California trainers cool down at Churchill

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – California trainers who sent split strings to Kentucky this spring got away to a fast start at the Keeneland meet, but things have been different so far at Churchill.

Through Monday, trainers Peter Miller (1 for 22) and Phil D’Amato (0 for 8) were having little impact at this meet. From the West Coast contingent, only Bob Baffert (2 for 14) had registered more than one win at the meet, which began April 27.

Conversely, at the 17-day Keeneland meet in April, California trainers were hot when accounting for 13 winners, led by John Sadler (3), Richard Baltas (2), and D’Amato (2).

◗ Back-to-back allowance sprints anchor a nine-race Friday card that starts at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Race 7 is a $99,000 second-level race in which Baffert has a solid favorite in Emboldened over five other fillies and mares. Race 8 is a $97,000 first-level race with a very contentious look. Top contenders among 10 3-year-olds and upward include Twelfth Labour, Beemie Award, and Loopallu.

◗ Juliet Foxtrot, now 2 for 2 in the U.S. after winning a Monday allowance on the Churchill turf by 4 1/2 lengths, could make her next start in stakes company, said trainer Brad Cox. The 4-year-old Juddmonte Farms homebred had gone 1 for 8 overseas prior to being imported.

◗ A new rule goes into effect Friday mandating that all claimed horses be sent to the test barn for post-race testing prior to being transferred. Previously, horses went from the paddock to their new barn without necessarily being tested.