First Look: Changing seasons bring 10 stakes into spotlight
Photo:
Eclipse Sportswire – edited
With the Breeders’ Cup looming on the western horizon,
autumn seasons come to a crossroads this week with Keeneland and Santa Anita
wrapping up, Belmont at Aqueduct moving into its final days and Churchill Downs
just getting started.
Four Grade 2 stakes and five Grade 3s are on the menu as is
a make-good running of a washed-out feature in New Mexico.
With probable and possible starters for undrawn races
provided by the racing offices at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita, this week’s menu
begins with a full gate and then some for a Grade 2 turf race Friday at
Keeneland.
Friday
Valley View (G2), Keeneland, 1 mile, turf, 3-year-old
fillies
There is no shortage of cases to be made for win bets in
this overflow field. On either side of a private sale, Les Reys won her last
two races in France as well as her U.S. debut last month in the listed Winter
Memories at Aqueduct. Buttercream Babe disappointed twice as a favorite in her
last three races, but the one in between was a close third in the National
Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2). Poolside With Slim went 1-for-2 as a stakes
favorite before finishing fourth last month in the Winter Memories.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Morn. Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Opera Mundi Kingman |
0.00 | 8-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
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| 2 |
|
Poolside With Slim Churchill |
5.09 |
4th, Winter Memories LS |
5-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
4th, Winter Memories LS |
|||||
| 3 |
|
Memorialize Karakontie |
0.00 | 10-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
Les Reys Penny’s Picnic |
0.00 |
1st, 2024 Winter Memories LS |
5-2 | |
| Last Race Next Race |
1st, Winter Memories LS |
|||||
| 5 |
|
Kalispera Ten Sovereigns |
5.45 | 15-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Sakura Blossom Classic Empire |
5.84 | 30-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Pharoah’s Wine American Pharoah |
4.56 | 30-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 8 |
|
Buttercream Babe Twirling Candy |
6.06 | 9-2 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
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| 9 |
|
Dancing N Dixie Neolithic |
6.06 | 12-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 10 |
|
Uphill Dance Tonalist |
0.00 | 20-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
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| 11 |
|
Nice as Pie Tapiture |
5.09 | 10-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 12 |
|
Simply in Front Summer Front |
6.47 | 8-1 | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
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|
13 AE |
|
Maxisuperfly Optimizer |
4.79 |
7th, KD AOC (09/08/2024-R3) |
30-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
7th, KD AOC (09/08/2024-R3) |
|||||
|
14 AE |
|
Whiskey Decision Into Mischief |
0.00 |
6th, Winter Memories LS |
15-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
6th, Winter Memories LS |
|||||
|
15 AE |
|
Strike When Ready More Than Ready |
0.00 |
1st, IND ALW (09/17/2024-R7) |
20-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, IND ALW (09/17/2024-R7) |
|||||
|
16 AE |
|
Kehoe Beach Omaha Beach |
0.00 |
1st, KD ALW (09/08/2024-R5) |
8-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, KD ALW (09/08/2024-R5) |
|||||
Saturday
Mother Goose (G2), Belmont at Aqueduct, 1 1/8 miles,
3-year-old fillies
Owner Lee Lewis and trainer Mark Hennig bear no shame for Grade 2 winner Gun Song losing her late lead and finishing second last out in the Cotillion (G1). Carrying 44-1 odds, she lost by just a neck to certain Eclipse Award winner and potential horse of the year Thorpedo Anna. The Gun Runner filly was rewarded with a 93 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form. Gun Song has stakes wins this year in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at Pimlico and the black-type Cathryn Sophia at Parx. Tarifa finished third in the Cotillion. Two-time Grade 2 victor Tarifa, who was third in the Cotillion, also is in the Mother Goose.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Dorothy’s Dreams Always Dreaming |
0.00 |
1st, DEL ALW (10/03/2024-R5) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, DEL ALW (10/03/2024-R5) |
|||||
| 2 |
|
Call Another Play Audible |
6.09 |
10th, Virginia Oaks |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
10th, Virginia Oaks |
|||||
| 3 |
|
Tarifa Bernardini |
7.14 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
Pretty Ana Quality Road |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 5 |
|
Gun Song Gun Runner |
7.04 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Life Talk Gun Runner |
5.92 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
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| 7 |
|
Headline Numbers Gun Runner |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 8 |
|
Just Music Audible |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
Forty Niner (G3), Belmont at Aqueduct, 1 mile,
3-year-olds and up
Three-time Grade 3 winner Messier looked like he was getting
close to career-best form when he held on to win May 3 in the Westchester (G3)
covering the same one-turn course and distance as Saturday’s race. Holding off
two-time graded-stakes winner Post Time, the 5-year-old Empire Maker horse
earned a 97 Beyer. Trainer Rick Dutrow discovered a knee problem after the
race, and Messier had surgery to remove a chip. Messier has been a reliable
presence on the morning tab since mid-August, uncorking bullet breezes twice
this month.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Repo Rocks Tapiture |
6.03 |
2nd, Parx Dirt Mile |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
2nd, Parx Dirt Mile |
|||||
| 2 |
|
Messier Empire Maker |
6.77 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 3 |
|
Stage Raider Pioneerof the Nile |
5.13 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
