Apropos has better post for Winning Colors Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Al Stall Jr. isn’t one to go looking for excuses, but his intricate knowledge of racing often yields credible reasons for one of his horses getting beat.
Stall believes an inside post for his trainee Apropos did her no favors in her last race, the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland, when she finished a non-threatening third after encountering traffic problems for much of the race.
“We drew the 2 hole and scratched down to the 1, and we paid the price,” Stall said. “We were trapped down there on the fence before we finally got free, and by then, it was much too late.”
Conversely, an outside draw for Apropos in the Grade 3, $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes, the Memorial Day feature at Churchill Downs, has Stall looking for a much different outcome. Apropos, with Shaun Bridgmohan back to ride, will start from post 7 in a terrific field of nine fillies and mares in the six-furlong race. Bred and owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, the bay mare was a flashy two-time winner at Oaklawn Park this winter prior to the April 12 Madison.
“She came back off the freshening this winter in really good shape,” Stall said. “Off that Keeneland race, this one made a lot of sense. She’s been training here ever since, just beautiful. Hopefully, Shaun will be able to work out a much better trip for her this time.”
Among the top challengers to Apropos are Cozze Up Lady (post 3, Robby Albarado), sixth in the Madison after pressing the pace; Socialbug (post 4, Miguel Mena), a Bob Baffert-trained filly trying to atone for an odds-on defeat on opening night of the spring meet; Sweet Cassiopeia (post 5, Joe Rocco Jr.), the winner of an overnight sprint stakes here two weekends ago; Anahauc (post 6, Jimmy Graham), whose recent back-to-back allowance victories both equated to triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures; and Warm Breeze (post 8, Leandro Goncalves), a two-back winner of the Happy Ticket at Fair Grounds.
The others in an extremely well-balanced lineup are Jamaican Smoke (post 1, Corey Lanerie), Aireofdistinction (post 2, Ricardo Santana Jr.), and Southern Honey (post 9, Julien Leparoux).
Bret Calhoun, the trainer of Cozze Up Lady, has won the Winning Colors a record three times since it was inaugurated in 2004, with Dubai Majesty in 2009 and 2010 and Beat the Blues last year.
The Winning Colors, named for the filly who won the 1988 Kentucky Derby, is carded as the last of 10 Monday races. First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 5:20.
◗ After Monday, Churchill goes dark for three days, with action resuming Friday with a twilight card that begins at 2:45 p.m. In the meantime, many horsemen will be participating Tuesday in the annual Julian “Buck” Wheat Memorial golf scramble in Fairdale.