Chocolate Ride cuts back in distance for Thursday feature
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Twilight Thursday at Churchill Downs is normally about local racing fans meeting up for a brew or two after work. Not that it much matters to them, but the racing usually isn’t stakes quality.
The exception comes Thursday evening, when Chocolate Ride, Airoforce, Bondurant, and Suddenbreakingnews clash in a $55,000 classified allowance scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf. First post is 5 p.m. Eastern, with the fifth of eight races going at 6:56.
Chocolate Ride returns from his failed experiment in the Grade 2 Elkhorn last month at Keeneland, where the 7-year-old gelding was taken out of his comfort zone when stretched out to 1 1/2 miles. Predictably, he faltered late, but now he’s back where he belongs.
“We wanted to see how he might do, and obviously it didn’t work out,” said Brad Cox, who trains Chocolate Ride for Genstar Thoroughbreds. “He came out of it fine, so we should be good to go.”
Chocolate Ride, a four-time graded stakes winner who has earned $581,758, was made eligible for this race by being entered for the $80,000 claiming option that is part of the multitiered conditions.
Airoforce, the winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at 2, makes his 4-year-old debut after ending last year with a nose defeat in the Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga and a disappointing run as the favorite in the Dueling Grounds Derby.
“He’s been working well all spring,” said Norman Casse, assistant to his father, trainer Mark Casse. “This seems like the perfect spot to bring him back in.”
Suddenbreakingnews, fifth in the Kentucky Derby last year, will be making his only start on turf since finishing first (but being disqualified to second) in his career debut in August 2015.
Bondurant, a fast-closing second here last fall in the Grade 3 Commonwealth, most recently finished 5 1/4 lengths behind the victorious American Patriot in the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile at Keeneland.
In all, 12 3-year-olds and up were entered in the feature, but four were entered for the main track only. The local weather forecast for Monday through Thursday called for highs in the 80s and a minimal chance of rain, meaning only as many as eight are likely to start.
One other allowance (race 7) is carded for Thursday. It’s a $53,000, second-level turf sprint in which Big City Dreamin and Red Lodge, both owned by Head of Plains Partners, figure to be stoutly favored as a stable coupling, assuming both go.
From Sunday, there’s a carryover of $16,641 in the Single 6 (races 3-8) but none in the super high five (race 8) after four winning tickets worth $28,012 apiece emptied the pool.
