Asmussen has pair to beat in Bashford Manor, Debutante
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs ends an eventful spring meet Monday with a nine-race card that includes a trio of $175,000 stakes and a compulsory forceout of all wagering pools.
Longstanding 2-year-old races the Bashford Manor (race 6) and Debutante (race 7) directly precede a former Arlington Park fixture in the Hanshin (race 8), helping to bring an end to the 42-day meet. They’re all part of the 20-cent Derby City 6 (races 4-9), which will have its entire pool disbursed regardless of how many perfect tickets are sold. The Derby City 6 began Saturday with $137,891 in its jackpot.
Steve Asmussen holds a strong hand in both six-furlong stakes for 2-year-olds. Asmussen will saddle Gulfport, who surely will be odds-on in the Bashford Manor, which the Hall of Fame trainer has won a record six times. Some 30 minutes later, he will send out Empire of My Own as the 9-5 morning-line choice in the Debutante, which he has won five times, two shy of the record held by D. Wayne Lukas.
Into closing weekend, Asmussen was in a tight battle for the meet training title with Brad Cox, who has Plainsman as a major player in the one-mile Hanshin.
The spring meet began April 30 with a new turf course and was met with some surprises, including Rich Strike winning the Kentucky Derby at 80-1 and all turf racing being scuttled following a fatal breakdown on June 10. Track officials say they expect the turf course to be ready when the Arlington Million and other accompanying features are run at Churchill for the first time Aug. 13.
First post for the closing-day card, which also includes three allowances (races 1, 5, 9), is 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Ellis Park starts its summer meet Friday.
Bashford Manor
Gulfport earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure after being pounded down to 1-2 in an eye-catching debut romp June 10, easily the highest figure in a field of six colts in the 121st Bashford Manor. Owned by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, the son of Uncle Mo will break from post 1 and be ridden back by Brian Hernandez Jr.
If Gulfport can replicate that first race, the others most likely will be running for second. Andthewinneris absolutely flew home in winning on the Keeneland turf for Wayne Catalano, but his 56 Beyer and the surface switch raise questions about his chances on Monday. Likewise, Stayhonor Goodside, trained by Mark Casse, was impressive in his lone appearance, but that came over the Woodbine synthetic and graded out to just a 54 Beyer.
Simply Super, with leading jockey Tyler Gaffalione riding from the outside post, will need to do much better than his eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Juvenile on May 5, an effort that followed a solid debut win at Keeneland.
Debutante
Empire of My Own, like Gulfport, won June 10. It was her second start, and it followed a distant third during Derby week. Her winning Beyer was 73, tops among the seven fillies in the 121st Debutante, but she may have to do even better this time. She breaks from the outside post under Julien Leparoux.
Casse and his son Norm both have major players here in Wonder Wheel and Les Bon Temps, respectively. Each earned a 60 Beyer in winning a Churchill maiden race in her lone start, and both have trained well in the interim.
Crackalacking is the wild card of the group. Trained by Sarah Hamilton, the daughter of first-year sire McCraken has gone unraced since easily winning April 21 in the Keeneland mud.
Hanshin
Cody’s Wish has been brought along in deliberate fashion by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, with a last-out 104 Beyer from his five-length victory in the Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont Park seeming to justify those means. The Godolphin homebred will have Junior Alvarado back aboard from post 7 as the 8-5 program favorite in a field of seven older horses off that breakthrough score.
Plainsman, an earner of more than $1.4 million, should provide a legitimate class test for Cody’s Wish when he breaks right alongside in post 6 with Ricardo Santana Jr. up. The 7-year-old horse has pretty much seen and done it all in a 30-race career that includes five stakes wins, the latest coming in the Grade 3 Razorback at Oaklawn Park in February.
Outside considerations in the 67th Hanshin (inaugurated in 1941 as the Equipoise Mile) include Weyburn, Three Technique, and Awesome Gerry.