Big fields for Ellis Debutante, Juvenile

The last two stakes of the Ellis Park meet could be the most productive – and the most interesting.

Near-capacity fields of 11 are entered Sunday in both the Ellis Debutante and Juvenile, a pair of $75,000 seven-furlong races that drew numerous promising 2-year-olds who could advance to more important races down the road. They’re carded back to back in ending a nine-race card at the western Kentucky track, and the morning-line favorite in each race is a recent returnee from Saratoga.

The Debutante (race 8) has Serengeti Empress as a lukewarm choice following a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Schuylerville on opening day at Saratoga for owner Joel Politi and trainer Tom Amoss. A 5 1/2-length winner of her July 4 debut at Indiana Grand, the daughter of Alternation will break from post 9 and will be ridden by Corey Lanerie.

At least a few other fillies, however, appear capable of a mild upset, including Profound Legacy, Somewhere, and Shanghai Rain.

Profound Legacy was a private purchase after romping at Emerald Downs, and after winning an allowance prep last month at Ellis in her first start for new connections, jockey Brian Hernandez said: “She could be the real deal.”

Profound Legacy is trained by Ian Wilkes, who won the Grade 3 Groupie Doll last Sunday with Champagne Problems.

Somewhere, a gray Quality Road filly trained by Buff Bradley, enters off a maiden victory on the final weekend of the Churchill Downs spring meet. The 5 3/4-length score graded out to a 72 Beyer Speed Figure, highest in the Debutante field.

Shanghai Rain, favorably drawn in post 11, was a maiden winner at the Churchill meet before finishing a distant second to Restless Rider in the Louisville track’s version of the Debutante on the June 30 closing-day card.

The program favorite for the Juvenile (race 9) is Whiskey Echo, a Steve Asmussen-trained colt who finished third in the July 21 Sanford at Saratoga following a debut win the previous month at Belmont Park. Shaun Bridgmohan, who led the Ellis standings into the final nine-day stretch of the meet, will be aboard the son of Tiznow, who breaks from the outside post.

Other major players in the Juvenile include Shanghaied Roo, Tobacco Road, and Mine Inspector.

Shanghaied Roo, an opening-day winner at Keeneland in April, is primed for a big effort following a troubled eighth-place finish in the closing-day Bashford Manor at Churchill, said trainer Bret Calhoun.

“This is a good spot to try him,” said Calhoun. “But I thought that first out, as well as he ran, that he was going to be a pretty good prospect. I sure haven’t given up on him. Hopefully he redeems himself this weekend.”

Tobacco Road, also trained by Asmussen, and Mine Inspector, trained by Vickie Foley, both were sharp maiden winners last month at Ellis.

The Debutante and Juvenile are the last of 10 stakes at the 2018 Ellis meet. After Sunday, the track goes dark until another three-day weekend resumes Friday. The 30-day meet runs through Labor Day (Sept. 3), with Sept. 1 being dark to avoid conflict with opening day at Kentucky Downs. First post daily at Ellis is 12:50 p.m. Central.