Kitodan can add dirt stakes to résumé in American Derby

Kitodan has already had an eventful campaign, changing hands twice via the claim box and winning a stakes race for each new set of connections. Those stakes wins came on synthetic and turf, and Kitodan goes for a stakes win on dirt in the $200,000 American Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds is one of several stakes moved from turf to dirt this meet at Churchill Downs. Churchill announced June 11 that it had suspended activity on the turf course, installed before this meet, to allow the root system more time to develop. The track originally intended to run several turf stakes as planned this weekend, and opened the course for training Tuesday morning. However later that day the track announced that it would not run on the turf after all. The American Derby and the $200,000 Tepin for fillies will thus be run on the main track.

With the move to dirt prior to entries being taken, the American Derby – one of nine stakes moved from closed Arlington Park to Churchill Downs, owned by the same parent company – will be run as a non-listed black-type race, the American Graded Stakes Committee announced.

Kitodan has been targeting the American Derby since winning the Audubon Stakes on June 4 on the turf at Churchill. Kitodan is trained by Eric Foster and owned by Foster Family Racing, Douglas Miller, and William Wargel.

Kitodan’s juvenile campaign began with five starts sprinting on dirt for trainer Jorge Delgado. He won a maiden race at Gulfstream Park in his fourth start, going seven furlongs in a race taken off the turf. He then finished ninth in the Grade 1

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Hopeful at Saratoga.

Mike Maker claimed Kitodan for $35,000 early this season, out of a starter/optional-claiming event Feb. 6 on Gulfstream’s allweather track. He ran back to win a similar-level race on turf at Gulfstream in March. It was then back to synthetic as the colt was a 3 1/2-length winner of the Rushaway Stakes on April 2 on Turfway’s Tapeta.

Kitodan made his next appearance in an allowance/ optional-claiming race on May 15 on the Churchill turf, and was beaten less than a length when third. Foster claimed him for $80,000 that day, and in his first start for him he won the Audubon to improve to 4 for 5 this year.

“We claimed him for $80,000 and just wanted to try and win a race,” Foster said. “[The Audubon] came up and thought we’d give him a shot. What an absolute thrill for our team and these guys behind me.”

Kitodan, by long-winded turf star Point of Entry, is a half-brother to stakes winner Market King, third in the Grade 2 Rebel behind Omaha Beach and Game Winner.

Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll, who has raced exclusively on dirt, was one of five supplemented to the American Derby’s 11-horse field with the surface switch, along with Fowler Blue, O P Firecracker, Search Engine, and War Campaign. Trained by Ken McPeek, Rattle N Roll won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity last fall at Keeneland. He is winless in five starts this year, but has recently shown improved form at Churchill. Rattle N Roll was second to Howling Time in an allowance May 21. He then was third behind Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife and Howling Time in the Grade 3 Matt Winn on June 12.

Both Kitodan and Rattle N Roll are late runners who will need pace to develop up front. An obvious candidate for the front end is Kuchar, second in the Oaklawn Stakes before a front-running allowance win at Churchill. Kuchar’s stablemate McLaren Vale was a pace-pressing winner of an Indiana allowance last out. Search Engine and O P Firecracker both prefer to be forwardly placed. O P Firecracker and Fowler Blue are adding blinkers for the American Derby.

Tepin Stakes

The makeup of the Tepin, for 3-year-old fillies going a mile, changed dramatically with the move to the dirt. Wicked Halo, who was supplemented to the race, now looms as a strong favorite.

Last year, Wicked Halo set the pace before finishing third in the six-furlong Debutante at Churchill, then was a frontrunning winner of the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga. The filly didn’t show that same early foot in two outings at Oaklawn this year, and then rallied mildly to be third in the Grade 2 Eight Belles in May at Churchill. She returned to the winner’s circle on June 12, tracking pacesetter Pretty Birdie before pouncing and drawing off to win the sevenfurlong Leslie’s Lady.

Churchill leading rider, Tyler Gaffalione, was aboard Wicked Halo for the first time in the Leslie’s Lady, and retains the mount Saturday. Wicked Halo has never run farther than seven furlongs.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Wicked Halo is daughter of Gun Runner who races as a homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds.

Sandstone, winner of the Rags to Riches at 1 1/16 miles last fall at Churchill, is crossentered in the Tepin and a race at Delaware Park.

Kelly’s Landing Stakes

There is no question about Bango’s love for Churchill Downs, as he is 7 for 13 beneath the twin spires with three stakes wins. He puts that record up against the daunting presence of Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Aloha West in the $160,000 Kelly’s Landing on Saturday. The Kelly’s Landing is for 3-year-olds and up going 6 1/2 furlongs.

Bango won last year’s Aristides and Kelly’s Landing. He returned from a six-month layoff to finish fourth in the St. Matthews, an overnight stakes, and then rebounded to win this year’s Aristides at 10-1 on June 4.

“He loves this track and that’s home for us,” trainer Greg Foley said. “He needed that last race off the layoff and I guess [bettors] forgot how much he loves it here.”

Aloha West, trained by Wayne Catalano, won 5 of 9 starts last year, capped by a charging victory at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. He made his first start this year in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard, finishing third to champion Jackie’s Warrior and Reinvestment Risk. He was an even fourth in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap to Flightline, Happy Saver, and Speaker’s Corner last out.

Aloha West fired a bullet work at Churchill Downs in preparation to cut back in distance, and is reunited with Joel Rosario, who rode him to a pair of wins last summer.

Aloha West and Bango both come from off the pace, with Bango usually closer to the front than Aloha West.