Churchill notes: Ride On Curlin returns to barn

Ride On Curlin, unraced since being eased in the June 7 Belmont Stakes following his second-place finish in the Preakness, will return to his Churchill barn this weekend, said trainer Billy Gowan, who has been giving the colt time off at his Shepherdsville, Ky., farm.

“I’d intended to bring him back a couple weeks earlier but had a little setback,” said Gowan. “We should be fine, though.”

Meanwhile, a yearling half-brother to Ride On Curlin did not sell Monday at Keeneland when failing to meet his reserve price.

◗ Chris Landeros, whose first full Churchill meet was in the spring, had a huge start to his September meet by riding three straight winners last weekend, including two longshot first-time starters, Handy Candy (33-1) on Saturday and Tasseography (36-1) on Sunday. Landeros, 26, has won 1,076 races in a career that began in 2006. Until this year, he had ridden mostly in the Southwest.

◗ Unreachable Star, the 2009 Horse of the Year in Indiana, has been retired at age 10. Owned by Loosen Up Stable and based primarily at Churchill with trainer Tim Glyshaw, Unreachable Star earned $784,595 from 64 starts. His final race was Aug. 6.

◗ Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and his Eclipse Award-winning wife, the former Jamie Radosevich, became parents for the first time Wednesday with the birth of a baby girl in Louisville.

◗ The “Kentucky Winner’s Circle” radio show returns from a summer hiatus Saturday with a 9 a.m. Eastern broadcast on 1450-AM in Louisville and on 1450thesportsbuzz.com. E.J. Clark and Lane Gold are hosts.