Course specialists meet in Kentucky Cup Classic

A chance to join, or start, an exclusive club is on the table in a solid renewal of the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Classic on Saturday at Turfway Park. The field includes the last two winners of the Jeff Ruby in Blended Citizen and Somelikeithotbrown, either of whom could become only the third horse to win Turfway’s signature race for 3-year-olds and the Kentucky Cup Classic. Defending Kentucky Cup Classic winner Nun the Less would be the race’s first two-time winner.

This is the 20th running of the Kentucky Cup Classic, which was revived in 2018 as a spring event after going on hiatus from its previous fall spot. Perfect Drift (2002-03) and Hard Spun (2007) are the only horses to win this race and Turfway’s signature Derby prep, the Jeff Ruby, which has been contested under various names.

After winning the 2018 Ruby, Blended Citizen finished fifth in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, won the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont, and finished ninth in the Belmont Stakes won by Triple Crown winner Justify. The Belmont was the first in a string of eight losses for Blended Citizen, which he snapped after moving to Brad Cox’s barn.

Blended Citizen picked up Florent Geroux as a new regular rider, and returned to the winner’s circle in an optional-claiming race at Churchill Downs in November. He most recently has crossed the line second in both the Tenacious Stakes and Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds. He was promoted to first in the latter following the disqualification of Silver Dust for a positive test.

Somelikeithotbrown was multiple graded stakes placed on turf as a juvenile, including a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in which he was beaten less than three-quarters of a length. He won both the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes and the Ruby last winter on Turfway’s Polytrack, then finished fourth in the Blue Grass on dirt.

However, he emerged from the Blue Grass with a bone chip in a hind leg that put him on the sidelines for more than nine months. After running 11th in a Gulfstream turf race, he returned to Turfway for an allowance win last month that sets him up for his return to stakes company. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on Somelikeithotbrown, who is trained by Mike Maker.

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Nun the Less has won all three of his starts at Turfway, taking the Prairie Bayou Stakes in December 2018; the Kentucky Cup Classic last March, highlighting a season in which he was Grade 3-placed at Keeneland and Arlington; and the Forego Stakes in January. He is coming off a fourth in the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn.

The field for the 1 1/8-mile race also includes Signalman, a Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed as a juvenile in 2018. He finished third in last year’s Blue Grass and is making his first start since June.

Bourbonette Oaks

The $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks may not provide a springboard to the Kentucky Oaks – none of the fillies entered hold Oaks points, and this race awards only 20 to the winner. However, the race does have intrigue as the solid turf filly Laura’s Light races outside of California for the first time.

Laura’s Light, who ships in for trainer Peter Miller, has won three of her four starts. After a debut win on Golden Gate’s synthetic track, she finished second to Alms in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante on the Del Mar turf before winning the Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita.

After those mile races she cut back to a turf sprint to win the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 16. She stretches back out to a mile and picks up Turfway’s leading rider Albin Jimenez.

Impeccable Style finished fifth in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes last month at Fair Grounds in her graded stakes debut. The top two finishers were divisional leaders Finite and British Idiom, last year’s Eclipse champion juvenile filly.

Pass the Plate finished sixth in the Silverbulletday Stakes to Finite, then third in the Shantel Lanerie Memorial to Alms.

Secretly Wicked and Fashion Code stretch out after finishing second and third in the Cincinnati Trophy Stakes on Feb. 14 to runaway winner Karak.

Rushaway-Animal Kingdom

Three-year-olds not up to the Jeff Ruby find softer spots on this card in the $100,000 Rushaway and the $75,000 Animal Kingdom.

Vanzzy, winner of the Display Stakes at Aqueduct, is looking for atonement in the 1 1/16-mile Rushaway after a hiccup in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes last out. Vanzzy appeared to tire, was eased, and walked off under his own power. Since then, he has logged three works at his Parx base, all bullets.

Amongst, who goes in the 6 1/2-furlong Animal Kingdom for Cox and Geroux, comes in fresh off a runner-up effort in the Sugar Bowl in December at Fair Grounds. The winner, Gold Street, came back to take the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn.

Latonia Stakes

New Roo looks to be headed the right way as she faces two streaking upstarts in the one-mile, $100,000 Latonia Stakes.

New Roo, third in last year’s Bourbonette Oaks, returned from a layoff of more than eight months to finish second in a Turfway allowance. Jeannie’s Beepbeep remained unbeaten in three starts by winning that allowance, and now moves to stakes company. She is likely to find company near the front end from Rogue Too, who has won five straight, including four at Turfway.