American Turf

Stark Contrast (Caravaggio), an impressive 2 1/4-length winner of the GI American Turf S. with a career-high 99 Beyer Speed Figure on Kentucky Derby day, is being aimed at the GI Belmont Derby at Saratoga July 4. The Amerman Racing homebred has worked three times at trainer Michael McCarthy's Santa Anita base since, including a four-furlong breeze in :50.20 (27/31) June 11. C R K Stable's 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Remember Mamba (Kitten's Joy), winner of the GIII UK HealthCare Transylvania S. at Keeneland and runner-up in the...

Connections of Stark Contrast (c, 3, Caravaggio--Catch the Eye, by Quality Road), second in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks Mar. 21 behind scratched GI Kentucky Derby contender Fulleffort (Liam's Map), could have entertained a Derby bid with the 50 points he earned at Turfway, but opted instead for the 35th running of the GI American Turf Stakes Saturday on the Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. And boy, did it pay off for the Michael McCarthy-trained Amerman homebred, who took home his first Grade I score. Sent as the 6-5 favorite,...

An additional quartet of Grade I contests and a Grade I-quality renewal of the GII Pat Day Mile highlight Saturday's Kentucky Derby undercard races at Churchill Downs. Knightsbridge Rates Top Billing In Churchill Downs S. A field of 11 comes together for yet another compelling renewal of the $1-million GI Churchill Downs Stakes, a seven-furlong contest in which Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Knightsbridge (Nyquist) goes in search of a maiden top-level success while looking to extend his current winning streak to five. A half-brother to Grade I-winning...

Amerman Racing's Stark Contrast (Caravaggio), runner-up in both the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks Mar. 21 and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last fall, is more likely to target the GI American Turf S. than the GI Kentucky Derby. Both races are run at Churchill Downs May 2. He currently has 50 qualifying points for the Derby. "He may win on the first Saturday in May, I don't think it'll be in the Kentucky Derby," trainer Michael McCarthy said on At the Races with Steve Byk. "Being by Caravaggio out...

A well-backed 21-10 favorite in the $1-million American Turf Stakes, newly upgraded to Grade I status, Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) sat a perfect trip from close up, took over inside the final furlong and outlasted his chief market rivals Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) and European raider New Century (GB) (Kameko) for the victory. A maiden winner going 1400 meters in testing ground at Saint-Cloud for the legendary Andre Fabre last June, Zulu Kingdom was pitched straight into graded company upon his arrival in the U.S. and acquitted...

California-based Umberto Rispoli was set to ride Amerman Racing's Endlessly (Oscar Performance) in the GI Kentucky Derby about three hours later, and he got the partnership off to a fortuitous beginning on the Derby undercard, guiding Trikari (Oscar Performance) to a massive upset of the $600,000 GII American Turf S. A whopping 47-1 while making his first foray into graded competition, the $27,500 OBS October yearling scratched down into the inside stall and immediately secured the box seat, as 24-1 Formidable Man (City of Light) came across from the four...

Sy Dog (Slumber {GB}) looks to keep his perfect record intact as the likely favorite in the GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs Saturday. A decisive winner at first asking at Belmont in October, the dark bay rallied to win by a nose in Aqueduct's Central Park S. Nov. 27. He was last seen slingshotting to victory in Keeneland's GIII Kentucky Utilities Transylvania S. last out Apr. 8. Transylvania third-place finisher Coinage (Tapit) also returns here. Winner of last term's GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga, the chestnut checked...

Du Jour worked out a perfect trip under Flavien Prat to provide Bob Baffert with a rare graded stakes winner on the turf. A debut second on the Del Mar lawn last November behind next-out stakes winner Cathkin Peak (Ire) (Alhebayeb {Ire}), the bay was third when switched to the Santa Anita main track Jan. 3 behind subsequent GIII Robert B. Lewis S. runner-up Roman Centurian (Empire Maker). He broke through back on the lawn in Arcadia Feb. 19, and doubled up after setting pace in a Mar. 28 optional...

A Thread of Blue (Hard Spun), who led every step of the way to cause a 13-1 upset in the 9 1/2-furlong Saratoga Derby Aug. 4, will be pointed for a start in the final leg of the Turf Trinity, the inaugural Jockey Club Derby to be contested over a mile and a half at Belmont Park Sept. 7. "He came out of the race really well, we'll look at [the Jockey Club Derby]," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin told the NYRA notes team. "We weren't sure if he'd get a mile-and-three-sixteenths...