Matt Winn right spot for consistent O Besos to shine
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – O Besos outran his 41-1 odds when finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby four Saturdays ago. Now he’ll get to show what he can do when the competition isn’t as fierce.
O Besos and his fellow Derby longshot Helium head a field of eight 3-year-olds in the 24th running of the Grade 3 Matt Winn, one of six $150,000 stakes on a terrific Stephen Foster Preview Day card Saturday at Churchill Downs.
The 11-race program starts at 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with the six $150,000 stakes being run consecutively as races 5-10. The 1 1/16-mile Winn goes as race 9 (post, 4:55), with a busy card concluding with an overnight stakes, the $110,000 Douglas Park as race 11 (post, 5:58).
Trained by Greg Foley, O Besos won back-to-back sprints over the winter at Fair Grounds with the kind of flair to mark himself as a Derby candidate. Although he has yet to win in three tries since, he has always acquitted himself respectably facing the cream of the 3-year-old crop. After running fourth to Mandaloun in the Risen Star and third to Hot Rod Charlie in the Louisiana Derby, the chestnut Orb colt persevered under Marcelino Pedroza as one of the longest shots in the Kentucky Derby field to finish ahead of 14 of his rivals, 5 1/2 lengths behind Medina Spirit.
Foley’s original plan was not to run back in the Matt Winn, and to wait instead for something like the June 26 Ohio Derby at Thistledown. But as the Winn began looking like it would come up light, Foley decided to go ahead and enter.
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“We love running at Churchill, and this race gives us plenty of options going forward,” he said.
O Besos has had a couple of half-mile breezes since the Derby, including a 49-second solo work before dawn Monday. “He’s doing well from the Derby,” said Foley. “We can lead him over for the race right from his own stall.”
O Besos, with Pedroza back to ride, will break from post 3, just to the outside of Helium (post 2, Julien Leparoux).
Helium, who faded to eighth at 38-1 in the May 1 Derby after being among those giving closest early chase to Medina Spirit, has thrived at Churchill under the supervision of David Carroll, the assistant to trainer Mark Casse. The bay Ironicus colt swept his first three starts, including the March 6 Tampa Bay Derby.
“You always want to win, so I was disappointed he didn’t stay on a little deeper down the lane,” said Casse. “At the same time, he’s light on experience, and we’re hoping he can move forward from it. This race should give us a good idea of where we go from here.”
Probably the top threat to the two Derby also-rans is Fulsome (post 5, Florent Geroux), who also was active on Derby Day, except not at Churchill. Fulsome won the closing-day Oaklawn Stakes at Oaklawn Park and now has won three of his last four starts, all for owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms and trainer Brad Cox.
“We didn’t even bother nominating him to the Triple Crown because he was a little behind some of our other 3-year-olds and was more of a turf horse to start off with,” said Cox.
Rounding out the Matt Winn are Ready to Pounce, Hello Hot Rod, Game Day Play, and the uncoupled Dale Romans pair of Southern Passage and Sittin On Go.
The Matt Winn, named for the legendary promoter who served as Churchill president from 1902-49, began as a sprint before eventually being lengthened to its current distance in 2011. The 2020 winner before an empty grandstand last May was Maxfield.
Although peak temperatures have been in the high 80s in this area in recent days, a cold front is moving in for part of the holiday weekend. Following the likelihood of Friday rain, overcast conditions are forecast for Saturday, with a high of just 57.
All 11 races will be shown live on a Fox Sports 2 telecast starting at 12:30.
Competitive group in Audubon
Like the King, another Derby participant, is among the eight 3-year-olds in the grass counterpart to the Winn, the $150,000 Audubon (race 5). The Wesley Ward trainee was never a factor in the Derby, finishing 12th as the longest shot in the race at 49-1.
Half the lineup includes returnees from the Grade 2 American Turf on Derby Day, and they’re among the major contenders here – Hidden Enemy (fourth), Palazzi (fifth), Royal Prince (sixth), and Holy Vow (10th). Throw in Cave Hill, winner of the Rushaway at Turfway Park, and Cellist, whose Beyer Speed Figures match up favorably with the others, and this looks like a good way to kick off an eventful afternoon of stakes action.
Post time for the 1 1/8-mile Audubon, the first stakes of the day, is 2:45.