LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Partly obscured by the Breeders’ Cup was how the jockeys’ race ended at the Keeneland fall meet. Tyler Gaffalione, the perennial leading rider at major meets on the Kentucky circuit, was in a 20-20 tie with Luis Saez going into the meet finale Oct. 29. Ever so improbably, Saez came up the rail to win on a 26-1 shot named Miner’s Queen, giving the 30-year-old Panamanian a riding crown all to himself. Saez missed opening day (Oct. 30) of the Churchill Downs fall meet to ride the Empire Showcase card at Aqueduct, where he normally can be found at this time of year, but with the Churchill purses being so enormous, he and agent Kiaran McLaughlin have opted to ride this meet ahead of another winter in Florida. The heated competition between Gaffalione and Saez might well be typified by the Churchill Downs feature race Wednesday, when a five-day week gets under way. Saez has the call on Ben Diesel, the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the lone allowance (race 8) on a nine-race card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern. Gaffalione counters with one of the main challengers in Classic Moment in the $127,000 first-level race going a mile out of the Longfield Avenue chute. Both 3-year-old colts were maiden winners over the Churchill main track last fall. :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! Ben Diesel comes off a terrific effort, having been defeated just a neck when second for this same condition Oct. 8 at Keeneland. The Will Take Charge colt was making his first start in five months after going off form in the spring and has posted three workouts since that comeback. He’ll break from post 6 in a field of eight 3-year-olds and up. Ben Diesel is one of the Willis Horton horses that were transferred into the care of D. Wayne Lukas in June. Dallas Stewart, the former longtime Lukas assistant, had been the regular trainer for years for Horton, who died in October at age 82. Classic Moment (post 3) also appears to have benefitted from having the summer off, as the Classic Empire colt ran second to the highly regarded Strobe in a six-furlong allowance race Oct. 14 at Keeneland in his first start in more than six months. He is trained by Steve Asmussen. Other considerations in a solid field for the level include Grantham (post 1, Gerardo Corrales), getting first Lasix and making his first start since finishing second at 37-1 in the Tampa Bay Derby in March, and Minnesota Ready (post 8, Corey Lanerie), a Lothenbach Stables homebred going turf to dirt for Neil Pessin. None of the Wednesday races are on the turf, which is being used sparingly this meet. There is one turf race each day on Thursday and Friday. All Churchill purses include bonuses restricted to registered Kentucky-breds. Sunshine is in the 10-day forecast. The Wednesday high is expected to reach the mid-70s. Claiming Crown up ahead The Claiming Crown will be held for the first time at Churchill on Saturday, including three races on the turf. This will be the 24th Claiming Crown, with all eight races being run under starter-allowance conditions and with Lasix treatment permitted. The Sunday card will be anchored by three stakes for 3-year-olds and up – the Grade 3 River City on turf and the Bet On Sunshine and Dream Supreme, sprints on the main track. ◗ Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. will not ride again until Sunday after being suspended five days for careless riding in the eighth race here Oct. 30. Santana’s mount, Echo Again, caused crowding that resulted in fellow jockey Alex Achard falling and a no-contest being declared. Achard is expected to be out for about a month with a severe knee bruise. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.