Chase for Derby points resumes in Matt Winn Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three-year-olds going two turns at Churchill Downs in May is cause for celebration – in previous years, and now in this wacko year.

The Matt Winn Stakes, which will be run Saturday without fans in attendance at Churchill, represents something of a return to normalcy. While the Kentucky Derby was postponed to Sept. 5 because of the coronavirus pandemic, its lead-in schedule of Derby qualifying races took a hit, too.

But as the crisis begins to ease, and racing is being allowed to restart in most jurisdictions, the Derby chase has resumed – to the joy and relief of many. The Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn, one of five stakes on an 11-race Saturday card at Churchill, is the first Derby points race (50-20-10-5) since divisions of the Arkansas Derby were run on the original Kentucky Derby date, May 2.

“Thank goodness we’ve gotten back to running fairly quick,” said Greg Foley, who will saddle Major Fed as one of the top threats in the 1 1/16-mile Winn. “Getting back to business, that’s a good thing.”

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Major Fed, with Joel Rosario back riding, was assigned the far outside post in a field of 12. The Ghostzapper colt has worked sharply since rallying to be fourth in the March 21 Louisiana Derby in his last start.

“The time off didn’t hurt him any,” Foley said. “The horse looks great. We’re good to go.”

The likely race favorite, Maxfield, benefited from his hiatus to an even higher degree, having undergone minor ankle surgery last November after being scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Unbeaten in two starts last year at 2, the Godolphin homebred would have been severely tested to make the Derby on its original date.

Maxfield arrived Tuesday at Churchill following weeks of training at Keeneland. In all, the Street Sense colt has been sent through 11 timed workouts, starting in mid-February at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida.

“For us, this worked out perfectly,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “We always thought that what he did at 2 was an added bonus, that he’d be better at 3 and older.”

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Maxfield will have Jose Ortiz aboard when breaking from post 10. Not only are he and Major Fed starting from outside posts, but as stretch-runners both could be at the mercy of what seems to be a noticeable lack of early speed signed on.

Ny Traffic (post 6, Paco Lopez), a Florida shipper who was second at 26-1 in the Louisiana Derby in his latest, could find himself on the lead, or at least close to a pace contested by longshots such as Informative, Celtic Striker, and Flap Jack, all drawn to his inside.

“Hopefully, that’s a good thing,” said Saffie Joseph Jr., trainer of Ny Traffic, a speedy gray New York-bred. “The colt has very done well in his training, and we thought this was a good spot to try to get some more Derby points, especially with not many other races available.”

Perhaps the wild card of the field is Pneumatic (post 2, Ricardo Santana Jr.), who will be making his stakes debut for owner-breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen. As with Maxfield, the Uncle Mo colt is undefeated in two starts, having won a maiden sprint and an April 11 allowance mile at Oaklawn Park.

Ny Traffic and Pneumatic both earned Beyer Speed Figures of 89 in their respective last starts, the highest number in the field, but seven others have posted a Beyer of 80 or higher, underlining how balanced this race appears to be.

The Winn is the first of at least 10 remaining qualifiers for the 146th Derby. Churchill announced the revised slate on May 12, denoting major races such as the June 6 Santa Anita Derby (100 points to the winner) and June 20 Belmont Stakes (150) while also issuing a caveat that the schedule is subject to further revision, pending future developments.

This is the 23rd running of the Winn, which goes as the 10th of 11 races on a card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern. It will be run at 5:44 as a key link in all the late multi-race wagers, including an all-stakes pick five (races 7-11). The other stakes are all newly created, $100,000 races born out of the coronavirus reshuffle – the Shawnee (race 7, 4:08), the Tepin (race 8, 4:40), the Blame (race 9, 5:12), and the War Chant (race 11, 6:16).

The quality of the undercard is not to be understated. Dunbar Road, winner of the Grade 1 Alabama last summer, is in the Shawnee, while Sharing, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, makes her 3-year-old debut in the Tepin. Even the fifth race, an $88,000 turf allowance, drew the type of field otherwise suited for a graded stakes.

Fox Sports 1 will provide extensive television coverage of the day. The local forecast calls for possible thundershowers and a high of 82.