My Boy Prince looks to ration his speed in Commonwealth Turf Cup

If Dashman can run shorter and My Boy Prince can run slower, either could win the Commonwealth Turf Cup on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Dashman, on a roll since returning in July from a layoff, cuts back to 1 1/16 miles from the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Derby Invitational last month at Aqueduct, where he finished a tough-trip fourth. My Boy Prince set an insane pace in the Bryan Station at Keeneland and can wire the Grade 3, $300,000 Commonwealth Turf with more prudent front-running tactics.

Nine 3-year-olds were entered in the Commonwealth, four exiting the Bryan Station, a 3-year-old restricted turf mile, with third-place Herchee the potential favorite Saturday.

Trained by Helen Pitts for the 100% Racing Stable, Herchee debuted this summer, won turf routes his first two starts, finished a somewhat troubled second behind Brilliant Bertie in the Gun Runner at Kentucky Downs, and ran about as well as Brilliant Bertie and Depiction, the pair that beat him at Keeneland. There, Herchee pulled a pocket trip, favorable to some extent, but Herchee raced less than two lengths behind a scorching 44.95-second half-mile. He ran admirably holding third but could be a regression candidate while making his first start beyond one mile.

Evade, a European import, was fourth in the Bryan Station, where he threatened to blow the first turn but got a decent journey thereafter, running out of gas late. Lagynos, another Commonwealth Turf runner, finished three-quarters of a length behind Evade but with a considerably tougher trip. During a busy 2024 campaign he turned in three solid races at Churchill and picks up the services of Flavien Prat.

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My Boy Prince set that brutal Bryan Station half-mile split, the pace taking its toll in midstretch. My Boy Prince faded to ninth.

“It was pretty crazy, really” trainer Mark Casse said.

The compromising tempo came after My Boy Prince, oddly, dropped toward the rear of the field Sept. 14 in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, where he wound up a respectable sixth after getting his last quarter-mile in a strong 23.12.

“That race was a lot better than it looked, facing a good bunch of older horses,” said Casse, who didn’t dispute the notion My Boy Prince would lead Saturday under Florent Geroux.

Dashman showed some spark at age 2 but nothing like his 3-year-old form. First time back from a seven-month layoff in July he won an Ellis Park turf maiden, following that with a first-level allowance score over older horses going 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs. In his encouraging run last out in New York, his stakes debut, Dashman had to be steadied multiple times and lacked a clear path until it was too late.

“Better than it looks on paper,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “I don’t mind the cutback in distance. I think he’s tactical enough he can probably get a mile and a sixteenth.”

Ak Sar Ben Derby won the Hawthorne Derby last out but proved no match for Dashman at Ellis. Piper’s Factor sharply won the Toronto Cup two back, but My Boy Prince easily handled him over the summer.

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