Ortiz has aces in Dueling Grounds Derby, Oaks

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Three-year-olds will take their turn in the Kentucky Downs spotlight Sunday, when a pair of rich stakes anchor another 10-race program at the Runhappy meet.

Jose Ortiz, fresh from his meet-leading summer at Saratoga, has calls on the morning-line favorites in the $600,000 Dueling Grounds Derby and the $350,000 Dueling Grounds Oaks, both of which will be run around two turns at 1 5/16 miles with fields of 10. Those mounts are Social Paranoia in the Derby and Princesa Carolina in the Oaks.

The names of the co-features reflect the unique history of Kentucky Downs, which had been known as Dueling Grounds until being renamed in 1998. Famous gun duels took place on this property in a bygone era.

Exactly half of each purse for the Derby and Oaks are bonuses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. Every starter in both races is Kentucky-bred, except the British-bred Repatriated Gem in the Oaks.

First post is 12:15 p.m. Central, with the forecast calling for another great weather day. After Sunday, only the closing-day Thursday program remains at the five-day Kentucky Downs meet.

Dueling Grounds Derby

Todd Pletcher opted to bypass the $1 million Jockey Club Derby on Saturday at Belmont Park in favor of this spot with Social Paranoia, who was quite competitive in the first two legs of the Turf Trinity series for 3-year-olds in New York. The Street Boss colt was second in the Belmont Derby in July and fourth in the Saratoga Derby in August in performances that should make him tough to beat. He breaks from post 1.

Among the opposition is Ry’s the Guy, whose eighth-place finish going a mile in the Grade 1 Secretariat last month is not indicative of his potential, according to trainer Ian Wilkes. The son of Distorted Humor had won his two previous races.

“He’s better than that,” Wilkes said.

Other viable contenders include a quartet who, like Social Paranoia, all made their last starts at Saratoga – Channel Island, Limonite, Kid Lemuel, and Bad Boy. Also, Armistice Day and Journeyman come out of races in Canada that mark them as fringe players.

Pletcher won this race last year with Channel Cat.

Dueling Grounds Oaks

Princesa Carolina has stepped outside of stakes company only once since winning a maiden race over the Saratoga turf a little more than a year ago, and that resulted in an allowance victory at Keeneland in April.

Otherwise, she is 0 for 7, all in stakes, although the Three Chimneys Farm homebred has been knocking loudly at the door with three seconds and two other minor placings. The gray Tapit filly most recently was second in the Grade 3 Pucker Up, the Arlington Million Day finale.

“She really has improved as the year’s gone on,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “We want to win a stake with her in the worst way. I think she’s going to be tough to beat.”

Princesa Carolina breaks from post 7 and faces a competitive bunch that includes Indigo Gin, sixth as the Pucker Up pacesetter; Pep, a Pletcher trainee adding blinkers; Repatriated Gem, in off several solid efforts in New York; and the uncoupled Vicki Oliver duo of Wildlife and High Regard.

McPeek won this race two years ago with Daddys Lil Darling. The 2018 winner was Osare for Jonathan Thomas.