Renamed stakes provide preps for rich Kentucky Downs meet

Same races, different names. The turf stakes known the last few years as Kentucky Downs Preview events will be run Sunday at Ellis Park under different monikers, even as they’re designed as a means to the same end.

Four turf stakes worth as much as $100,000 apiece make for a card-ending pick four at Ellis in western Kentucky, where the overall purse structure at the 23-day summer meet again has been bolstered by several millions of dollars in diverted funds from sister track Kentucky Downs. It is within this spirit of cooperation that these Sunday stakes for 3-year-olds and upward are meant as timely preps toward corresponding races at Kentucky Downs, the turf-only track set for a Sept. 1-14 meet.

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In order, the races are the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (race 6), Centennial Distaff Turf Mile (race 7), Laguna Distaff Turf Sprint (race 8), and Evan Williams Turf Mile (race 9). The nine-race card starts at 12:50 p.m. Central, with fields of at least 10 starters in every stakes.

Purses for each stakes include $25,000 in bonuses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, with only three horses being ineligible as non-Kentucky-breds.

The Sunday forecast for Henderson, Ky., calls for sunshine and high-80s temperatures following middling rain chances Friday and Saturday.

Ellis will run just two live dates next week as Churchill Downs hosts the Arlington Million on Saturday (Aug. 13). The marquee events of the 23-day Ellis meet are set for next Sunday (Aug. 14) with the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby, the $125,000 Groupie Doll, and three other stakes.

Here’s a rundown of Sunday’s turf stakes:

Turf Sprint

Totally Boss, who three summers ago won this same prep before proceeding to capture the $682,800 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint, returned to winning form at the Churchill spring meet with a sensational rally in a May 28 allowance. Clearly the connections of the 7-year-old gelding would enjoy a replay of sorts when he breaks from post 1 and faces nine others in this 5 1/2-furlong race.

Thanks Mr. Eidson, a last-out stakes winner on the Indiana Derby undercard, is one of the main challengers, along with the Brad Cox-trained Seven Scents. Necker Island, winner of the Jeff Hall Memorial on the main track earlier in the meet, is a possible scratch if the race stays on the turf, trainer Chris Hartman said Friday.

Centennial Distaff

Turnerloose is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in this one-mile race, even as the lone 3-year-old in a field of 10 fillies and mares. Turnerloose, trained by Cox for Ike and Dawn Thrash, was outstanding in winning the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies last year and in a 17-1 upset of the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra in February. She hasn’t raced since finishing seventh in the Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

Turnerloose will have Joe Talamo up and breaks from post 2. Take Charge Ro, Undisturbed, and Demodog look like her chief threats.

Laguna Distaff

Tobys Heart, back from New York after a couple of failed runs against some of the top filly-mare turf sprinters on the continent, will be favored and breaks from the outside post in a field of 10 going 5 1/2 furlongs. Adam Beschizza rides for trainer Brian Lynch.

Tobys Heart was a rallying winner of the Unbridled Sidney during Kentucky Derby week at Churchill and is being pointed to a return to Kentucky Downs, where last year she won the $487,950 Music City. Sunday, she’ll be asked to overhaul some of the speedier opponents drawn to her inside, most notably the ultra-quick Elle Z for Hartman, along with Brooke Marie, a winner of the Grade 2 Monrovia at Santa Anita in April.

Evan Williams

John Ortiz began this week atop the Ellis trainer standings, and he’d like to sustain that momentum when he saddles Mr Dumas as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in this full field of 12. An earner of $556,549, Mr Dumas has rounded back to peak form, getting a 98 Beyer in winning the Mystic Lake Mile at Canterbury Park in his latest. Reylu Gutierrez will be back aboard the 6-year-old horse and they leave from post 3.

Gray’s Fable, winner of the Opening Verse at Churchill during Derby week, is one of his more capable rivals, along with Penalty, who exits a pair of Belmont Park turf stakes.