Churchill Downs: Dream Supreme Stakes benefits from good timing
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With typical scheduling by racetracks, a race like Friday’s $60,000 Dream Supreme at Churchill Downs could get lost in the shuffle on a day when bettors will be focusing primarily on the Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita.
But with post time set for 5:45 p.m. Eastern, directly in the 40-minute window between the BC Juvenile Turf and BC Dirt Mile, the Dream Supreme has a chance to get noticed. It deserves it, having drawn a competitive nine-horse lineup going six furlongs on the main track that includes six stakes winners – Cho Cho Cat, Vuitton, Jan’s Perfect Star, Blueeyesintherein, Ms Anna Destiny, and Livi Makenzie.
Vuitton is the 3-1 morning-line favorite and seems likely to start at an even shorter price. A winner of 6 of 15 starts, she has enjoyed her best year in 2013, winning 4 of 6 races, including the Open Mind Stakes over the Churchill strip Sept. 14.
In the Open Mind, Vuitton rallied from last to get up in the closing yards, earning an 87 Beyer Speed Figure, easily the top last-race Beyer in the field. Ricardo Santana Jr., who rode her to victory in the Open Mind and her three other wins this year, returns in the irons.
A 4-year-old daughter of Smart Strike, Vuitton is trained by Steve Asmussen.
Heading the opposition is Blueeyesintherein, a 3-year-old filly who has gone 3 for 4 locally. Last year at 2, she won the Grade 2 Debutante in the biggest win of her career.
Although she has won twice this year, Blueeyesintherein has been less dependable at age 3, finishing out of the money three times in five starts. One such unplaced effort came in her most recent start, the Sept. 21 Charles Town Oaks in which she weakened to fourth in the slop.
She could rebound on a fast surface for trainer Garry Simms
Leandro Goncalves rides. He is 6 for 32 (19 percent) teaming up with Simms this year.
◗ In addition to the Dream Supreme, post times over the latter half of Friday’s card at Churchill have been adjusted to avoid conflicts with the Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita. This resulted in some larger gaps between races, stretching between 35-45 minutes at times.
First post is 2 p.m.