Churchill turf course returns to positive reviews
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The reviews were highly positive from jockeys who rode the ninth race Thursday at Churchill Downs over a turf course rated good.
“I thought it felt smooth and level throughout the whole race,” said Joe Talamo, whose mount, Quaria Brava, pressed the pace for much of the 1 1/16-mile race before fading to finish last of 10. “All the jocks said the same thing, that it’s the best it has felt since they put it in.”
The $125,731 allowance was won with a late inside rally by Fast as Flight ($10.78), ridden by Adam Beschizza for trainer Brian Lynch. It was the first race over a turf course that had only two races run over it – the Beverly D. and Arlington Millon on a special Aug. 13 card – since Churchill abruptly suspended turf racing following the fatal breakdown of a horse named Gingrich, trained by Lynch, in deep stretch of a June 10 race.
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About a dozen more turf races are in the condition book for the fall meet, including three in the Claiming Crown series set for next Saturday, and four graded stakes. Well-documented problems have plagued the new $10 million turf course since it first came into use in late April, although Churchill officials are optimistic that time will eventually solve them.
◗ Riley Mott, the son of and longtime assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, has branched out on his own. Riley Mott, 30, had his first-ever starter Wednesday at Churchill when American Tattoo finished sixth in the seventh race. The younger Mott already has some horses bedded down at Oaklawn Park, where the stable area opened this week ahead of a five-month meet that begins Dec. 9.
◗ Jockey Alex Achard is expected to be out about four weeks with a severe knee bruise suffered in the spill that led to the eighth race last Sunday at Churchill being declared no contest.
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