Jefferson Street Street Sense |
6.27 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 5 |
|
Winit Tapit |
4.56 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Nelson Avenue Into Mischief |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Coastal Mission Great Notion |
5.47 |
1st, Parx Dirt Mile |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Parx Dirt Mile |
|||||
| 8 |
|
Film Star Flatter |
4.45 |
5th, Parx Dirt Mile |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
5th, Parx Dirt Mile |
|||||
Bold Ruler (G3), Belmont at Aqueduct, 6 furlongs,
3-year-olds and up
This race could be the quintessence of wide open. Top Gunner
comes in off a victory in the black-type Parx Sprint, his first race for trainer
Bill Cox after he was picked up on a $62,500 claim at Saratoga by owner Michael
Dubb. Instead of an invitation to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, 4-year-old Scotland
had to settle for a distant second last out to Mufasa in the win-and-you’re-in
Vosburgh (G3) on Sept. 28 at Aqueduct. Surveillance returns to the dirt after
finishing seventh last month in the Harvey Pack grass sprint. He won the
downgraded, off-the-turf Troy two starts back.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Little Vic Practical Joke |
5.07 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 2 |
|
Top Gunner Into Mischief |
4.12 |
1st, Parx Sprint |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Parx Sprint |
|||||
| 3 |
|
Twenty Four Mamba Classic Empire |
5.09 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
Surveillance Constitution |
5.80 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 5 |
|
My Buddy B Creative Cause |
3.34 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Runninsonofagun Gun Runner |
5.67 |
3rd, BAQ AOC (09/19/2024-R2) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
3rd, BAQ AOC (09/19/2024-R2) |
|||||
| 7 |
|
Scotland Good Magic |
6.37 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
Fayette (G2), Keeneland, 1 1/8 miles, 3-year-olds and up
Hit Show is in the best form cycle of a career that has been
worth $1,079,515 in purse earnings. He enjoyed consecutive wins in both the
West Virginia Governor’s (G3) at Mountaineer and last month’s Lukas Classic
(G2) at Churchill Downs. Rattle N Roll, who won three straight Grade 3 stakes
last year before a long break, and Trademark, who was victorious in the 2023
Clark (G2) at Churchill, also bring millionaire credentials into this
closing-day race. Neither, however, has been close to an in-the-money finish in
2024.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Trademark Upstart |
6.28 |
4th, CD AOC (09/25/2024-R7) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
4th, CD AOC (09/25/2024-R7) |
|||||
| 2 |
|
Tumbarumba Oscar Performance |
6.40 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 3 |
|
Uno Mas Bourbon Macho Uno |
0.00 |
1st, Super Derby Presented by Cypress Solar & Roofing |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Super Derby Presented by Cypress Solar & Roofing |
|||||
| 4 |
|
War Campaign Declaration of War |
5.09 |
2nd, CD AOC (09/25/2024-R7) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
2nd, CD AOC (09/25/2024-R7) |
|||||
| 5 |
|
Bolzy Gun Runner |
4.79 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Rattle N Roll Connect |
6.26 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Heroic Move Quality Road |
5.79 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 8 |
|
Hit Show Candy Ride |
7.19 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 9 |
|
Grand Aspen Dialed In |
6.10 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 10 |
|
Howling Time Not This Time |
5.42 |
3rd, CD AOC (09/25/2024-R7) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
3rd, CD AOC (09/25/2024-R7) |
|||||
Bryan Station (G3), Keeneland, 1 mile, turf, 3-year-olds
Trikari, who won the American Turf (G2), Belmont Derby
Invitational (G1) and Secretariat (G2), tries to rebound from a fourth-place
result in the City of Hope (G2) at Santa Anita, where he lost by only 1 1/2
lengths. Neat, the winner of the Manila (G3) and National Museum of Racing Hall
of Fame (G2), also lost last out, finishing third by 1 3/4 lengths in the Gun
Runner at Kentucky Downs. Most intriguing is Demolisher, whose 5-for-5 record
has been built on state-bred races in Indiana.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Neat Constitution |
6.64 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 2 |
|
Depiction More Than Ready |
4.89 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 3 |
|
Herchee Twirling Candy |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
My Boy Prince Cairo Prince |
5.77 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 5 |
|
Demolisher Dominus |
0.00 |
1st, To Much Coffee H. |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, To Much Coffee H. |
|||||
| 6 |
|
Brilliant Berti Noble Mission |
6.59 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Lagynos Kantharos |
6.34 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 8 |
|
Mansa Musa Ten Sovereigns |
5.91 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 9 |
|
Evade Wootton Bassett |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 10 |
|
Protective Medaglia d’Oro |
5.12 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 11 |
|
Trikari Oscar Performance |
7.40 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 12 |
|
Twirling Point Twirling Candy |
0.00 |
4th, Caesars H. |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
4th, Caesars H. |
|||||
|
13 AE |
|
Goes The Clown Mo Town |
0.00 |
1st, GP MSW (10/05/2024-R11) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, GP MSW (10/05/2024-R11) |
|||||
|
14 AE |
|
Call Protection Good Samaritan |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
|
15 AE |
|
Reminder Audible |
4.45 |
5th, GP AOC (08/31/2024-R5) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
5th, GP AOC (08/31/2024-R5) |
|||||
Twilight Derby (G2), Santa Anita, 1 1/8 miles, turf,
3-year-olds
Formidable Man, Stay Hot and Atitlan are expected to meet
again after they finished in that order in the Del Mar Derby (G2) on Sept. 1.
