Churchill Downs: Coalport meets defending champ Keep Up in River City Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ken Ramsey has been conspicuously absent from Churchill Downs during the last two weekends while attending funerals. His son Jeff was among those pinch-hitting in leading the homebred Emotional Kitten into the winner’s circle last Saturday night following the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes, but Ramsey himself is hoping to do the honors this Saturday when he is represented by another homebred, Coalport, in the 36th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 River City Handicap.

Coalport, like Emotional Kitten, was sired by Kitten’s Joy, the 12-year-old stallion who has been one of the major success stories this year in the Thoroughbred industry in North America. And although Coalport figures no better than one of the middling wagering choices among the turf-course maximum of 14 in the 1 1/8-mile River City, it would not qualify as a major surprise if he were to jump up and win.

“It’s one of those wide-open races where a lot of them have a legitimate shot, and we’re one of them,” said Ramsey, whose far-flung stable this year has earnings of more than $11.6 million, easily the most on the continent.[bc_video_id:310617:]

Indeed, the top-to-bottom weight spread for the River City illustrates its contentious nature: Daddy Nose Best will carry the high weight of 118 pounds, while the lowest on the scale carry 113.

Coalport, who carries 117, can be forgiven for his last race, where he was not a factor in the Shadwell Turf Mile after the race was rained off the Keeneland turf and run on Polytrack. Before that, however, the 4-year-old Illinois-bred colt was terrific in winning an allowance race on the Aug. 17 Arlington Million undercard and an ungraded stakes four weeks later at Kentucky Downs, earning Beyer Speed Figures (94 and 95) that compare quite favorably with his River City opposition.

Clearly, there are no superstars in the River City, but at least the defending champion, Keep Up (117) is back. The 6-year-old horse comes off a sharp Oct. 24 allowance victory on the turf course at his Keeneland base. Last year, Keep Up won an allowance prep at Churchill before wheeling back in the River City on just eight days’ rest.

“That’s about the only difference this year,” said Alex Clarkson, the Scottish-born veteran who trains Keep Up for the Mill Ridge Farm of John Chandler. “In terms of how he’s coming into this race off his last couple of breezes, I couldn’t be more delighted. He’s a big, massive horse who’s as sound as he’s ever been, and he’s very eager to get rolling.”

Unlike last year, when he prevailed at 30-1, Keep Up is the lukewarm morning-line favorite at 7-2 for this running.

Other logical contenders in the lineup include Villandry and Set the Sail, an uncoupled duo trained by Charlie LoPresti of Wise Dan fame; Olympic Thunder, scratched by Ken McPeek from a race earlier in the meet to await this spot; Exothermic, a steady 4-year-old who won closing day at Keeneland for trainer Rusty Arnold; and Grand Arch, a well-regarded Canadian invader coming off a runner-up finish behind River Seven, who shipped in to win the Commonwealth Turf last Saturday at Churchill.

In all, 15 horses are on the program for the River City. The lone also-eligible, Star Channel, can make the race only in the case of an early scratch.

The big field will stretch the Churchill jockey colony to its limits, especially with Robby Albarado, Shaun Bridgmohan, and Miguel Mena all in Louisiana for the rich Delta Downs card Saturday.

Through the years, the River City has been run at a variety of distances and surfaces and at different junctures of the fall meet, including on Breeders’ Cup and Thanksgiving weekends. Its placement this year was part of a stakes schedule rearranged by Churchill to accommodate the new September meet.

The River City is carded as the ninth of 10 Saturday races. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 4:37.

Weather could be a factor. The forecast calls for dry conditions but unseasonable cold (high temperatures in the low 40s) following a high probability of rain Thursday night and into Friday.