Juvenile stakes highlight opening weekend

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There’s no rest for the weary on the Kentucky circuit these days. Aside from the time-consuming sales grind that many horsemen are going through, an 11-day race meet starts Friday at Churchill Downs less than 24 hours after Kentucky Downs ends Thursday.

The first big day of the Churchill meet comes Saturday, with four stakes, including a pair of 2-year-old races, the Pocahontas and Iroquois. Both 1 1/16-mile races are Win and You’re In events toward the Nov. 4-5 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.

Entries for Saturday were to be drawn Wednesday. Here’s the early stakes outlook:

◗ Grade 2, $200,000 Pocahontas: Bling On the Music, a Texas-bred filly who is undefeated in three career starts for trainer J.R. Caldwell, will ship in for a stern test against Daddys Lil Darling, Dream Dancing, Ever So Clever, Jet Away Sue, Sully’s Dream, and probably a few more fillies from a nominations list of 33.

◗ Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois: This could be the most competitive of the foursome, with Not This Time, Lookin At Lee, and possibly Thirst for Victory among the favorites in a prospective field of nine or 10 colts and geldings.

◗ Grade 3, $100,000 Locust Grove: Ahh Chocolate will get a rematch with Innovative Idea, who defeated her Aug. 6 in the Groupie Doll Stakes at Ellis Park. Ahh Chocolate is likely to be favored in this 1 1/16-mile race on the main track. A field of about six fillies and mares is likely.

◗ $100,000 Open Mind: I’m a Looker, a two-time stakes winner this year for trainer Pat Dupuy, could be favored in this six-furlong race over Athena, Kathballu, and another four or five fillies and mares.

Post times will vary at this meet. For opening day, it’s 12:45 p.m. Eastern, while Saturday carries the lone 2:30 start of a meet that runs through Oct. 2. The unusual Saturday post accommodates the noon kickoff of a huge college football matchup, Florida State vs. Louisville, at nearby Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. ESPN’s “College Game Day” will be there for the game.

This is the fourth year Churchill has run a September meet since taking over dates previously held by Turfway Park in northern Kentucky. Entries for the Friday opener were to be drawn Tuesday.

Exaggerator, Runhappy train

Preakness winner Exaggerator arrived without incident recently at Churchill from Saratoga and went to the track for the first time Sunday as his final preparations begin for the Sept. 24 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

Julie Clark, assistant to trainer Keith Desormeaux, said she is very happy with how Exaggerator has fared since an 11th-place finish as the 5-2 favorite in the Aug. 27 Travers. Exaggerator, an earner of $3.57 million, also won the Santa Anita Derby and Haskell this year.

“He’s good – very good,” said Clark. “Obviously, that was a dull performance in the Travers, but he’s picked his head up.”

Clark said Exaggerator will breeze this weekend, probably Saturday, with Desormeaux in from the Keeneland sale to watch. The colt is scheduled to ship Sept. 21 to Parx in suburban Philadelphia.

◗ Runhappy, the 2015 sprint champion, is scheduled to breeze early Thursday at Churchill with regular rider Edgar Prado aboard. It will be the fourth workout for Runhappy since the 4-year-old colt resumed serious training this summer.

Trainer Laura Wohlers has targeted the Oct. 1 Ack Ack at Churchill as the colt’s lone prep for the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Runhappy, a winner of seven of eight career starts, is unraced since winning the Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.