Mr. Z stretches out in Iroquois
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There are any number of reasons why a horse gets beat, including what jockey Corey Lanerie thinks about Mr. Z running second behind I Spent It in his last race, the Saratoga Special.
“I think we just hit a freak,” said Lanerie.
While I Spent It was second Monday in the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga, Mr. Z took a pass to await the Grade 3, $100,000 Iroquois Stakes, one of four stakes Saturday at Churchill Downs. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Mr. Z looks like the logical favorite as he tries two turns for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile Iroquois.
The Iroquois is a Win and You’re In event toward the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the first points race (10 to the winner) toward the 2015 Kentucky Derby. It goes as the ninth of 11 Saturday races, with post time set for 4:55 p.m. Eastern.
:: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays
KEY CONTENDERS
Mr. Z (Beyers: 79-79-62)
◗ His debut victory on closing weekend of the spring Churchill meet drew raves, and his seconds in the Sanford and Saratoga Special at Saratoga did nothing to quash notions of his talent.
◗ Well drawn in post 2 for this two-turn race.
Hashtag Bourbon (Beyers: 78-54)
◗ Owner-trainer tandem best known for $900,000-plus earner Bourbon Courage are over the moon with the long-term prospects of this colt, who absolutely blew the doors off his opponents in the Mountaineer Juvenile.
◗ He has had four interim works.
◗ He is well drawn on the rail.
◗ He is by hot sire Super Saver and is the lone six-figure stakes winner in the field.
:: Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Results, replays, charts, and more
Cleveland Sound (Beyers: 67-61)
◗ West Point Thoroughbreds colt gets first-time Lasix after two sprints.
◗ Trainer Graham Motion shows solid numbers in all the relevant categories, and it’s worth noting that he went out of his way to send this colt here this week, even with so many races available nearer his East Coast base.
Danny Boy (Beyer: 70)
◗ Owner Donegal Racing and trainer Dale Romans ran one-two with huge longshots Cleburne and Smart Cover in last year’s Iroquois.
Bold Conquest (Beyers: 72-69)
◗ Has a Saratoga maiden victory under his belt.
◗ Makes his third career start and stretches out as a major pace threat for jockey Joel Rosario and trainer Steve Asmussen, who extended his own record in the spring with a 14th Churchill meet training title.