Churchill Downs: Big fields for Saturday stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Prospective fields are coming up deep for the twin 3-year-old stakes that will anchor the only Downs After Dark card of the fall meet Saturday.

Likely for the Grade 2, $175,000 Mrs. Revere Stakes for fillies are Allegheny Angel, Always Kitten, Dance Again, E B Ryder, Frivolous, Praia, Remember Then, and Tapicat.

The male counterpart, the Grade 3, $100,000 Commonwealth Turf, is expected to get Dorsett, Formidable Heart, Frac Daddy, General Election, Golden Sabre, Kaigun, Moro Tap, River Seven, Ruler of Love, War Dancer, and Winning Cause.

Saturday entries will be drawn Wednesday.

The card starts at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. General admission is $10.

Case of poor timing

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. was off by just one measly week. Hernandez rode Sound Effect to a 34-1 upset in the last race Saturday at Churchill, one week after finishing fourth in the last race the previous Saturday at Santa Anita aboard defending champion Fort Larned in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“That would’ve been a lot better day to do it on,” Hernandez said with a laugh.

◗ Little Mike, seventh as the defending champion in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, will make his next start in the $2.8 million Hong Kong Cup on Dec. 8. Owner Carlo Vaccarezza has confirmed that Mike Smith will ride the 6-year-old gelding in the 1 1/4-mile turf race. Little Mike is based at Churchill with trainer Dale Romans.

◗ The Wednesday feature at Churchill is a $43,000 first-level allowance that drew an oversubscribed group of 3-year-olds and up. One Golden Road, with Julien Leparoux riding for Mike Maker, figures among the top contenders in a one-mile race scheduled for the turf.