Foley had meet to remember

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The weekend of the 2020 Kentucky Derby was a whitewash for untold thousands, but it was a watershed for Greg Foley.

A lifetime in racing came to a peak for Foley when he saddled Major Fed for the Sept. 5 Derby, from which fans were barred because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It was his first-ever Derby starter in nearly 40 years as a licensed trainer.

“It was a really awesome week for our family and owners,” said Foley, who recently surpassed 1,400 career wins.

Major Fed finished a fading 10th among the 15 Derby starters, but that’s neither here nor there. Foley being able to take the famed “walk over” with his sons Travis and Alex capped an unforgettable two-day span during which he won the Grade 2 Eight Belles with Sconsin.

Major Fed and Sconsin both returned to the Churchill work tab Sunday, posting separate half-mile breezes in prepping for the upcoming Keeneland fall meet. Major Fed went in 49 seconds and Sconsin went in 46.40 seconds.

Major Fed, still a one-time winner, is being pointed to a far less ambitious spot, a first-level allowance, while Sconsin either will run in the Oct. 17 Raven Run or just wait for the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Both 3-year-olds are homebreds owned by Lloyd Madison IV, a Wisconsin-based partnership that has been a loyal client for more than 20 years. Foley said the Eight Belles score by a homebred “made things even more special” about Derby weekend.

Meet ends Sunday

The only stakes during the second half of the Churchill meet is set for Saturday when Warrior’s Charge and Mr. Money will square off in the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack, a potential springboard to the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland.

At least eight 3-year-olds and upward are expected for the one-mile Ack Ack. Among the other challengers are Bourbon Calling, Dinar, Ebben, Mocito Rojo, Proverb, and Sagaponack.

Sunday is closing day of a 14-day meet that began with a five-day Derby week (Sept. 1-5).

Nine on tap Thursday

Back-to-back allowances anchor a nine-race Thursday card at Churchill, with fillies and mares going seven furlongs in race 7 and a full field of turf milers doing battle in race 8.

First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern for a card that also includes maiden-special and maidenclaiming races, and a $10,000 claimer (race 6). Possible thundershowers and a high of 75 are in the forecast. All nine races can be seen live on FS2 (12:30-5 p.m.).

◗ Nominations for the stakes that open the 17-day Keeneland fall meet were released Monday, with marquee names such as Monomoy Girl, Midnight Bisou, Newspaperofrecord, and Volatile dotting the nominations lists. Ten stakes, all but one of them Win and You’re In events toward the Nov. 6-7 Breeders’ Cup, will be run on the opening three-day weekend (Oct. 2-4).

◗ Jockey Tyler Baze has left the Kentucky circuit to return to Southern California. Baze spent virtually all of 2019 and 2020 riding at Oaklawn Park and in Kentucky, winning 132 races and more than $8 million in purses. Jack Carava, the former trainer, has taken his book.