Rags to Riches, Street Sense lead to bigger targets next month

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A pair of key stepping-stones to the Golden Rod and Kentucky Jockey Club anchor an 11-race card exclusively for 2-year-olds when the Rags to Riches and Street Sense help open the dirt-only Churchill Downs fall meet Sunday.

Only five fillies were entered in the $200,000 Rags to Riches, while a field of nine is set for its male counterpart, the $200,000 Street Sense. Both races will be run around two turns at 1 1/16 miles, the same distance at which the $400,000 Golden Rod and $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club will be run Nov. 27.

These are the ninth runnings of both the Rags to Riches and Street Sense, which honor the respective winners of the 2007 Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

Two allowances and seven maiden races also are on tap for Sunday’s all-juvenile card, when first post is 1 p.m. Eastern. After Sunday, Churchill goes dark for two days before a five-day week begins Wednesday.

Rags to Riches (race 5)

Mama Rina and Dressed both could have been on their way to the Breeders’ Cup if only they had fared just a little better in their most recent starts in graded stakes at Keeneland.

As it is, they’re two of the principals in a field that’s small but well-matched. There’s no standout favorite, nor any huge longshot, in an interesting matchup of fillies trying to take the next step to prominence.

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Mama Rina (post 2, Corey Lanerie) was fourth in the Grade 1 Alcibiades on opening day of the Keeneland meet, but that was just a bit below what trainer Ken McPeek needed to see to send her to Del Mar for the BC Juvenile Fillies. The Gormley filly was a distant second in her prior start, the Sept. 18 Pocahontas at Churchill, behind Hidden Connection, one of the Juvenile Fillies favorites.

“We just thought this was the logical way to go with her,” said McPeek, who also is represented here with Sandstone (post 3, Brian Hernandez Jr.), a nine-length maiden winner on closing day of the September meet at Churchill. “Both fillies are doing well and should fit this spot.”

Dressed (post 5, Florent Geroux) will be racing on dirt for the first time after four starts on turf or synthetic, including a last-out fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Jessamine on the Keeneland turf. Trainer Wayne Catalano didn’t even bother naming Dressed to the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, which oversubscribed with 18 pre-entries.

“She trains good over the dirt, so this seems worth a shot, especially with the short field,” Catalano said.

Completing the field are Yuugiri (post 4, Tyler Gaffalione), a flashy winner of her lone start, and Manasota Sunset (post 1, Ricardo Santana Jr.).

Street Sense (race 10)

Several colts with a modicum of stakes experience figure among a core of lukewarm favorites in the Street Sense, along with two more who posted eye-catching maiden victories in their last starts, Skippylongstocking (post 3, Gaffalione) and Howling Time (post 6, Joe Talamo).

Skippylongstocking, shipping in from Florida, will reunite trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and Gaffalione, a tandem long dominant on that circuit. The Exaggerator colt earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure in a Sept. 26 maiden romp at Gulfstream Park and is a recent arrival from Palm Meadows.

Howling Time earned a field-high 81 Beyer in winning his Sept. 25 debut at Churchill and “really could be any kind,” said trainer Dale Romans. “Obviously when they run like that first out, it makes you pretty hopeful they’ll continue right along.”

Among the others, Red Knobs (post 9, James Graham) and Guntown (post 1, Santana) were third and sixth, respectively, in the Iroquois on Sept. 18 at Churchill going this same distance. Guntown, by Gun Runner out of Fun House, will be making his fourth career start.

“He obviously has a lot of promise, being a half-brother to Untapable,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “We’ve had big expectations for him from the start, and he definitely seems to be maturing nicely.”

The turf-to-dirt angle that frequently will come under handicappers’ consideration throughout this meet is very much in play here with Red Danger (post 4, Julien Leparoux), Kiss the Sky (post 5, Lanerie), and Lucky Boss (post 7, Hernandez) all making that transition. All three look live in what shapes up as an excellent co-feature to begin the meet.