Tom's d'Etat, By My Standards clash in Stephen Foster

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Within the same geographic circles, Tom’s d’Etat and By My Standards have built outstanding records in recent times. But never have their circles intersected – until now.

Arguably the two best older horses in training in the Midwest will clash in the Grade 2, $500,000 Stephen Foster, the highlight of a terrific 11-race Saturday card at fan-free Churchill Downs.

The Foster will be accompanied by its Grade 2 sister, the Fleur de Lis, on a one-hour NBC Sports broadcast that starts at 5 p.m. Eastern. Both 1 1/8-mile races are Win and You’re In events toward their respective divisions at the Breeders’ Cup in November at Keeneland.

Al Stall Jr., trainer of 7-year-old Tom’s d’Etat, said the fact By My Standards only began making a name for himself during a shortened 3-year-old campaign last year is the primary reason these two stars have never faced each other.

By My Standards “just turned 4, and we’ve been on different schedules the first half of this year,” Stall said. “I guess this is where we come together and see who’s got what.”

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By My Standards, trained by Bret Calhoun for the Allied Racing Stable of Chester Thomas, has been unbeatable since being regrouped following an 11th-place finish in the 2019 Kentucky Derby. The Goldencents colt has won all three starts in 2020 by open lengths, most recently the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.

Tom’s d’Etat, owned by the GMB Racing of Gayle Benson, has earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in his last seven starts and is the even-money favorite in a field of eight on the Churchill morning line. Brought along patiently by Stall through a series of setbacks in earlier seasons, the son of Smart Strike has never been better, having ended 2019 with romps in the Grade 2 Fayette and Grade 1 Clark prior to opening his 2020 season with a controlled victory in the April 11 Oaklawn Mile.

“He was just kind of galloping in his comeback,” Stall said. “Obviously, it took us a while for him to realize all his potential, but here we are. We haven’t really mapped out a firm schedule beyond this, but we all know what’s up ahead. Let’s get through this one before we go any farther.”

Stall seems to welcome the challenge of squaring off with By My Standards, the 5-2 second choice whose 102 Beyer from the Oaklawn Handicap represents a career high.

“I hope I’m wrong, but maybe we’ve finally run into a young turk we can’t handle,” Stall said. “We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Tom’s d’Etat “deserves all the respect he’s been getting,” Calhoun said. “That being said, I can’t say I’d trade places with anybody. Our horse is doing very, very well.”

It won’t take long for the two to eyeball each other, since they’ll break from adjacent stalls. Tom’s d’Etat, with Miguel Mena substituting for regular rider Joel Rosario, will break from post 5. By My Standards, with Gabriel Saez still riding while appealing a 30-day suspension ordered earlier by the Indiana Grand stewards, will break from post 6.

Without a ton of speed in the race, By My Standards and Saez could find themselves on or very close to the early lead, with perhaps Pirate’s Punch and a second Calhoun trainee, Silver Dust, going with him. Tom’s d’Etat could be a few lengths behind the leaders, although he did show his versatility last fall in the Fayette when he forced the pace from close up under Rosario, who is otherwise engaged Saturday at Belmont Park.

“We’ll let Miguel read what’s happening,” Stall said. “He’s ridden a lot for me, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”

There seems little doubt that the 4-1 third choice on the morning line Owendale (post 8, Florent Geroux) will have to come from well off the pace. Runner-up to Tom’s d’Etat in the Nov. 29 Clark after winning three Grade 3 races last year, the Into Mischief colt was sensational in rallying to win his 4-year-old debut last month in the one-mile Blame at Churchill.

This is the 39th running of the Foster, which effectively serves as the showcase race of the Churchill spring meet, given the postponements of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby to Sept. 4-5 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Foster goes as race 10 (post 5:50 p.m.) on a program that starts at 1 p.m. and will be directly preceded by the Fleur de Lis (race 9, 5:18), with both races being part of an all-stakes late pick four to end the card. Those other races are the Grade 3 Bashford Manor (race 8, 4:46) for 2-year-olds and the Grade 3 Regret (race 11, 6:22) for 3-year-old turf fillies.

Possible thundershowers and a high of 87 are in the Saturday forecast.

Saturday is the penultimate day of the 27-day meet, with Sunday being closing day. Ellis Park runs July 2-5, followed by a five-day Keeneland meet (July 8-12), then three-day weekends back at Ellis from July 17 to Aug. 30.