: 2-3-1 – $206,035. Grand Aspen began his career in the barn of Brad Cox and was moved to Todd Pletcher, for whom he missed a win in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park in December. After getting eased in the Pegasus World Cup (G1), he was moved to trainer Jonathan Thomas. In his first start for Thomas, which came after a 10-month layoff, he was eighth in the Fayette. Toss.

3. Crupi, 4-1. Curlin – Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz Jr. – 18: 5-4-5 – $1,139,750. Crupi is one of the race’s millionaires, and he prefers to race from off the pace. After an unproductive start in the Dubai World Cup (G1), he was off for a few months and came back to win the Suburban (G2) at Saratoga. He then was second in the Brooklyn (G2) and the Whitney (G1). Typically, Crupi runs from off the pace and should have the right setup for his running style. Top choice.

4. Piroli, 20-1. Battle of Midway – Michael McCarthy / Edgar Morales – 20: 4-4-2 – $341,283. Piroli raced most of his career in California, where he was second in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) at Santa Anita in 2023. Six races later he was the winner of an allowance at Keeneland last month against a field of 10 when he pressed the pace. Trainer Michael McCarthy opened a division in Kentucky in the last year, and Piroli was one of the horses who came east. Toss.

5. Most Wanted, 7-2. Candy Ride – Brad Cox / Florent Geroux – 4: 4-0-0 – $519,553. Most Wanted will face the toughest test of his undefeated career when he will try to get his fifth victory as he faces older horses for the first time. His career began in June. He became a stakes winner in August in the Ellis Park Derby and a graded-stakes winner in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) in September. Florent Geroux will stay on board even though he rode Hit Show in his last race. Most Wanted also prefers to race on or near the lead. Win contender.

6. Hit Show, 5-2. Candy Ride – Brad Cox / Tyler Gaffalione – 14: 7-1-0 – $1,288,378. Hit Show won 50% of his starts and has earnings of more than $1.2 million. As a 3-year-old in 2023 he won the Withers (G3) and missed by a nose in the Wood Memorial (G2). Hit Show was fifth in Mage’s Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Belmont Stakes won by Arcangelo. He won his last three starts this year, including the Fayette (G2) and the Lukas Classic (G2). Tyler Gaffalione will take over the riding duty from Geroux. The one to beat.

7. Rattle N Roll, 5-1. Connect – Ken McPeek / Brian Hernandez Jr. – 22: 8-2-3 – $1,780,941. Rattle N Roll is the only Grade 1 winner in the field, and he got that win as a 2-year-old in the Breeders’ Futurity. He had eight victories in his first three years of racing and has a career record of 8: 3-1-3 at Churchill Downs. The two most recent lines in his past performances are from the Lukas Classic in which he was fourth in 2023, had a year layoff and then was third last month. As a late runner, a fast pace should be to his liking. Win contender.

8. Red Route One, 6-1. Gun Runner – Steve Asmussen / Cristian Torres – 21: 5-4-3 – $1,807,475. Red Route One was last seen winning the Cornhusker Handicap (G3) in July at Remington Park. In March he won the New Orleans Classic (G2) at Fair Grounds, and he won the West Virginia Derby (G3) last year. He is another late runner who figures to get an ideal pace scenario. Use underneath.

9. Cooke Creek, 6-1. Uncle Mo – Mike Maker / Luis Saez – 21: 5-3-4 – $457,147. Cooke Creek was second by a neck in the Lukas Classic after setting the pace. Before that he won three races in a row, including a $40,000 claimer from which he was taken by Michael Maker. Maker frequently gets horses from top-level claiming races and moves them up to win allowances and stakes. Cooke Creek won a pair of allowances with front-end efforts before the Lukas Classic. Win contender.

10. Uno Mas Bourbon, 20-1. Macho Uno – Ian Wilkes / Franciso Arrieta – 9: 2-0-4 – $282,863. The 3-year-old Uno Mas Bourbon is in the best form of his career with a third-place finish in an allowance at Ellis Park followed by a victory in the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. In the Fayette, he was third racing from off the pace. Use underneath.

Summary: The pace projection for the Clark shows a fast pace for the nine-furlong distance, which indicates that late runners have the advantage. That means that the top front-runners such as the undefeated Most Wanted and the improving Cooke Creek will get faded.

Hit Show is a deserved morning-line favorite and the one to beat, but Crupi and Rattle N Roll should provide better value. Rattle N Roll is the fresh horse, and Crupi has been competitive in top graded stakes. Crupi is the top choice with Rattle N Roll a good selection to use in the exacta.