Allowance races help bring spectator-free meet to close
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Arguably the most unusual race meet in the 145-year history of Churchill Downs will come to a quiet end Sunday with a nine-race card featuring three straight allowances.
The 27-day meet began May 16 with the Kentucky Derby having been postponed from its original May 2 date to Sept. 5 and has been run without fans in the stands. That’s been perhaps the most notable aspect to six weeks of Churchill during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s been weird, crazy, whatever you want to call it, although we’ve all been grateful for being allowed to race while other sports are still on hold,” said trainer Dale Romans. “None of us has been through anything like it.”
The closing-day co-features, like much of the action throughout the meet, are deep and highly competitive. They’re all part of multi-race wagers subjected to mandatory end-of-meet pool disbursements, including the 20-cent Single 6 (races 4-9). Here’s a quick rundown:
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Race 6: Shared Legacy, a full brother to Shared Belief, brings sharp form from Florida as one of a fistful of top contenders in this $81,000 first-level turf sprint for 3-year-olds and upward. Other notables include Lonely Private, Artemus Citylimits, First Wave, and Limnery.
Race 7: Top Seed and Gun It, the respective two-three finishers in a key May 30 allowance, drew posts 1 and 2 as likely favorites in this $83,000 second-level race at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. Challengers include Signalman, winner of the 2018 Kentucky Jockey Club, and Croatian, a two-time winner at the meet.
Race 8: Talk Veuve to Me will be looking to rebound from a subpar showing in her first start since being purchased by Stonestreet Stables for $1.3 million when she faces a solid group of fillies and mares in this $85,000 third-level race at six furlongs. Risky Mandate, Istan Council, and Divine Queen are among those in her way.
First post Sunday is 1 p.m. Eastern. Possible thundershowers and mid-80s temperatures are in the forecast.