Secret Kin tries to go longer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two days before the biggest race of the 2009 Arlington Park meet, the Arlington Million, Chris Block sent out Secret Kin to win a weekday feature.
Two days before the biggest race of the 2009 Churchill Downs fall meet, the Clark Handicap, Block will send out Secret Kin in the Wednesday feature, a third-level optional $80,000 claimer at a mile on the turf.
"We're kind of experimenting with her, seeing if the two turns on the grass opens up another dimension for her," said Block, the Chicago-based trainer whose family bred and owns Secret Kin, one of nine fillies and mares entered in the ninth of 10 Wednesday races.
To date, Secret Kin mostly has been a late-running sprinter in her 23-race career. An earner of $334,477 while competing primarily in stakes, the 5-year-old homebred Secret Kin finished a creditable second in a big field in the Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf, a one-mile race at turf-only Kentucky Downs in September.
"She ran well enough there that I thought this might be an option for us," said Block. "We're hoping to be able to run her next year at 6, so it'd be good to know if this kind of race would be to her liking."
Secret Kin, with Shaun Bridgmohan to ride from post 7, is one of a handful of contenders in a well-matched feature. Other possibilities include Brezing Rain, already a three-time winner from five starts, all for trainer Tom Proctor; Lemon Twirl, a Canadian shipper who, with Secret Kin, is one of two horses in this race entered for the $80,000 claiming option; Embers Glowing, third in a race sporting similar conditions here Nov. 7; and Sheltered, who will have Julien Leparoux aboard when she tries to rebound off a subpar effort on Polytrack.
There is also a first-level allowance (race 7) with Whitley, narrowly beaten in the same type of turf route here Nov. 5, likely to go favored in a field of 10 going 1 1/16 miles. Jockey Miguel Mena has the mount on Whitley for trainer Rusty Arnold.
First post Wednesday is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, but the final three programs of the meet (Thursday through Saturday) will offer 12 races and start at 11:30 a.m.