Fourth Watch running for two in turf sprint

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – B. Wayne Hughes brought Fourth Watch home to his Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., after the 3-year-old filly finished off the board in a Grade 3 turf stakes for trainer Carla Gaines at Santa Anita on Kentucky Derby Day.

Some seven weeks and one successful mating later, Fourth Watch will return to racing action Friday at Churchill Downs in the lone allowance of a nine-race card that starts at 12:45 p.m. Eastern.

Fourth Watch, by Tapit, has one recorded breeze since being turned over to Alice Cohn, who has known Gaines since they were best friends in junior high school in Birmingham, Ala. Cohn, a former schoolteacher, runs a small stable at Keeneland, just a few miles from Spendthrift.

Fourth Watch, said Cohn, is in foal to the Spendthrift stallion Temple City. “The plan is to keep her in training as long as she’s happy and competitive,” she said.

Fourth Watch won her career debut for Gaines going down the hill at Santa Anita on a February Saturday, then finished third in an allowance and a fading sixth in the Grade 3 Senorita, both going a mile on turf. She will be turning back to five furlongs as part of an oversubscribed field in the seventh race Friday at Churchill, a $55,500, first-level allowance on turf.

“The distance is probably a little short for her, but she did have some time off to be bred, and I’m just getting to know her,” said Cohn, a licensed trainer since 1987.

Fourth Watch is among the handful of logical contenders in a well-matched feature, along with stable entries trained by Wesley Ward (Deltalina and Lamontagne) and Greg Foley (Clairenation and Jokasa) and several other fillies.

The feature is part of a Single Six sequence that runs from races 4 through 9. Assuming it isn’t swept Thursday night by a solo perfect ticket, the jackpot carryover in the Single Six figures to be nearly $640,000 for Friday.

KEY CONTENDERS

Fourth Watch, by Tapit

Last 3 Beyers: 75-77-71

◗ A $600,000 yearling purchase, she’ll be racing without blinkers for the first time.

◗ She breaks from post 2 with Julien Leparoux aboard.

Deltalina, by First Samurai

Last 3 Beyers: 73-64-58

◗ This 3-year-old filly also is based at Keeneland but ventured to New York last month to win a maiden race on turf at Belmont Park.

Jokasa, by City Zip

Last 3 Beyers: 66-76-71

◗ Chestnut 4-year-old was fourth as a lukewarm favorite under these same conditions earlier this month and now adds leading jockey Corey Lanerie.