That race was where Formidable Man make his graded-stakes breakthrough,
validating his runner-up finish to Trikari at 24-1 in the American Turf (G2) on
the Kentucky Derby undercard. Stay Hot had won four of his last five, all
stakes, before losing by just a half-length last month. Maiden winner Atitlan,
who did not make his debut until May, has had troubled trips in all four of his
races.
Sunday
Street Sense (G3), Churchill Downs, 1 1/16 miles,
2-year-olds
Sovereignty is a Godolphin homebred colt by Into Mischief
out of Bernardini mare Crowned, a $1.2 million yearling who never raced. According
to Equibase, she foaled two fillies whose combined record was 15: 1-4-4 with
$187,570 in earnings. Sovereignty is her first colt. Trained by Mott, he was hung
wide from a poor draw in his six-furlong debut Aug. 24 at Saratoga, but he still
made up six places and 6 3/4 lengths to finish fourth. He came back Sept. 27 for
a one-turn mile at Aqueduct and was closing late when he lost by a neck to
Praetor. Despite the loss, Sovereignty earned an 89 Beyer.
Autumn Miss (G3), Santa Anita, 1 mile, turf, 3-year-old
fillies
The big question for this race is whether Iscreamuscream
will be entered Wednesday by trainer Phil D’Amato. If so, she would be coming
back from a fractious display before she finished third Oct. 5 against older opposition
in the Rodeo Drive (G2), snapping the four-race winning streak that christened
her career. Grade 3 winner Medoro, who also won her first four races, comes
back for Peter Eurton after finishing third in the San Clemente Handicap (G2)
and second in the Del Mar Oaks (G1). She lost those races to Iscreamuscream.
Downs at Albuquerque Handicap, Albuquerque, 1 1/8 miles,
3-year-olds and up
This $200,000 race was pushed back eight days after the
muddy track was declared unsafe Saturday. The field will remain as originally
drawn, so Unload remains the likely post-time favorite for what is now a
closing-day feature. A close second at 66-1 this summer in the Prairie Meadows
Cornhusker Handicap (G3), the 4-year-old Gun Runner colt then went to Remington
Park and won the Governor’s Cup before moving to turf for a sixth-place finish
in the Remington Green. Back on dirt, Unload will carry the high weight of 123
pounds.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | Morn. Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Unload Gun Runner |
5.79 |
6th, Remington Green |
8-5 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
6th, Remington Green |
|||||
| 2 |
|
Giant Game Giant’s Causeway |
6.04 |
1st, EMD AOC (09/15/2024-R10) |
7-2 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, EMD AOC (09/15/2024-R10) |
|||||
| 3 |
|
Truth Seeker Into Mischief |
0.00 |
4th, Budweiser Special |
8-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
4th, Budweiser Special |
|||||
| 4 |
|
Bender Curlin |
0.00 |
6th, Budweiser Special |
5-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
6th, Budweiser Special |
|||||
| 5 |
|
Henry On the Run Attila’s Storm |
0.00 |
5th, Casey Darnell |
10-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
5th, Casey Darnell |
|||||
| 6 |
|
Mine That Star Pioneerof the Nile |
4.87 |
1st, Budweiser Special |
4-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Budweiser Special |
|||||
| 7 |
|
Shotshell Gun Runner |
0.00 |
5th, Budweiser Special |
10-1 | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
5th, Budweiser Special |
|||||
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