A rested Creative Minister looks to return to Classic-level form; $226K pick six carryover

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Classic-placed Creative Minister makes his second start off a layoff in a Thursday allowance at Keeneland, looking to recapture his winning form of last spring.

Thursday’s eighth race on a nine-race program is a second-level allowance-optional claiming race at 1 1/8 miles with a purse of $120,000. The card features a pick six carryover of $226,155. The pick six starts with the fourth race (approximate post, 2:36 p.m. Eastern).

Creative Minister was a maiden winner at second asking for trainer Kenny McPeek at the April 2022 Keeneland meet. He went on to win an allowance event on the Kentucky Derby undercard, which propelled him into the Preakness Stakes two weeks later. He finished a creditable third, beaten a total of 3 1/2 lengths by Early Voting and eventual Eclipse Award divisional champion Epicenter.

Creative Minister went on to finish fifth in the Belmont Stakes, then was third in the Curlin at Saratoga, third in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx, was beaten a nose in the Bourbon Trail at Churchill, and then was sixth in a Keeneland allowance race in October to end his 3-year-old season.

“We just stopped on him,” McPeek said. “He had run winter, spring, summer, fall, and it was just a good period for him to grow up a little bit.”

Creative Minister made his first start in nearly five months in an Oaklawn allowance race in March. Racing on a sloppy, sealed track, he improved his position late to finish fourth behind comebacking stablemate Smile Happy, a graded stakes winner.

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“Came back fine,” McPeek said. “Didn’t seem to handle the mud quite as well. He struggled through it a little bit, but he’ll improve off that. I think he wants a dry track.”

Creative Minister, reunited with regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr., may get those desired conditions. There is no rain in the forecast for the first half of the week in Lexington.

◗ American Rascal, the first foal out of European champion Lady Aurelia, makes his career debut in Thursday’s second race, an $80,000 maiden for 2-year-olds going the traditional 4 1/2 furlongs.

American Rascal, by Curlin, races for Stonestreet Stables and trainer Wesley Ward, the same connections as his dam. Lady Aurelia was twice a winner at the renowned Royal Ascot meeting, winning the Group 2 Queen Mary as a juvenile and the Group 1 King’s Stand over older males the following year. She also won the Group 1 Prix Morny in France as a juvenile.

◗ There are two other solid allowance races on Thursday’s card, and Ward has contenders in both of them. The seventh race, a $130,000 three-other-than turf allowance for older horses, marks the comeback of his Dominican Pioneer, a front-running winner at this same trip in his most recent outing in October. He is well drawn to use that speed from the rail under John Velazquez.

Ready to Purrform, making his first start since January, is taking a class drop for Brad Cox as he seeks his first win since the Grade 2 Hall of Fame last August at Saratoga. Kupuna and Tiberius Maximus are both coming off allowance wins, on Oaklawn’s dirt and Turfway’s Tapeta, respectively.

Ward also has last-out maiden winner Daring Do going in a first-level turf sprint allowance, run as the fifth race.

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