Turfway Park: Banks headlines 8-horse field for Leonatus
Photo:
Turfway Park / Coady Media
Impressive allowance winner Banks will make his stakes debut
against seven other 3-year-olds Saturday at Turfway Park in the 35th running of
the $125,000 Leonatus Stakes, the first step on the road to the Grade 3 Jeff
Ruby Steaks.
The one-mile contest on the Tapeta synthetic surface is carded
as the sixth of 10 races with a post time of 8:25 p.m. EST and a first post of
5:55. The Leonatus Stakes serves as the local prep for the John Battaglia
Memorial on Feb. 22, a points prep for Kentucky Derby 2025. It also leads to
the March 22 Jeff Ruby, a win-and-you’re-in qualifier for the Derby.
Click here for Turfway Park entries and results.
Owned by Tom Lambro and trained by Joe Sharp,
Banks has excelled at Turfway, breaking his maiden Dec. 5 in a restricted,
maiden special weight. He returned three weeks later to defeat nine rivals in a
first-level allowance contest. The gelded son of Outwork will be ridden
by Adam Beschizza from post 4.
Among Banks’s seven rivals is undefeated Church and
State, who is owned by Centennial Farms-Niagara and trained by Dale Desruisseaux.
The son of Caravaggio is 2-for-2 in Canada with victories in a Nov. 15 maiden
special weight and a Dec. 6 first-level allowance. Jockey Rafael Hernández,
who guided him in both Canada victories, retains the mount from post 7.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start / Next start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Chunk of Gold Preservationist |
0.00 |
1st, TP MSW (12/19/2024-R3) |
Entered | |
|
Last race Next race |
1st, TP MSW (12/19/2024-R3) |
|||||
| 2 |
|
Baby Max Maximus Mischief |
5.34 |
2nd, TP Alw OC (12/6/2024-R7) |
Entered | |
|
Last race Next race |
2nd, TP Alw OC (12/6/2024-R7) |
|||||
| 3 |
|
Up to No Good Lord Nelson |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last race Next race |
||||||
| 4 |
|
Banks Outwork |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last race Next race |
||||||
| 5 |
|
Shan Shancelot |
0.00 |
3rd, TP Alw OC (12/18/2024-R7) |
Entered | |
|
Last race Next race |
3rd, TP Alw OC (12/18/2024-R7) |
|||||
| 6 |
|
Can’t Deny It Justify |
0.00 |
1st, FG MSW (12/19/2024-R6) |
Entered | |
|
Last race Next race |
1st, FG MSW (12/19/2024-R6) |
|||||
| 7 |
|
Church and State Caravaggio |
0.00 |
1st, WO AOC (12/6/2024-R3) |
Entered | |
|
Last race Next race |
1st, WO AOC (12/6/2024-R3) |
|||||
| 8 |
|
Hard As Life Gun Runner |
0.00 | Entered | ||
|
Last race Next race |
||||||
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