Stephen Foster, Fleur de Lis not being run as handicaps

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With little fanfare, the Stephen Foster and Fleur de Lis are no longer being run as handicaps at Churchill Downs. Weight assignments for both races are now made under allowances, furthering a significant policy change by Churchill management. Both Grade 2 races had been run as handicaps since they were inaugurated in 1982 and 1975, respectively.

The decision to eliminate handicap conditions for Churchill stakes was made earlier this year and follows a years-long, industry-wide trend, said racing secretary Ben Huffman. The Louisville and Mint Julep also were run earlier in the spring meet without their longstanding handicap conditions for the first time.

“A big part of the reasoning is a problem in formulating weight spreads,” Huffman said. “I’d actually always enjoyed doing the handicaps, but jockeys’ weights have evolved to the point that most of our local riders are tacking 118 pounds or more. You really can’t assign much higher than 125, and a lot of trainers don’t want to use light riders if you assign 113 or so. It became a pretty burdensome task.”

Huffman said he intends to apply the change to major fall races at Churchill, most notably the Grade 1 Clark, which has been a handicap since it was first run in 1875. The elimination of handicaps has not been implemented as a company-wide policy for all Churchill Downs Inc. tracks, including Arlington Park and Fair Grounds, he added.

The 38th Foster and 44th Fleur de Lis anchor a terrific Downs After Dark card Saturday night.

Red Ruby’s return delayed

The return of Red Ruby, a long time coming, has been delayed once again.

Unraced since winning the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks by 13 lengths last July – after which she was sidelined by a splint injury, bone bruising, and later a paddock accident – the speedy gray daughter of Tiznow was scheduled to run in the Fleur de Lis but will miss the race after “tying up” last week, trainer Kellyn Gorder said.

“Tying up” refers to muscle cramping that can cause stiffness and pain. It is most common in high-strung horses, particularly fillies, often after times of physical stress or anxiety.

Gorder said Tuesday that Red Ruby, owned by Brandi Nicholson and Sandra Sexton, was “still a little off.” Initial X-rays came back normal, and more diagnostic work is planned in about a week. Even with a clean bill of health, Gorder believes this setback also may compromise her chances of starting in the July 13 Delaware Handicap, a Grade 2 race that had been a summer goal.

– additional reporting by Byron King