Churchill notes: Will Take Charge will regroup after poor Alysheba effort

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Tuesday, “I wish I had an excuse” for the sluggish performance of Will Take Charge in the Alysheba Stakes on the Oaks undercard at Churchill Downs.

“I can’t really give him one, other than sometimes these horses just have one of those days,” Lukas said. “We’ll be regrouping and pointing for the Stephen Foster” on June 14 at Churchill.

Will Take Charge, the champion 3-year-old male of 2013, finished sixth of eight as the 3-5 favorite.

◗ Moonshine Mullin, the winner of the Alysheba, appears doubtful to return for the Foster, according to trainer Randy Morse.

“He ran back real quick in this one, to the point I almost didn’t run,” said Morse, alluding to the Alysheba being the third race for the 6-year-old horse in a five-week span. “I’m just going to let him get over this one before I start thinking about what’s next.”

◗ Jockey Jon Court is expected to miss the rest of the Churchill spring meet with the broken right hand he sustained in a spill in the last race on Derby Day. Court’s son, Aaron, said his father was told by doctors to take about eight weeks off. The spring meet ends June 29.

◗ Steve Asmussen, who trained Untapable to win the Oaks, said he will give some thought to the Grade 3 Matt Winn, a 1 1/16-mile dirt race on the Foster undercard, for Tapiture, who finished 15th at 35-1 in the Derby.

“We’ve got to get some confidence back,” Asmussen said.

◗ The Oaks-Woodford-Derby pick three that returned a mere $8.50 for a $1 wager was by far the shortest payoff since the two-day wager was first offered in 2009. Handle was $782,595.

Likewise, the Oaks-Derby double of $11.40 (for $2) also was the shortest since it was first offered in 1996. Handle was $2,397,145.