Churchill Downs
W S Farish's $2.55-million earner Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) appears the one to beat among an overflow field of dirt routers signed on for Friday's GI Clark S. at Churchill Downs. Last year's finalist for champion 3-year-old kicked off 2020 with a win in the GIII Westchester S. in the Belmont mud June 6, and was third in the GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. July 4. Fourth to Improbable (City Zip) and By My Standards (Goldencents) in Saratoga's GI Whitney S. Aug. 1, he was most recently second to...
A new $10-million turf course that will widen the running surface and increase durability to allow for an increased number of races will be installed at Churchill Downs following the Spring 2021 meet at the historic Louisville oval. Officials expect that the new course will be ready for use in the Spring of 2022, but did not rule out the possibility that turf racing could resume in November 2021. The current Matt Winn Turf Course is a seven-eighths mile oval situated inside the dirt track and has been in use...
Finite (Munnings), a leading contender for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks earlier this year after capping a five-race win streak in the GII Rachel Alexandra S., returned to her best form Saturday to annex the GIII Chilukki S. over a one-turn Churchill mile that proved right up her alley. Backed as the even-money choice coming off a close second in the GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland going seven panels Oct. 17, the blaze-faced chestnut settled well off the pace early while drafting behind rivals. Asked for more after...
By My Standards (Goldencents) worked a half-mile in :49.40 (42/67) at Churchill Downs Friday morning and is a probable starter for next Friday's GI Clark H., trainer Bret Calhoun told the Churchill press office via text. Owned by Chester Thomas's Allied Racing Stable, the 4-year-old was a non-factor eighth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 7, but prior to that posted a facile 1 3/4-length victory in the GII Alysheba S. beneath the Twin Spires Sept. 4. He defeated Owendale (Into Mischief) on that occasion and that...
Caddo River (Hard Spun), a promising runner-up in a live-looking maiden race last out, went to the front and widened throughout for a dominant, 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy graduation Sunday at Churchill. Second on debut Sept. 5 at Saratoga, he filled the same slot after dueling on a scorching pace Oct. 11 at Belmont and was pounded down to 3-10 to break through stretching out to a mile here. Away in good order, the homebred made the lead on his own power and dictated terms through sharp splits of :22.38 and...
Lightly raced Princess Grace handled the main track best of this turf-meant group to make the grade in only her fourth lifetime start. A 5 1/2-length debut romper on the Colonial sod and over a next-out winner Aug. 2, the Moore homebred cleared her first-level allowance condition at Monmouth Sept. 5. She had last been seen splitting Stunning Sky (Declaration of War) and How Ironic when second in the GIII Pin Oak Valley View S. at Keeneland Oct. 16. Prompting the pace from second among a strung-out field, the dark...
Churchill Downs took its Saturday grass races, including the GII Mrs. Revere S., off the turf and made the following announcement: "There will be no turf entries taken for races scheduled to be run on turf from Nov. 19-22. All scheduled turf races in the condition book during this time period will be transferred to the main track and entries taken for the same conditions will be dirt only." Churchill was also off the turf on Friday. On Thursday, 2020 GI Kentucky Derby competitor Winning Impression reportedly broke down after...
Stunning Sky (Declaration of War) managed to snap a seven-length losing streak with a tough-as-nails victory in Keeneland's GIII Pin Oak Valley View S. when last seen Oct. 16 and figures a strong chance to take her current winning skein to two in Saturday's GII Mrs. Revere S. at Churchill. Haltered for $50,000 by this outstanding claiming outfit out of a second-out victory in the Gulfstream slop last December, Stunning Sky added a first-level allowance over the turf before her dry spell. The bay turned in some strong efforts in...
8th-Churchill Downs, $87,037, Msw, 11-12, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.53, ft, 6 lengths. ABROGATE (f, 2, Outwork--Hot Coffee, by Burning Roma) took all the money for her debut Thursday at Churchill, broke on top and never looked back in a sharp victory, becoming the 13th winner for her streaking freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). Showing an upbeat worktab highlighted by a local five-furlong gate breeze in 1:00 2/5 (6/46) Nov. 1, the $270,000 Keeneland September grad was bet hard throughout and kicked smoothly from the stalls as a 3-2 chalk. Quickly...
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has been buying stock in racetrack companies this year and earlier had purchased stock in Churchill Downs, submitted a resolution calling on Churchill Downs, Inc., to report to shareholders on the feasibility of replacing the Churchill main track with a synthetic surface. The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database, which compiles statistics regarding racing fatalities, indicates fewer horses sustain fatal catastrophic injuries on synthetic surfaces than on dirt tracks. The incidence of fatality per 1,000 starts for dirt in 2019 was 1.6...
8th-Churchill Downs, $86,435, Msw, 10-31, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.33, ft, 3 1/2 lengths. MINUTE WALTZ (f, 2, Nyquist--Is It Safe, by Yes It's True) began to repay her $425,000 price tag at Keeneland September with a sharp debut score Saturday. Racing in a three-wide sixth off a blazing first quarter in :21.34, the 4-1 shot was at least four wide as she swept up to take on the leaders turning for home. The bay struck the front in early stretch and rolled clear to win by 3 1/2 lengths over...
Sackatoga Stables' GI Belmont S. winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law (Constitution) capped off his serious work ahead of next Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a five-furlong breeze at Keeneland Saturday morning. With his regular work rider Heather Smullen in the irons, the New York-bred drilled five furlongs in :59.20 and galloped out an extra eighth of a mile in 1:12.20 (video). "I saw just what I wanted. He went perfectly," said trainer Barclay Tagg who will send out his 11th Breeders' Cup starter next weekend....