Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Santin favored but Maker has five in Kentucky Cup Classic
In Saturday’s $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park, trainer Mike Maker appears to have them surrounded. Maker has five entrants in the main body of the field of 12, with defending race winner King Cause joined by Fancy Liquor, Founder, Leblon, and Ocean Atlantique.
The five have a variety of running styles. Maker also has Richiesgotgame as the second also-eligible for the Kentucky Cup Classic, in which he is chasing the training record. Maker has saddled previous winners Furthest Land (2009), Camelot Kitten (2018), and King Cause, and is tied with Bob Baffert (1997, 1998, 2000) for most wins.
However, to call the Kentucky Cup Classic a one-barn race isn’t quite right, either. There are six graded stakes winners in the 1 1/8-mile Tapeta stakes – led by multiple Grade 1 winner Santin – plus four other stakes winners in an intriguing lineup.
Ocean Atlantique is the “now” horse for the Maker barn with back-to-back wins at Turfway. The 6-year-old American Pharoah gelding, a stakes winner in France as a younger horse, was purchased by current owner Three Diamonds Farm for $180,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton July horses of racing age sale.
Ocean Atlantique came off a long layoff in 2022 to hit the board in three starts in New York, on turf and dirt. The gelding was fourth in a December allowance race, won by stablemate Founder, in his first effort at Turfway before scoring a pacesetting allowance victory Jan. 21. He again raced on the lead and drew off by 5 1/4 lengths to best a salty field in the Dust Commander Stakes on Feb. 18. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 99 for that effort, the highest number by an actively campaigning horse since the track opened in late November. The since-retired Turfway specialist Visitant is the only horse to post a higher figure, with a pair of 102s.
King Cause, with Gerardo Corrales in the irons, could keep Ocean Atlantique and Walter Rodriguez company on the front end. King Cause raced on the lead to win last year’s Kentucky Cup Classic, lasting by three-quarters of a length over Visitant. He later won the Grade 3 Knickerbocker on the turf. Most recently, he faded to sixth after stalking in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf.
Fancy Liquor, a Grade 2 winner on turf, was third in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby at Turfway three years ago. He was fifth in the Dust Commander.
Like Founder, Leblon is an allowance-level winner at this meet for Maker. Fancy Liquor, Founder, and Leblon would all prefer to come from behind a stiff pace.
Despite the power of the fivepronged attack, the morningline favorite is Santin, who races for owner-breeder Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh. He was one of the top American-based turf horses in 2022, winning the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic and Grade 1 Arlington Million, both at Churchill Downs.
He concluded last year by finishing a troubled ninth in the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile, and fourth when shipping across the country for the Grade 2 Seabiscuit. He has been training locally for his reboot, with a bullet work at Turfway two weeks ago.
Adam Beschizza, aboard Santin for wins in his first two career starts in 2021, reunites with him Saturday.
Wentru won four straight on Woodbine’s synthetic track in 2022, and runners coming off that course have fared well at Turfway this season. The gelding most recently finished in a dead heat for the win in the Grade 3 Valedictory in December. He was subsequently sold at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, and now makes his first start for young trainer Will Walden.
The field also includes turf graded stakes winners Abaan and Ready to Purrform
Latonia Stakes
The sister race to the Kentucky Cup Classic is the $250,000 Latonia for fillies and mares. Several in the field of 11 have been knocking heads in stakes at Turfway, but the morning-line favorite is Idiomatic, stepping into these ranks for the first time.
Idiomatic has not missed the board in five starts for ownerbreeder Juddmonte and trainer Brad Cox. That includes backto-back allowance/optionalclaiming victories at Turfway this season. Chris Landeros, aboard for both outings, retains the mount.
Kate’s Kingdom showed her class as a graded winner at Woodbine last year. In her first start for Walden, she won the My Charmer in December at Turfway. Finishing behind her was Grand Ave Girl, who rebounded to win the Wintergreen in February over Kate’s Kingdom.
Candy Raid was second in the My Charmer and ninth in the Wintergreen. However, she scored a major victory last year at Turfway, posting an upset in the Bourbonette Oaks.
Ready to Venture also is a stakes winner locally, as she won the Holiday Inaugural in December.
The shippers are led by Il Malocchio, winner of the Grade 3 Maple Leaf and the La Prevoyante at Woodbine in her most recent outings, and Bellamore, Grade 1-placed on turf in California last year.