Churchill Downs: Foster could feature sibling rivalry

Keeneland/Coady Photography

Wise Dan, winner of the Ben Ali at Keeneland, may face his half-brother Successful Dan in the Stephen Foster Handicap.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Charlie Lopresti said he and owner Morton Fink are considering running Wise Dan and Successful Dan against each other when the Grade 1 Stephen Foster is renewed at Churchill Downs on June 16.

“Wise Dan will run for sure,” Lopresti said Friday. “We’re still on the fence with Successful Dan. Obviously the big question is whether we want to run the brothers against each other.”

The $400,000 Foster also could get Alternation and Nehro, the respective one-two finishers from the recent Pimlico Special, as well as Fort Larned, Rogue Romance, and “hopefully a few more,” according to Churchill racing secretary Ben Huffman. Nominations for the Foster and three other graded stakes the same night were due Saturday.

Wise Dan, 5, and Successful Dan, 6, both were produced by the mare Lisa Danielle, making them half-brothers. Both were phenomenal in their respective last starts, with Wise Dan earning a 117 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Ben Ali at Keeneland and Successful Dan getting a 110 in capturing the Alysheba at Churchill.

As for his one other stable star, Turallure, Lopresti said he is considering the Grade 2, $150,000 Firecracker Handicap on the Churchill turf on closing day, July 1, but is more likely to run him in the Grade 2, $250,000 King Edward at Woodbine on June 24. \

“That gives us an extra week before the [Aug. 11] Fourstardave at Saratoga, which is our main goal this summer with him,” said Lopresti.

Regal Nurse will run on short rest

No, it’s not a misprint. Regal Nurse won for the 10th straight time Thursday at Churchill and is all set to run back Sunday in the third race, a similar type of starter-allowance for fillies and mares.

“If I’m happy with her Sunday morning, I’m definitely running her right back,” said trainer Dane Kobiskie, who is in his first Churchill meet after ascending to the top of the trainer ranks in recent seasons at Pimlico Laurel Park.

“I’ve done this quite a bit in Maryland,” said Kobiskie. “My statistics running back within seven days are really high (47 for 166, 29 percent). It’s a big angle for me, and successful.”

Kobiskie is quite familiar with the exploits of Rapid Redux, a Maryland-based gelding whose career ended in January on a 22-race win streak. A victory Sunday as the heavy favorite would be the 11th in a row for Regal Nurse, a 5-year-old mare by Monarchos.

“We’d be halfway home to the record with a long way to go,” said Kobiskie. “But that is kind of the goal for us. She’s really dominating these starter races and she’s going to be eligible for a while,” having last raced for $5,000 on Nov. 17, 2011.

Blueeyesintherein targets Debutante

Garry Simms will be shooting for the June 30 Debutante Stakes with Blueeyesintherein, a first-out winner in the last race here Thursday. Blueeyesintherein is a 2-year-old filly by Magna Graduate, a $2.5-million earner that Simms trained at the outset of his career before the horse was sold privately to Elisabeth Alexander.

Blueeyesintherein was bred by Alexander and sold for just $10,000 last September as a yearling at Keeneland. She earned a 73 Beyer Speed Figure in her 3 3/4-length debut triumph.

◗ Green Bay Packer fans will have to wait a bit longer for the career debut of Titletown Five, a cleverly named 2-year-old colt owned in part by Louisville resident Paul Hornung. The son of Tiznow was scratched from the fifth race Friday by trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Titletown is the nickname for Green Bay, and Hornung’s jersey number was 5 during his Hall of Fame career. Hornung, 76, is a regular horseplayer in the sixth-floor Gold Room.