Limousine Liberal seeks repeat in Churchill Downs Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Last year, Limousine Liberal lost the Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland, then won the Churchill Downs Stakes and three other stakes at Churchill Downs.

Last month, Limousine Liberal lost the Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland, and if he is able to win his next four starts at Churchill Downs – starting with Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Churchill Downs – he just might end the year as a champion.

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The Breeders’ Cup will be held at Churchill in November, and the Churchill Downs Stakes is potentially the first step toward the Breeders’ Cup Sprint for Limousine Liberal and others in this 10-horse field.

Imperial Hint and Whitmore, second and eighth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar, are in the Churchill Downs, which goes as race 8 on a 14-race program.

Limousine Liberal, a 6-year-old gelding by Successful Appeal, is 5 for 7 at Churchill. He won four stakes at Churchill in 2017 – the Grade 3 Aristides and the listed Kelly’s Landing and Bet on Sunshine to go along with his narrow score in the Churchill Downs.

Trainer Ben Colebrook said Limousine Liberal “did everything but win” the Commonwealth, finishing second by a neck. The race was won by 23-1 shot Warrior’s Club, who is back in this race.

“He probably needed the race at Keeneland off the long layoff,” Colebrook said. “He was a little unlucky not to get there. He never got to make that big middle move he likes to make. He seems to like Churchill, so hopefully this sets up for his kind of style.”

Jose Ortiz, aboard Limousine Liberal for last year’s victory in this race, is reunited with the gelding, who breaks from post 7.

Imperial Hint’s second-place finish to Roy H in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint was his only loss in five starts last year. In his only start this year, Imperial Hint rolled to a five-length victory in the Florida Cup Sprint at Tampa Bay Downs on March 25, covering six furlongs in 1:10.78 while under an absolute stranglehold by Javier Castellano.

“I was really happy and impressed the way he did it,” trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said. “I think that sets him up perfectly for this race. I was really happy about that race, and so was Javier.”

Carvajal sent Imperial Hint to Churchill from Tampa Bay Downs in time to get a workout over the track. Imperial Hint went five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on April 26.

“He worked really good at Churchill last time, and he galloped out really nice,” Carvajal said. “I wanted to work him about 10 days before the race because he always puts a lot into his works.”

Carvajal said he wanted to run Imperial Hint in this race as a test run for the Breeders’ Cup. In his only other start at Churchill Downs, Imperial Hint finished 12th of 14 in the 2016 Pat Day Mile.

“Everything went wrong that day,” Carvajal said. “It’s nice to get back here.”

Imperial Hint has a lot of early speed, but so does the Arizona-based Chief Cicatriz to his inside and Conquest Windycity to his outside. Chief Cicatriz is 7 for 9, with his losses having come to Whitmore in 2017.

Whitmore beat Limousine Liberal in last fall’s Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland, but then finished eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Trained by Ron Moquett, he is 2 for 2 this year, winning a pair of sprint stakes at Oaklawn Park.

“I have a lot of confidence in my horse,” Moquett said. “I think that the competition is good, but I think on Whitmore’s good day, he’s as good as most on their good days. If we get a good trip and everything works out right, I think we’ll be a part of it.”

Ricardo Santana Jr. rides Whitmore from the rail on Saturday.

Awesome Slew was beaten a head by Limousine Liberal in this race last year, and was entered back for this year’s race but was expected to run in Friday’s Alysheba Stakes instead.

Completing the Churchill Downs field are Outplay, a rare longshot from the barn of Todd Pletcher; Awesome Saturday, third in the Commonwealth at 16-1; and Unbridled Outlaw.