Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Stakes-filled Saturday night
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Downs After Dark card will put an exclamation point on the 11-day September meet at Churchill Downs when four stakes, led by the Grade 3, $200,000 Lukas Classic, are run Saturday night under the lights.
Mind Your Biscuits and the 2017 Lukas winner, Honorable Duty, are among the older horses expected when entries for the 11-race card are drawn Wednesday. Other probables for the 1 1/8-mile race include Flowers for Lisa, Rated R Superstar, Securitiz, and Toast of New York.
The Lukas will share the spotlight with the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack, a one-turn mile that could produce a starter or two for the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Those likely starters include Awesome Slew, C Z Rocket, Seeking the Soul, and Warrior’s Club.
Also on tap for the card, which starts at 6 p.m. Eastern, are the $100,000 Jefferson Cup for 3-year-old turf horses and the Grade 1 President of the United Arab Emirates for Arabians. TVG, which last week began showing Churchill races on its flagship station, will provide coverage.
After heavy rain last weekend and early this week, perfect autumn weather is forecast for the final four days of the meet, starting Thursday. Closing day is Sunday, with Keeneland starting its 17-day meet Oct. 5.
Many fans here Saturday night will be coming straight from nearby Cardinal Stadium, where Louisville hosts Florida State in a 12:30 college football game.
Bradley has emotional week
What is it about Buff Bradley winning stakes that moves so many people to happy tears – including the trainer himself?
It happened when Brass Hat, implausibly, delighted his many admirers by winning the 2010 Sycamore at Keeneland as a 9-year-old. It happened when Groupie Doll won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita for the second year in a row in 2013. And it happened again Saturday at Churchilll after Divine Queen, ridden by Calvin Borel, pulled a 51-1 upset in the Dogwood Stakes.
This time, it was not just the race itself, but also outside circumstances. Bradley had accompanied The Player on the long van ride home Friday from Louisiana State University, where the 5-year-old horse had completed nearly six months of rehabilitation from a severe lower-leg injury suffered March 24.
“This win is for The Player,” an emotional Bradley said after the Dogwood. “It’s been a long week and this is truly unbelievable.”
Irizarry has first training win
One never knows when a person’s greatest ambition will be fulfilled at the racetrack. It happened in the first race Sunday at Churchill for Josue Irizarry when he sent out a filly named Miss Altamira to win a maiden-claiming race, giving the trainer his first win with just his second career starter.
“I’m very, very happy,” Irizarry said early Monday from the Thoroughbred training center in Lexington, Ky., where he has Miss Altamira and one other horse in training.
“Churchill Downs, for me, is a great, great track,” he said. “This was my dream, to win as a trainer. I am very thankful to many people for helping me with this victory.”
He also credited owner Roberto Sanson.
Irizarry, a 36-year-old native of Puerto Rico, said he came to Kentucky about three years ago to work as a stablehand for Wesley Ward before working at several Lexington-area farms, most notably a two-year stint at Juddmonte Farms, and for trainer Mike Maker.
Irizarry said he bought three horses last week at the Keeneland yearling sales and hopes to perhaps soon move his growing stable to Churchill or Trackside.
Rivers Run Deep in for tag
Rivers Run Deep, the standout Ohio-bred with more than $1.16 million in career earnings, will be in for a rare claiming tag when Thursday’s card leads off the final week of the meet.
Trained by Chris Hartman, Rivers Run Deep is the morning-line second choice behind Dazzling Gem in the third of eight races, a $62,000 thirdlevel allowance with an $80,000 claiming option. All but two of the seven starters in the 6 1/2-furlong race are in for the tag.
Two other allowances (races 4 and 7) also are part of a solid card that starts at 5 p.m. Eastern.
Cox fillies flourishing
Brad Cox surged to prominence in recent years mostly by winning with older horses, but his profile is changing these days. All of Cox’s meet-leading five winners have been 2- or 3-year-old fillies, including four first-time starters.
Cox’s latest win barrage came with Take Charge Angel (Saturday maiden), Mylady Curlin (Saturday allowance), and Sun Studio (Sunday maiden), giving him a one-win lead over Tom Amoss and Ian Wilkes atop the trainer standings.
Among jockeys, Corey Lanerie leads Julien Leparoux 11-10 into the final week.
Bolt d’Oro a recent arrival
Bolt d’Oro, unraced since finishing 11th in the Met Mile in early June, has joined the Steve Asmussen string at Churchill after having breezed twice earlier this month on the Saratoga training track. Owner Mick Ruis turned over Bolt d’Oro to Asmussen this summer, and the 3-year-old colt’s next start has yet to be determined.