King's review: Departing kicks away in comeback

Wednesday, April 30 review

A sharp comeback by millionaire Departing in the featured ninth race was the story of Wednesday afternoon racing at Churchill Downs.

A winner of three lesser derbies last year, he returned sharp for his first start at age 4, with jockey Robby Albarado having horse beneath him throughout. When given his cue at the top of the stretch, he shot up the rail and scored a 1 3/4-length victory over late-running Pass the Dice in a money allowance for older horses.

Departing - who ran a mile in 1:35.97, netting a 100 Beyer Speed Figure - seemed to get a little tired in the final furlong, covering that part in just 13.50 seconds. But he was coming off the bench and racing on the rail, a path most jockeys avoided with their mounts at Churchill Tuesday and Wednesday.

In contrast to Tuesday, when speed struggled and wide, sweeping moves set to tone for the day, Wednesday saw a variety of winners. But even though some inside speed horses were successful, most jockeys kept their mounts at least a path or two off the fence.

Wednesday was not a day for longshot players. Only one horse in the 10 races paid more than $10, Sassy Kitten in the seventh race, which also happened to offer the largest field of the day, 10 runners.

Sassy Kitten scored at 5-1 odds, and with even larger-priced fillies following behind her in the 2-3-4 positions, the $2 superfecta returned over $20,000. Having the two favorites, Praia and Dance Again, out of the top four played a huge role in the large payoff. They ran sixth and fifth, respectively.

The turf course seemed in better condition Wednesday than on opening night on Saturday, having benefited from the rain at Churchill this week. It was called “good” for Wednesday’s races, and the horses were kicking back less dirt.

Horse to Watch

Perfect Praise
Trainer: Brad Cox
Last race: April 30, 4th
Finish: 1st by 7 1/2
Beyer: 79

Woke up on the drop to $10,000 claiming and won easily, and even better days may lie ahead. She was claimed by trainer Brad Cox, who has a successful history with claims, and this one is now eligible to starter $10,000 allowance races.