Arnold can stay hot with Run a Risk in Friday allowance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Rusty Arnold sent out three winners last week at Churchill Downs, the last one being the most notable: Southern Honey, a 3-year-old filly who defeated older rivals in the Grade 3 Winning Colors Stakes.

“We were really happy,” said Arnold, whose 6-for-18 mark had him tied for fourth in the Churchill trainer standings as a three-day weekend was set to get under way Friday. “We kind of stepped out on a limb to run her there instead of shipping her to New York for the Jersey Girl against straight 3-year-olds. Talented horses will cover up your aggressiveness or your mistakes – I’ll say that.”

Arnold said he intends to have Southern Honey back against 3-year-olds June 29 in the Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes at Belmont Park, followed Aug. 2 by the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga.

“The spacing is great with five weeks between them all,” said Arnold.

Meanwhile, the longtime star of the Arnold stable, Centre Court, recently “got a great bill of health” from Dr. Larry Bramlage and will soon return to training after bruising a foot when fifth as the favorite in the Distaff Turf Mile on Kentucky Derby Day.

“We’re going to try her in the fall, maybe even have her back for the end of Saratoga, and see if we can’t get one nice little run out of her before she’s retired,” said Arnold.

As for the more immediate future, Arnold will be represented by one of the main contenders in the Friday feature at Churchill when Run a Risk carries the familiar green and white silks of owner-breeder G. Watts Humphrey Jr. in the seventh of 10 races, a $56,000, third-level allowance scheduled for a mile on the turf.

Run a Risk was good enough to win an allowance last summer at Saratoga but has gone winless in four subsequent tries.

“We’ve really had a tough time finding the right conditions for her,” said Arnold. “In her last start at Keeneland, she did finish up running. I think we’ve got her back doing good again, and I really feel like she’s going to run big in this race Friday.”

Run a Risk, with Joe Rocco Jr. to ride, will break from post 4 in a field of older fillies and mares that would be reduced to just six starters if the two “main track only” designees are scratched. Sassy Kitten (post 1, Julien Leparoux) looks like the chief threat to Run a Risk.

Twilight first post Friday is 2:45 p.m. Eastern with the feature set for 5:52 and the last race going at 7:24.

Two other allowances also are on tap for Friday. Race 3 is a $54,000, second-level mile with a field of just five, and race 9 is a $52,000, first-level mile with a field of eight. Both are for 3-year-old fillies on the main track.

Churchill will continue to host twilight cards each Friday through June 13 with the final two Fridays of the meet (June 20 and 27) being Downs After Dark cards.

The highlight of this weekend at Churchill is the Saturday stakes, the Grade 3, $100,000 Aristides for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs.