Churchill Downs: Bradester has it all - except price
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bettors analyzing the past performances of Bradester in Thursday’s ninth race at Churchill Downs will find much appealing about him.
Bradester is fast, having run Beyer Speed Figures in the 90s twice in his three races this year. He is classy, as shown by a last-out runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Indiana Derby on Oct. 5. And he is a winner going 1 1/16 miles on the Churchill Downs main track, the distance of Thursday’s ninth, a $45,000, second-level allowance with a $62,500 claiming condition.
What Bradester lacks is price. The 2-1 favorite on the morning line with Julien Leparoux up, he seems likely to go off at 6-5 or shorter.
Those seeking larger-priced alternatives to Bradester have options, with 10 horses lined up to face him. Two of those, It Happened Again and Pioneering Native, are coupled as Maggi Moss-owned runners.
It Happened Again would appear to have the stronger upset chance of that duo. A graded stakes winner of more than $623,000, he has been quiet of late, finishing fourth in the Evangeline Mile at Evangeline Downs and fifth in the Schaefer Memorial at Indiana Downs. But those races came on sloppy tracks, and all 11 of his victories have come on fast tracks.
When he last competed on a fast track, he won an optional-claiming race by 4 1/2 lengths at Indiana Downs on July 24, earning a 97 Beyer.
As of midday Tuesday, Weather.com was forecasting dry conditions Thursday in Louisville after Wednesday afternoon and evening rain.
Leandro Goncalves has been named aboard the Maggi Moss pair, who both are entered for a $62,500 claiming price and trained by Tom Amoss.
Another intriguing entrant is Bashaar, who ran second in the Prairie Mile this summer and third in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby before being outrun in the Jim Dandy and Super Derby. A late-runner, he is reunited with jockey Joe Johnson, who rode him in his first eight races but not in the Jim Dandy or Super Derby.
Should rain linger into Thursday, a wet track could improve his chances. One of his two wins at Oaklawn came in the slop, and his runner-up finish in the Prairie Mile came over a track rated good.