Colonial Downs: Turf Cup lures five horses exiting Dixie Stakes

Tom Keyser

Humble and Hungry is one of 10 entered in the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup.

Five horses who most recently ran in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes on the Preakness undercard, including runner-up Humble and Hungry and third-place Forte Dei Marmi, will challenge defending champion Rahystrada in Saturday’s $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup.

Fields for the 1 3/16-mile Turf Cup and three supporting turf stakes, including the Grade 3 All Along, were drawn Wednesday at Colonial Downs.

Ten older horses will contest the Turf Cup, which goes as race 7 on a 12-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Humble and Hungry, winner of the Grade 3 Commonwealth last fall to close out his 3-year-old campaign, rallied to get second in the 1 1/8-mile Dixie, a half-length in front of the 6-year-old Forte Dei Marmi.

The others exiting the Dixie are Casino Host (fourth), winner of the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz Handicap in March; Smart Bid (fifth), winner of the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Handicap in February and the 2011 Muniz; and Air Support (sixth), whose 3-year-old season in 2011 included wins in the Grade 2 Virginia Derby and Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland.

Last year’s winner Rahystrada, now 8, made his season’s debut by finishing a close third in a high-priced optional claiming race May 2 at Churchill Downs.

The other 8-year-old in the field is Bold Hawk. Although winless since taking the Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby five years ago, Bold Hawk ended last season with good performances in a pair of Grade 2 events, beaten less than a length as the third-place finisher in the Bowling Green and two lengths behind the winner as the runner-up in the Red Smith Handicap.

◗ Pachattack, winner of the Grade 3 Doubledogdare on Polytrack last time out; Speak Easy Gal, second in last month’s Grade 3 Gallorette Handicap at Pimlico; and Snow Top Mountain, winner of the Grade 3 Suwanee River in February; head a field of 11 fillies and mares for the 1 1/8-mile All Along (race 6).