Mitchell Road fends off challenges in Ellis Park Turf

Mitchell Road turned back a couple of challenges when narrowly prevailing as the odds-on favorite Sunday in the $50,000 Ellis Park Turf, the first stakes of the 25-day summer meet at Ellis in western Kentucky.

Even after breaking a half-step slowly from the outside post, Mitchell Road soon found herself contesting the pace in the 1 1/16-mile Ellis Turf. Joe Talamo carefully doled out the speed of the 5-year-old mare, turning away 33-1 shot Harmless in midstretch before holding sway to win by a neck over late-closing Strike My Fancy.

Mitchell Road returned $3.60 after finishing in 1:43.12 over firm going. She is trained by Bill Mott, whose longtime assistant, Kenny McCarthy, was in from their Churchill Downs base to deputize.

Mitchell Road, by English Channel out of Quake Lake, was bred by her owners, Mrs. J.V. Shields Jr. and E.J.M. McFadden, She is the older half-sister to the retired 2019 Kentucky Derby winner, Country House, also a homebred owned by Shields, McFadden, and partners.

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Mitchell Road now has 7 wins and 5 seconds from 15 starts, with the Grade 3 Gallorette in 2019 at Pimlico remaining foremost among her four stakes wins.

A field of just six started in the Ellis Turf following the early scratches of four fillies and mares. Harmless held third, while Mintd, the 5-2 second choice, was no real threat when fourth.

The Ellis Turf leads off a stakes schedule that peaks Aug. 9 with the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby, a 50-20-10-5 qualifier toward the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby.

After Sunday, live action at Ellis is on hiatus until July 17. Keeneland now runs a five-day meet Wednesday through Sunday, after which Ellis resumes with three-day weekends through Aug. 30.