Dogwood highlights final Downs After Dark card
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The final Downs After Dark card of the year will be held under the Churchill lights next Saturday, with the $100,000 Dogwood for 3-year-old fillies and a rare Arabian race serving as the features of an 11-race card that starts at 6 p.m. Eastern.
The seven-furlong Dogwood drew a deep roster of 33 nominations, including Champagne Room, Classy Tune, Farrell, Tequilita, and Vertical Oak. Entries will be drawn Wednesday. The Dogwood typically is a lead-in to the Grade 2 Raven Run, on Oct. 21 at Keeneland.
The Arabian race is the Grade 1, $100,000 President of the United Arab Emirates Cup at 1 1/16 miles.
Daddys Lil Darling to QE II
Returning from South Korea last weekend, trainer Kenny McPeek watched Daddys Lil Darling on the Horse Races Now app he founded and was thrilled with what he saw.
“It wasn’t just that she ran as well as she did, but that she actually won,” said McPeek, referring to a 4 1/4-length romp by Daddys Lil Darling in the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs. “We’d gotten kind of tired of seeing her run second, second, second. It’s always good when you win.”
Daddys Lil Darling broke an eight-race losing skein and set a course record of 2:10.97 at the rarely run distance of 1 5/16 miles, earning a career-high 92 Beyer Speed Figure. The Scat Daddy filly goes next in the Oct. 14 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, the final Grade 1 race at the upcoming 17-day fall meet at Keeneland.
Natural pick 3 for Sharp
A little more than three years since he came to Kentucky Downs and saddled his first career winner, trainer Joe Sharp pulled off quite a feat Thursday at the turf-only track.
Sharp swept the first three races on the closing-day card when Five Hearts ($13.40), She’s All Skeet ($41.40), and Aktabantay ($18) combined for a $1 pick three worth $1,203.90. They brought Sharp’s career win tally to 303 and further demonstrated just how well the 32-year-old trainer has fared since he won with his first starter, Holiday Drama, on Sept. 10, 2014, at Kentucky Downs.
The first two Sharp winners on Thursday came with Chris Landeros aboard. They were the first for Landeros since his wife, Shelby, gave birth to their son Beckham last weekend.
Paden a horse for a course
There’s an unusual symmetry to the 38-race record that Paden will bring to the Churchill paddock for the eighth race Sunday. In 19 starts here, the 6-year-old gelding has won eight times – but in 19 starts elsewhere, he has won just once.
Paden, with Florent Geroux riding for trainer Tom Amoss, is part of a competitive field of 10 entered in the $40,000 claiming race at seven furlongs.
