Strong field for Thursday's Opening Verse Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On paper, Thursday afternoon's Opening Verse Stakes on the Churchill Downs turf is a $65,000 overnight stakes. But you wouldn't know it from the program: All but one of the 13 entrants are at least stakes-placed, and the field includes seven graded stakes winners.

Three entrants exit season debuts in a salty turf allowance at Keeneland last month. They are led by Pleuven, who finished third by three-quarters of a length behind nose victor Projected and Grade 1 winner Divisidero. The latter is expected to defend his victory in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

Pleuven had a productive season at Churchill Downs last year for trainer Phil Sims, winning the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes on this course, and finishing second to Thatcher Street in both the Grade 3 River City Handicap and the Opening Verse.

Defending winner Thatcher Street, who has never been unplaced at Churchill Downs, finished fifth in the Keeneland allowance for trainer Ian Wilkes. Grade 2 winner Take the Stand, trained by Bill Mott, finished seventh after being a pace factor.

Take the Stand and Pleuven are the only members of the field to earn triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in the last calendar year, with figures of 103 and 102, respectively. Thatcher Street earned a 99 in winning the River City.

Black Sea is making his first start since September and his first start in the U.S. for trainer Chad Brown. Last year, the colt was Group 3-placed in France, and finished second in the Group 2 Swiss Derby.

The well-traveled Hootenanny goes out for the first time since October for trainer Wesley Ward. He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and also was a victor at Royal Ascot as a 2-year-old; now 5, his only wins since have come in allowance events.

The other graded winners in the field are Dimension, One Mean Man, and Shaikmat.