Chamberlain Bridge tough off his last

Chamberlain Bridge will try to make it two wins in a row when he faces eight other 3-year-olds and up in the $60,000 J. Kenneth Self Shelby County Boys and Girls Club at Indiana Downs on Wednesday evening.

Trained by Bret Calhoun, Chamberlain Bridge won his last race May 1 at Churchill Downs, the Grade 3 Aegon Turf Sprint, under the same conditions as the Boys and Girls Club - five furlongs on the turf. A 5-year-old son of War Chant, Chamberlain Bridge employed a come-from-behind strategy at Churchill, but not on purpose.

"He got away bad and we had to go to Plan B," said Calhoun "He usually is on or much closer to the lead. It was nice to see that he could use another style, even if it was an accident. I expect him to be up closer in this race, as long as he gets away okay.

Chamberlain Bridge won the Aegon Turf Sprint by a neck. It was his second victory of the year, with the first having come Feb. 7 at Fair Grounds in the $75,000 Colonel Power. He was ridden that day by Jamie Theriot, who again gets the call on Wednesday.

"Jamie knows him very well," said Calhoun. "He has been aboard him five times and won four of them. We work well together."

Calhoun and Theriot have won together at a 30 percent clip the past two years.

Calhoun is not expecting Chamberlain Bridge to have an easy race.

"He is doing great. He had a grass work at Churchill to stretch his legs last week," he said. "There are a lot of good horses in this race, and he will have to be at the top of his game."

Should Chamberlain Bridge fail to fire, Castles in the Sky will be there to pick up the pieces. Trained by Jamie Ness, Castles in the Sky has been no worse than second in five starts this year, winning three times. His last victory came in the $75,000 Turf Dash at Tampa Bay Downs March 14. In his last race, on April 23 at Gulfstream Park, he was beaten a neck in an allowance event after encountering trouble in upper stretch. Tommy Pompell will ride Castles in the Sky for the first time.

Also in the field are Hands On, Due Date, Yankee Injunuity, My Private Lake, Chosen Chief, All on the Lion, and Ebbtide.