Maker stablemates will battle in Louisville Stakes
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Therapist and Yamato have, perhaps, gotten familiar with one another since joining trainer Mike Maker’s barn after being claimed earlier this year. The stablemates line up in the starting gate together, facing a number of horses who became familiar foes during the Keeneland spring meet, in Saturday’s Grade 3, $225,000 Louisville Stakes on the Churchill Downs turf.
The 1 1/2-mile Louisville, which has drawn a field of 11, is the last of 11 races on the Saturday card, which has a first post of 12:45 p.m. The Louisville is scheduled for 5:58 p.m. The Preakness Stakes is set for 7:01 p.m. in Baltimore, and Churchill will show the live simulcast of the race on its Big Board.
The 8-year-old Therapist, a stakes winner in New York earlier in his career who is approaching millionaire status, was claimed by Maker, on behalf of Michael Dubb, for $50,000 out of a third-place finish on the Gulfstream turf Jan. 20. Yamato was fourth in the same race for trainer Murat Sancal.
Therapist won a starter-allowance race on Gulfstream’s all-weather track in his first start for his new connections, then returned to his best form as he stretched out to 1 1/2 miles to win the Grade 2 Pan American Stakes on April 1 on the turf. Runner-up Bay Street Money faces him again in the Louisville.
Meanwhile, Yamato is credited with three straight wins since that fourth-place finish. After winning a turf allowance/optional claimer at Tampa, he won a claiming race at Gulfstream, where Maker picked him up for $50,000 for Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher. Yamato made his first start for the new barn on April 29, crossing the line second by a length in an allowance/optional claimer on the Gulfstream turf, but he was promoted to the win after being checked late.
Therapist will break from post 7 under Ricardo Santana Jr., while Yamato is drawn next door in post 8 with Isaac Castillo. Both geldings prefer to come from off the pace and will face a lack of committed speed in the Louisville. Therapist may be less pace-dependent than his stablemate, as he has shown the ability to stalk a bit closer.
A number of entrants in the Louisville were in action during the spring meet at Keeneland, most notably in the Grade 2 Elkhorn at this 1 1/2 miles on April 22. Verstappen won that race by a head over Red Knight; Red Knight came back to win the Grade 1 Man o’ War last weekend at Belmont, with Verstappen seventh. In third, two lengths behind those two, was graded stakes winner Another Mystery. He comes into the Louisville for trainer Mickey Goldfine after previously being with trainer Chris Block. Graded stakes winner Tiz the Bomb, fifth in the Elkhorn, also returns Saturday.
Foreign Relations crossed the line first in a 1 1/2-mile Keeneland allowance on April 19, but was disqualified to 10th for interference. Mount Rumble, promoted to third in that race, and Smokey Lee, placed seventh, make it a trio from that race coming back in the Louisville.
Limited Liability won an allowance on the Keeneland turf in April, while English Conqueror was second to the well-regarded The Grey Wizard in another allowance.
Time for Trouble, coming off a Keeneland allowance win on dirt, completes the field.
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