Classic Point shifts sights from Aqueduct to Churchill

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Jimmy Jerkens was planning to run Classic Point in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct but has reversed course and will now point the 6-year-old mare to the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs on May 2, Kentucky Derby Day.

Jerkens said several factors weighed in his decision to skip the Distaff, including the mare’s most recent workout, a weight assignment he didn’t think was fair, and the six-furlong distance. Classic Point has won her last three races – including the Grade 2 Inside Information Stakes on March 21 at Gulfstream – and each has been at seven furlongs or longer. The Humana Distaff is seven-eighths.

“The last race really knocked her out pretty good,” Jerkens said. “She worked okay the other day, but she’s going to need to pick it up. I didn’t want to cut her back in distance either.”

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Without Classic Point, the Distaff drew only four fillies and mares.

La Verdad, the winner of last year’s Distaff, is slated to make her seasonal debut in the race for trainer Linda Rice. La Verdad is 4 for 5 over Aqueduct’s main track, her lone loss coming in last November’s Grade 3 Fall Highweight against males, where she finished last of seven. La Verdad has not run since.

La Verdad will face Mamdooha, who has won five consecutive races, including the Correction Stakes over the inner track March 14, her first start off a yearlong layoff.

Aireofdistinction, beaten a neck when third in the Correction, and Frivolity, second in a Laurel allowance race when last seen in January, complete the field.

The Distaff will go as race 2 on the nine-race card.

Also carded for Saturday is the $100,000 Woodhaven Stakes for 3-year-old males at a mile. The race drew five, including Eh Cumpari, the winner of the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream on March 7, and Chief Kitten, the winner of the Pulpit Stakes at Gulfstream Park West last Nov. 29.

Completing the field are Vision Perfect and Zandar, the one-two finishers in last year’s Awad Stakes at Belmont, and Made in Detroit.