Indescribable just gets up in Cardinal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Three weeks after winning the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf for Augustin Stable and trainer Jonathan Sheppard aboard Forever Together, jockey Julien Leparoux appeared to be working his magic again.

Long Approach, with Leparoux riding for Augustin and Sheppard, had forged to the lead with just a few yards remaining in the 35th running of the $113,400 Cardinal Handicap at Churchill Downs on a wet and chilly Saturday afternoon.

But suddenly Indescribable, with Kent Desormeaux riding, launched an improbable rally down the center of the yielding turf course, and they were up in the nick of time to win the Grade 3 race for fillies and mares. Desormeaux had conserved Indescribable near the back before letting loose with a furious run.

Indescribable returned $15.40 as fourth choice in a field of 10 after finishing 1 1/8 miles in 1:55.77. Long Approach, an 8-1 shot, finished a head behind the winner and a half-length in front of Kiss With a Twist.

Callwood Dancer, who set the pace under Eurico Da Silva as the 122-pound highweight and 2-1 favorite, faded to fourth, another 1 3/4 lengths back. Callwood Dancer was invading from Canada after finishing second in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor in her previous start.

Indescribable, bred and owned by the Courtlandt Farms of Donald Adam, is trained by Bill Mott. A 4-year-old filly by Pleasant Tap, she now has won 5 of 16 starts. She had not raced on turf in nearly a year and was exiting back-to-back Grade 1 races on the Saratoga dirt, the Aug. 22 Personal Ensign and July 26 Go for Wand.

Americans prevail in rider showdown

The Cardinal followed a five-race jockey competition billed as "The Rider Cup," with American-born jockeys outpointing their foreign-born counterparts, 10 to 9 1/2, based on a 3-2-1 system for win, place, and show. The event raised $15,000 for charity, with the funds donated by Churchill.

The contest came down to the last race, when Game Face ($3.80), a Grade 3 winner making her first start since the Acorn in June, narrowly won a third-level allowance by holding off Miss Isella and surviving a jockey's objection. Ramon Dominguez rode the winner and Calvin Borel rode Miss Isella.

* Trainer Mike Maker tied the Churchill record for most wins by a trainer at a fall meet, and Ken and Sarah Ramsey broke the record for owners, when Ya Think ($4.60) won the seventh race. The victory was 20th for Maker and the 16th for the Ramseys this meet, with 10 days to go.