Bridgmohan, with six winners, has great Preview Day

Shaun Bridgmohan enjoyed a sensational afternoon on the innovative Preview Day card at Ellis Park on Sunday by riding six winners, one shy of the one-day record for jockeys at the western Kentucky track. Two of his winners came in Kentucky Downs Preview Day stakes run for the first time.

Bridgmohan won with Pole Setter ($7.20) in the first, Katie’s Reward ($5.80) in the second, Shakes Creek ($6.20) in the third, Arklow ($3.80) in the sixth, Racer ($32.60) in the seventh, and Mr. Misunderstood ($3.60) in the eighth. He had mounts in eight of the nine races.

Four of the Bridgmohan winners came for the meet’s leading trainer, Brad Cox, including both of his odds-on Preview winners, Arklow and Mr. Misunderstood.

Willie Martinez holds the record for most winners on an Ellis card; he won seven races from 10 mounts on July 6, 1993. Track records are incomplete, but it is known that at least four other jockeys have won six in a day.

Bridgmohan, a 39-year-old native of Jamaica, has ridden more than 3,100 winners in North America in a career dating to 1997. This was at least the third time he has ridden six winners on a single card, having done so in 1998 at Aqueduct and in 2007 at Fair Grounds.

In all, four Preview stakes were run on a nine-race Sunday card, with all designed as timely preps for the five-day Kentucky Downs meet next month. All four were over firm turf and were completely funded from the $2.9 million granted earlier this year to the Ellis purse account by Kentucky Downs. Each purse started with a maximum of $100,000, which included $25,000 in bonuses restricted to horses registered with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

Here’s a recap rundown:

** Jazzy Times ($32.40) ran his career turf record to 2 for 2 with an upset of the $94,250 Preview Turf Sprint for owner-trainer Wes Hawley, who claimed the 5-year-old gelding for $25,000 in May. The winner finished 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:00.91.

“When I claimed him, I was thinking he might be a good turf horse, although I didn’t think he’d be this good,” Hawley said. “He beat a good bunch here.”

Ridden by Ty Kennedy, Jazzy Times settled just off a contested pace before fanning out for the drive and prevailing by a half-length over Extravagant Kid.

“He sat right in there beautifully,” Kennedy said. “It got a little tight in there, but once he saw daylight, he was gone.”

Will Call, the even-money favorite for Bridgmohan and Cox, finished seventh of eight, just behind Angaston, the 3-1 second choice.

** Arklow edged past front-running Zapperini in the closing strides after racing in closest pursuit for virtually the entire 1 1/4-mile distance of the $97,334 Preview Turf Cup.

Trained by Cox for a partnership led by Donegal Racing, Arklow was posting his first stakes victory since capturing the Grade 2 American Turf on the 2017 Kentucky Derby card. The 4-year-old Arch colt finished in 2:00.57.

“I tried to not give him too much to do and to have him in contention when we turned for home,” Bridgmohan said. “He was very willing today.”

Sir Dudley Digges, the 2016 Queen’s Plate winner, was third, another 1 1/4 lengths behind Zapperini in a field of eight older horses.

This race is a prep for the traditional Kentucky Downs showcase, the $750,000 Kentucky Turf Cup, to be run Sept. 8 at 1 1/2 miles.

** Mr. Misunderstood won for the 10th time in 13 career starts on turf when wearing down front-running Siem Riep in the $99,875 Preview Tourist Mile in 1:33.24.

“He did what he always does,” said Staton Flurry, the 28-year-old owner of Mr. Misunderstood, a 4-year-old gelding by Archarcharch. “He made that late run and got there first. We knew coming into this race he’d be tough.”

The Tourist Preview leads to the $750,000 Tourist Mile on Sept. 1 at Kentucky Downs.

“The Kentucky Downs race has been our goal all year, so we’re looking forward to it,” Flurry said.

Siem Riep was 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner and another three-quarters of a length before late-running Galton in a field of nine.

** I’m Betty G ($5.80), bet down to favoritism in a field of 11 fillies and mares, ran them off their feet in the $88,125 Preview Ladies Turf when leading throughout the one-mile trip and finishing in 1:32.64, just four-hundredths off the course mark.

Tyler Gaffalione was in from Florida to ride I’m Betty G, a 4-year-old Into Mischief filly owned by the Three Diamonds Farm of Kirk Wycoff and trained by Mike Maker.

“I watched the earlier races on the turf and saw that speed seemed to be holding, so I didn’t want to take anything away from her,” Gaffalione said.

English Affair rallied late to get second, a length behind the winner and another neck before Bonnie Arch.

Brooks House, the final mount of the card for Bridgmohan, finished last.