Calhoun hopes By My Standards is up to par for Clark

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Bret Calhoun isn’t much for flimsy excuses, and he’s not about to grant one to his stable star By My Standards for a subpar effort in the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Calhoun is hoping no excuses will be required when By My Standards wheels back Friday in the Grade 1, $500,000 Clark at Churchill Downs. The colt is part of a full field of 14 for the top race of the fall meeting.

“There weren’t any big excuses for him in the Classic,” said Calhoun. “The main thing is how he came out of the race, so full of himself. I know this is a little bit of a quick turnaround, but man, he came out of the Classic feeling good. He made this a pretty easy decision, really.”

By My Standards, with Gabriel Saez back riding, will break from post 12 in the 146th running of the 1 1/8-mile Clark, which goes as the 10th of 11 races on a card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern. Post time is 5:27 and will be run under the Churchill lights. In all, 15 were entered, with In Love being the lone also-eligible.

By My Standards will be making the final start of what has been an outstanding 4-year-old season. Owned by the Allied Racing Stable of Chester Thomas, the Goldencents colt won a trio of Grade 2 races – the New Orleans Classic, the Oaklawn Handicap, and the Alysheba – prior to finishing a distant eighth at 16-1 behind Authentic in the BC Classic at Keeneland.

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“Even with the schedule he’s had this year, he’s a pretty fresh horse at this point,” Calhoun said earlier this week from Fair Grounds, where he already has dispatched much of his stable for the winter. “We’ll let him tell us where we need to go from here.”

Calhoun said By My Standards might run in the Pegasus World Cup Jan. 23 at Gulfstream, or might get a freshening after the Clark.

By My Standards figures as the second wagering choice to Code of Honor (post 3, John Velazquez), a New York shipper looking to save what has been an otherwise disappointing year. The 4-year-old Noble Mission colt earned more than $2.2 million last year at 3, winning four graded races, including the Grade 1 Travers and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, but he’s gone just 1 for 4 in a season compromised by pandemic-related scheduling issues.

“He’s been a victim of circumstance more than anything else,” said his trainer, Shug McGaughey.

Code of Honor owns the three highest Beyer Speed Figures in the field – 105, 106, and 106.

As for the rest, perhaps Owendale, Mr Freeze, Bodexpress, and the Steve Asmussen pair of Aurelius Maximus and Silver Prospector have the best upset chances. Owendale (post 9, Florent Geroux), most recently fifth in the BC Dirt Mile, has a late kick made more effective by a fast pace. Mr Freeze (post 7, David Cohen), sixth in the Dirt Mile, is one to help in that regard, given his penchant for grinding it out on the front end.

“He’s got that high cruising speed,” said Dale Romans, trainer of Mr Freeze. “Hopefully he’ll get away sharp and have a chance to run his type of race.”

Rounding out the bulky cast are Crafty Daddy, Title Ready, Multiplier, Plus Que Parfait, Bourbon Calling, Coastal Defense, and Phantom Currency. Of those, maybe Title Ready rates the closest look after finishing seventh, ahead of By My Standards, in the BC Classic.

All starters carry 121 pounds except By My Standards and Mr Freeze, both of whom carry 123 as Grade 2 winners this year, and Silver Prospector, who gets in with 118 as the only 3-year-old in the field.

The Clark typically draws the largest ontrack crowd of the meet, but a mere fraction of the usual numbers can be expected Friday because of the pandemic. Fans are permitted to attend, assuming they adhere to health protocols, but there is no indoor dining or seating, and customer conveniences are at a bare minimum.

The local forecast calls for daytime conditions of mostly sunny skies and a high of 57.

The Clark anchors a terrific Friday card that includes four allowances (races 3, 5, 8, 9), all of them on the main track. Churchill scuttled turf racing for the balance of the meet, effective Nov. 12, citing deteriorating conditions of the turf course, which will undergo a massive renovation next summer.

◗ The second Stars of Tomorrow card of the meet is on tap for Saturday with twin Grade 2 races, the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club and $200,000 Golden Rod, serving as co-features of a program exclusively for 2-year-olds (the first was opening day, Oct. 25). Simply Ravishing, with Robby Albarado to ride, is the most accomplished entrant in either race, having won the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland last month.

The 24-day fall meet ends Sunday. Turfway Park in northern Kentucky begins four months of winter racing Wednesday.