Chop Chop wins Juvenile Fillies just before Kentucky Downs cuts card short due to weather

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Kentucky Downs canceled the balance of its Saturday card after the seventh race because of heavy rain and lightning – but not before a filly named Chop Chop became a stakes winner in her second start.

Chop Chop nosed out Towhead in the seventh of 11 scheduled races, the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, before track management announced the four remaining races would not be run. The Juvenile Fillies was the first of three scheduled stakes on the day, with the $750,000 Juvenile Mile and the Mint Million now to be run later in a seven-day meet that ends Sept. 14.

Track officials announced later Saturday that the Sunday card will be delayed by 24 hours, conditions permitting, with all 11 races to be run Monday, originally an open date. If it is necessary to cancel Monday, too, an announcement will be made no later than 5 p.m. Central on Sunday.

Just before the cancellation, Chop Chop got a great trip and a fortunate head bob in slowing a remarkable early-meet spree for trainer Mike Maker.

Chop Chop, ridden by Reylu Gutierrez, swung out for the long stretch drive after stalking a pair of front-runners, including the Maker-trained Towhead, before prevailing by a nose. The winner returned $10.22 after finishing a mile in 1:43.86 over a course rated yielding.

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“I got a really good trip and I felt turning for home, ‘Okay, no excuse,’ ” Gutierrez said. “I was sure that I put (Towhead) away, and I was sure that she came back and got me because she was so game.”

But no. Amid a driving rain, the photo-finish camera showed Chop Chop barely ahead, giving trainer Brad Cox his third win in the Juvenile Fillies, following Jezebel’s Kitten in 2019 and Turnerloose last year.

C C Cruise Control was nine lengths behind the top pair in third, following by Knockyoursocksoff in fourth. Callie’s Grit, the 5-2 favorite in a field of eight 2-year-old fillies, was virtually eased when last.

Chop Chop is a City of Light filly trained owned by the Selective LLC of Jerry Bach. She was running back three weeks after winning on debut over the Ellis Park turf.

The defeat was a rare one for Maker, who won six of the first 16 races at the meet – three on the Thursday and opener card, and three of the first six Saturday – before being nipped in the Juvenile Fillies. It was a further dose of bad luck for Towhead, who had an apparent maiden victory on the Saratoga turf negated when that July 24 race was declared “no contest” after the fact.

Towhead “is trained by Mike Maker, right?” Gutierrez asked afterward. “His horses, they’re so hard to beat and it took a really good horse to win today.”

Stakes to be made up

Aside from moving the Sunday card to Monday, Kentucky Downs officials said the Mint Million will be run next Saturday (Sept. 10) and the Juvenile Mile will be run on closing day, Sept. 14. Re-nominations for both races close Sunday (Sept. 4), with both races to be redrawn.