Moonshine Mullin entered for Foster Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Days after Moonshine Mullin fought back to pull an upset at nearly 7-1 in the Grade 2 Alysheba on the May 2 Kentucky Oaks undercard, trainer Randy Morse said he was not inclined to run back the onetime midlevel claimer in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.

As Moonshine Mullin has thrived in his training in recent weeks, Morse has changed his tune, but not completely.

“We’re entered, but I’m still not sure we won’t scratch and wait a couple more weeks for the Cornhusker” at Prairie Meadows, Morse said this week at his Churchill Downs barn. “With some of the horses they’ve got in the Foster, this is the deep water.”

Indeed, the $500,000 Foster, as usual, shapes up as a demanding race at the top end of the North American handicap division. Will Take Charge, the 123-pound highweight and likely favorite, was assigned post 4 in a field of nine older horses when entries were drawn Wednesday for the 1 1/8-mile race.

Morse said the presence of Long River, who arrived here Wednesday from New York for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, might be enough to dissuade him from running Moonshine Mullin, a speed type who otherwise might have had a tactical advantage under Calvin Borel.

Long River “has some pace, and his numbers are as good as anybody’s in there,” Morse said.

From the rail, and with weights and jockeys, this is the field for the 33rd running of the Foster:

Revolutionary, 118 pounds, Mike Smith; Jaguar Paw, 114, Shaun Bridgmohan; Moonshine Mullin, 118, Borel; Will Take Charge, 123, Gary Stevens; Mylute, 115, Jimmy Graham; Departing, 118, Robby Albarado; Golden Ticket, 117, Julien Leparoux; Long River, 115, Irad Ortiz Jr.; and Prayer for Relief, 117, John Velazquez.

The Foster is a Win and You’re In race for the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita. It is one of four graded stakes on a Downs After Dark card that starts at 6 p.m. Eastern. Post time for the Foster, the eighth of 11 races, is 9:39 p.m.

In the other Saturday night stakes:

◗ Grade 2, $200,000 Fleur de Lis (race 7, 9:05): On Fire Baby, the winner of the Grade 1 La Troienne on the Oaks undercard, is the 122-pound highweight and probable favorite in a field of six fillies and mares in the 1 1/8-mile Fleur de Lis. From the rail, they are Ondine, Molly Morgan, Frivolous, On Fire Baby, Fiftyshadesofhay, and Flashy American.

◗ Grade 3, $100,000 Matt Winn (race 6, 8:30): Tapiture, Rise Up, Conquest Titan, and Almost Famous should help make for an interesting renewal of this 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds. A field of seven goes.

◗ Grade 3, $100,000 Regret (race 9, 10:11): One of the better wagering events of the night matches 10 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on turf, with Aurelia’s Belle, Istanford, and Share the Sugar as top contenders.

After the Regret, the card will end with the President of the United Arab Emirates Cup, a Grade 1 race for Arabians, as race 10 (10:42), followed by the nightcap, a maiden-claiming sprint as race 11 (11:10).