Bullards Alley was nearly scratched from Louisville Handicap

Tim Glyshaw was elated to get the first graded stakes victory of his 12-year training career last Saturday but conceded that it nearly didn’t happen. Glyshaw, a 47-year-old Indiana native, won the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap on a soggy Churchill turf course with Bullards Alley.

“I was seriously considering scratching because I preferred to run him on the dirt,” said Glyshaw, whose stable currently is split between Churchill and Indiana Grand. “When they didn’t take it off, I said what the heck. He got a great ride [from Francisco Torres] and trip.”

Fans own Road Warrior

The 2-year-old colt in whom 200 racing fans have invested $500 apiece now has a name: Road Warrior.

Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the colt is owned by the new Churchill Downs Racing Club, which aspires to further involve fans through actual ownership. The son of Warrior’s Reward had his first breeze May 14, and Lukas has said he hopes to debut him at the spring meet.

Derby runner-up’s new career

Commanding Curve, the 37-1 runner-up behind California Chrome in the 2014 Kentucky Derby, has been retired to a new career in three-day eventing with Olympic gold medalist rider Phillip Dutton, it was reported this week by owner West Point Thoroughbreds via Twitter.

Commanding Curve, a 5-year-old gelding by Master Command, retires with 2 wins from 16 starts and earnings of $609,378. He was trained by Dallas Stewart.

Hazards of Love retired

Another retirement announced this week was that of Hazards of Love, a 9-year-old gelding who earned $565,758 when compiling a record of 26 wins, 18 seconds, and 12 thirds from 75 career starts. He will be retired to his Kentucky birthplace, Hinkle Farms.

Hazards of Love was claimed from his final start on April 30 for $32,000 by Steve Landers, who agreed to sell him back to longtime owner Maggi Moss on the condition that he would be retired.

Thatcher Street eyes Wise Dan

Thatcher Street, the winner of the overnight Opening Verse here last Saturday, will make his next start in the Grade 2 Wise Dan on Stephen Foster Night, said trainer Ian Wilkes.

Thatcher Street, a 5-year-old gelding bred and owned by a partnership headed by local businessman Randy Bloch, has won 3 of 5 starts on the Churchill turf and is 1 for 16 elsewhere.

◗ Veteran jockey Miguel Mena had his first winner since returning from a March 25 spill at Fair Grounds when booting home Run Zippy Run in a third-level allowance last Friday for trainer Al Stall Jr. Mena was out seven weeks with a fractured wrist.

◗ Ezequiel Rivera, a 16-year-old native of Panama, had his first winner in the U.S. when guiding Only One Wish to victory in the first race last Saturday for trainer Joe Sharp. It was just the third mount in this country for Rivera.

◗ Unlike at other times, Churchill will not make up its dark day when extending to a five-day schedule this week with the addition of racing on Memorial Day. After Monday, racing resumes next Thursday, June 2, after just two dark days.

◗ The highlight of the Memorial Day weekend is the Grade 3, $100,000 Winning Colors for filly-and-mare sprinters on an 11-race Saturday card that also will include the $65,000 Keertana for filly-and-mare turf marathoners. No stakes are carded for Sunday or Monday.