Churchill Downs: Vexed stretching out in Golden Rod Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Al Stall Jr. already has the vast majority of his stable in his native New Orleans for the winter, but the trainer said he “wouldn’t miss” being back at Churchill Downs for closing day of the 25-day fall meet.

His duties pertaining to a promising filly named Vexed are the reason for that. Bred and owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, Vexed is one of 10 2-year-old fillies entered in the first of two Grade 2 races on the Saturday card, the $150,000 Golden Rod Stakes.

“The second turn ought to be good for her,” Stall said, referring to Vexed stretching out for the first time after three one-turn races to start her career. “I don’t know a lot about the other fillies in against us, but I’d imagine we’d have to be one of the favorites after [Tepin] came back to win the Delta Princess last weekend. We beat her on opening day,” when Vexed was second and Tepin was third in an ungraded stakes Oct. 27.

Vexed, with Shaun Bridgmohan to ride, was assigned post 7 in the 1 1/16-mile Golden Rod, which seems to have come up a deeper race when sharing top billing on a Stars of Tomorrow card with the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. All 12 Saturday races are for 2-year-olds.

For the $150,000 KJC, which also goes at 1 1/16 miles, Almost Famous got the inside post as the solid favorite in a field of 10 colts. Corey Lanerie has a return call on Almost Famous, a six-length winner of a key allowance prep here Nov. 9.

Lukas in Churchill stakes slump

For those prepared to wager on Will Take Charge in Friday’s Grade 1 Clark Handicap, this might serve as a cautionary tale: D. Wayne Lukas has won with just one of his last 92 starters in Churchill stakes races.

This eye-popping streak dates all the way back to a loss by Time’s Mistress in the La Troienne on Kentucky Oaks Day in 2007. The only stakes victory here during that span for the Hall of Fame trainer was by Decelerator, who captured the 2009 Debutante Stakes by a neck under Julien Leparoux as a 6-5 favorite.

Wise Dan to make appearance

Wise Dan, the 2012 Horse of the Year and the heavy favorite to be voted that same honor this year, will be paraded between races in the Churchill paddock during the closing-day program Saturday. The brief appearance is scheduled for shortly after the third race, which will be run about 1:40 p.m. Eastern, with an in-house television interview of trainer Charlie LoPresti and a fair amount of pomp and circumstance to be conducted.

LoPresti has said Wise Dan will be on the same winter schedule he has used the last several years – a couple months of rest at the trainer’s Lexington, Ky.-area farm, followed by a February return to training with the intent of making it back to the races in April. Wise Dan will be 7 in 2014.

◗ Unlike some of the less-appealing programs here this fall, the Friday card is very good. Preceding the Clark on a 12-race card are four allowances (races 3, 5, 8, and 9), all of them with no standout favorite. The ninth race, a $45,000, second-level turf route, is particularly deep, with as many as 12 horses eligible to start from an oversubscribed group.

◗ Somewhat conspicuous by her absence from the Falls City lineup on Thursday was Imposing Grace, whom trainer Wayne Catalano was hoping to run for the first time since the 4-year-old filly won the Grade 3 Arlington Matron in late May. Catalano said he “just ran out of time” with Imposing Grace, who has been sent to Fair Grounds and likely will make her next start there.

◗ Joe Rocco Jr. traveled from Louisville to Penn National for several stakes races Wednesday night after being cleared by his doctor to resume riding. Rocco missed six straight programs at Churchill after injuring his foot in a mishap behind the starting gate prior to the second race Nov. 17. He was named on four mounts here Thursday and seven Friday.

◗ Turfway Park is gearing up for four months of winter racing after its longest span of inactivity in many years. There was no fall meet at the northern Kentucky track this year, meaning it will have been more than eight months since a race was last run at Turfway when the holiday meet opens Sunday.

◗ A March 21 release has been set for the movie “50 to 1,” the underdog tale about the 2009 Kentucky Derby victory by Mine That Bird. Directed and produced by Jim Wilson, the movie stars Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane, and William Devane and features winning jockey Calvin Borel as himself.