Dona Bruja's Cardinal start hinges on turf condition

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dona Bruja will be a solid favorite as the 122-pound highweight Saturday in the Cardinal Handicap, but trainer Ignacio Correas said the star Argentine-bred will run only if the rainy forecast for Saturday does not overly affect the Churchill turf course.

The 44th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Cardinal is the highlight of this weekend at Churchill.

“If it stays firm or good, we will run,” said Correas. “But yielding or soft, no way. There will be next year.”

If she goes, Dona Bruja will have a new rider in Ricardo Santana Jr. for the 1 1/8-mile Cardinal. Among the other fillies and mares expected for the race are Beauly and the Ian Wilkes duo of Linda and Res Ispa, with all three assigned 118 pounds.

Blueridge Traveler in a do-over

Just one allowance is on Friday’s 10-race card at Churchill, and if Blueridge Traveler runs as well as he did in a similar race last month at Keeneland, he should be able to reward his backers again.

Blueridge Traveler, trained by Kenny McPeek, won Oct. 20 at 5-1 but subsequently was disqualified because of a Class C medication positive, with mutuel payoffs unaffected. Runner-up in the Grade 3 Spiral in March in his previous start, the late-running colt will have Robby Albarado back aboard when he faces six others in the first-level allowance at 1 1/8 miles, carded as race 3.

◗ The first pool in the 2018 Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be open Nov. 23-26. Pool 1 coincides with the Derby Sires future wager, being held for the third year.

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