Saham needs no help to win Commonwealth Turf Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Many horses win only when conditions favor them, such as when they get a favorable trip or catch a surface that plays to their strength. Saham does not fall into that category, having recorded his two victories this year despite difficult trips and having performed well on a variety of turf conditions, ranging from firm to soft.

Those achievements mark him as the most likely winner of Friday’s Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs, especially since the weather forecast calls for afternoon rain, which could turn the Churchill turf to good or yielding.

Saham is the 4-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 13 in the 1 1/16-mile Commonwealth Turf, which is restricted to 3-year-olds. Joe Rocco Jr., aboard Saham for his last two races, has the return mount.

Some of Saham’s opponents have shown the ability to handle give in the ground, including Wayward Kitten and One Go All Go, who ran third and fourth in the Bryan Station Stakes on yielding turf at Keeneland on Oct. 30.

Key contenders

Saham (Last 3 Beyers: 88-88-88)

◗ He flew home in taking the Jefferson Cup on the Churchill grass course Sept. 26, unleashing a final quarter-mile in just over 22 seconds to catch the front-running Watchyourownbobber, the subsequent winner of the Showing Up Stakes at Gulfstream Park. And he finished strongly again to rally for second in the Hawthorne Derby.

“I think we’ve learned how to ride him,” said Brendan Walsh, who trains Saham for Sultan Bin Mishal. “He needs to come with one kick – that’s his style.

Nucifera (Beyer: 86)

◗ Fell when appearing to clip heels on the second turn of the Hawthorne Derby on Oct. 17 but has returned to work twice at Fair Hill for trainer Graham Motion, who shows confidence by putting him in another stakes race a little over a month after the horse’s tumble.

◗ He won twice in France on soft turf before being imported to the U.S.

Wayward Kitten (Last 3 Beyers: 91-84-84)

◗ Although he has won just a single race from seven starts, he ran third in the Jefferson Cup and the Bryan Station.

One Go All Go (Last 3 Beyers: 89- 93-92)

◗ A front-runner, he took the Commonwealth Derby at Laurel on Sept. 19 before a fourth in the Bryan Station.

◗ He gets a rider switch to Julien Leparoux, a winner of 2,156 races. The jockey for his last three races, Ron Hisby, has won 15 races.