McPeek, Maker load Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Judging from Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Louisville Handicap lineup, few trainers in this region other than Ken McPeek or Mike Maker have a turf stakes horse that can go a marathon distance.

Those two trainers placed three horses apiece in the 1 1/2-mile Louisville Handicap, with McPeek entering Vettori Kin, Some in Tieme, and Harlan Strong, and Maker entering Designed for War, Roman Approval, and Bronson. There are just two others in the field – Cooptado, an invader from Laurel for trainer Tom Morley, and Cartoon, a comebacker trained by Pavel Vashchenko who last raced at Keeneland in the fall but who has been breezing this month at Arlington. Looking for Churchill Downs PPs? Visit drf.com/pps

Most of the better horses nominated to the Louisville Handicap were not entered, leaving Some in Tieme as the 118-pound highweight, and he hasn’t won in five starts since winning this race last year.

If ever Some in Tieme has an opportunity to bounce back from his losing spell, it’s in the Louisville Handicap. Not only is it a soft Grade 3 race, he showed a liking for the course when he rolled by three lengths a year ago.

“That was a monster race,” McPeek said.

Some in Tieme closed his final quarter-mile in approximately 23 seconds in this race last year. He received a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for completing 1 1/2 miles on a firm course in 2:27.25.

Sidelined from that race until the fall, he has not been as sharp since, though he has showed flashes, such as when he ran second in the Grade 3 John B. Connally on Jan. 28 at Sam Houston.

He followed that race by running sixth in the March 3 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream, won by Sadler’s Joy, and eighth in the April 21 Elkorn at Keeneland, won by One Go All Go. There are no rivals of their quality in the Louisville Handicap. Six of his seven foes Saturday last raced in allowances, and the one that raced in a stakes race, Cooptado, ran 10th in the Henry Clark on April 21 at Laurel.

Manny Cruz was aboard for Some in Tieme’s Louisville Handicap win last year, and he returns in the irons.

Maker’s top prospect appears to be Roman Approval, a 7-year-old he reclaimed March 24 for $40,000 after losing him via claim in May 2017 for $62,500. In one race since the claim, he showed the way in a high-priced optional claimer April 27 at Belmont before fading to second, beaten three lengths.

“He ran a great race to be second,” Maker said. “If he duplicates that effort, he should be competitive.”

Roman Approval has won 9 of 49 races, and has been second 19 times.

Post time for the Louisville Handicap is 5:26 p.m. Eastern, roughly an hour before the Preakness Stakes, which will be simulcast on track.