Thatcher Street tries to add another win for red-hot Wilkes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The spring meet at Churchill Downs has gone so well for Ian Wilkes that he even got Thatcher Street to win.
The 5 1/4-length maiden victory by Thatcher Street here May 29 was noteworthy in that the 4-year-old gelding had finished second or third in eight of his 12 prior starts – and with that breakthrough behind him, he appears to rate as good a chance as any in the Friday feature at Churchill.
Bred and owned by a partnership led by Randy Bloch, Thatcher Street will have Brian Hernandez Jr. back aboard when part of an oversubscribed field in the eighth of nine Friday races, a $56,300, first-level allowance scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Other contenders in a field that will be limited to 12 starters include Dallas Skyline, Indebted, Bourbon Soul, and Saham.
Wilkes entered the final three-day stretch of the 38-day spring meet with 14 wins, just one fewer than his all-time high for any meet anywhere since he took out a trainer’s license nearly 10 years ago. He had 15 wins at the 2008 Churchill spring meet.
Friday marks the last daytime card of the meet. First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern, and the nominal feature, the only allowance of the day, is set for 4:18. The meet finale Saturday is a Downs After Dark program.
KEY CONTENDERS
Thatcher Street (Last 3 Beyers: 83-76-80)
◗ This son of Street Sense finally shook off his burdensome bridesmaid’s tag when drawing off in his latest; he matches up Beyer Speed Figure-wise and otherwise with this evenly matched crew.
Dallas Skyline (Last 3 Beyers: 83-77-75)
◗ This colt bid into the fray in a big way before settling for third in this same category here May 21 for Chris Hartman, who entered the final week of his first Churchill meet with 11 wins.
Indebted (Last 3 Beyers: 79-77-76)
◗ Shipping over from Keeneland out of the small string maintained there by Christophe Clement, this Shel Evans homebred clearly belongs after having run second in two cracks at this condition at this meet.
Bourbon Soul (Last 3 Beyers: 79-74-79)
◗ He finished right alongside Indebted when third in a key June 5 race toward this and has come around nicely in recent months for Eddie Kenneally.
Saham (Last 3 Beyers: 71-84-82)
◗ He takes a first shot at an allowance condition after decent efforts in back-to-back stakes following a sharp maiden win at Gulfstream in February.