Tom's d'Etat poised to give Stall a second Clark win

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Al Stall did a little research on how best to get Tom’s d’Etat from his winning race Oct. 26 in the Fayette Stakes to the Grade 1 Clark at Churchill Downs on Friday.

“I went back and saw that I worked Blame twice between those two races,” Stall said. “I figured if it was good enough for Blame, it’d be good enough for Tom.”

It was 10 autumns ago that Blame, then 3, swept the Fayette and Clark prior to winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill in November 2010. Now it’s Tom’s d’Etat, also with two easy interim breezes under him, seeking to duplicate the feat as a solid favorite in the 145th running of the $600,000 Clark under the Churchill lights.

Tom’s d’Etat closed out the Keeneland fall meet with a 4 1/4-length domination of the Grade 2 Fayette. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 106, marking the fifth straight race the late-blooming 6-year-old has earned a triple-digit Beyer. With Joel Rosario back to ride, he’s the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of 12 in the 1 1/8-mile Clark, the annual fall showcase that perennially attracts the largest ontrack crowd of the meet.

“I’ve just trained him evenly, tried to get him to the race fresh and happy about everything,” said Stall, who trains Tom’s d’Etat for the GMB Racing of New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson. “We’re good to go.”

Tom’s d’Etat figures to lay a few lengths off what could be a hectic pace contested by longshots Major Cabbie, Fact Finding, Mr. Buff, and Pioneer Spirit. Once the dust settles, Tom’s d’Etat should be among the first to come calling, accompanied perhaps by secondary favorites Mr Freeze, Seeking the Soul, Owendale, and Bravazo.

Mr Freeze (post 9, Robby Albarado), the Fayette runner-up, has been sharp and consistent since returning from a layoff this summer for Dale Romans, winning the Ack Ack here in late September before finishing second in the Fayette.

Seeking the Soul (post 11, Brian Hernandez Jr.), the 2017 Clark winner, has been disappointing in his last three races, all Grade 1’s in California. Trained by Dallas Stewart, the 6-year-old horse has been far more effective here at Churchill, his home course.

Owendale (post 8, Florent Geroux), the only 3-year-old in the lineup, wheels back nearly four weeks after a 22-length thumping in the BC Classic. The Into Mischief colt is a three-time Grade 3 winner this year and is trained by Brad Cox.

Bravazo (post 10, Luis Saez), best known for his runner-up finish behind Justify in the 2018 Preakness, will be calling on all the horsemanship Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas can muster when the colt makes his first start in 10 months. Bravazo has had eight workouts since early October after undergoing knee surgery in March.

Last year, Cox won the Clark when Leofric held off Bravazo by a neck, denying Lukas a third triumph in this race. In fact, eight of the 12 trainers with 2019 Clark starters have won the race, but only Lukas more than once, having done it with Surfside (2000) and Will Take Charge (2013).

Snapper Sinclair (post 5, Ricardo Santana Jr.) is a fringe player who could make his presence felt with a peak effort. The 4-year-old has earned nearly $700,000 this year and comes off a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

“We wanted to see how he came out of the Breeders’ Cup, and he’s done just great,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “He’s had a good year, and this would really top it off for him.”

Mocito Rojo (post 3, Filemon Rodriguez) is another outside possibility, assuming the rags-to-riches 5-year-old can rebound from a poor Fayette effort to run as he did in winning the Lukas Classic here Sept. 28.

First run in 1875, the same year as the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, the Clark is being run under allowance conditions for the first time after Churchill management decided earlier this year to scrap all handicap events. Weight assignments for this renewal range from 123 to 118 pounds. The purse is the highest in race history, surpassing the $582,000 paid out in 2003.

The Clark goes as the 11th of 12 races on a card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern and also includes the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere (race 9, 4:57). Post time for the Clark is 5:56. Both stakes are part of the 20-cent Single 6 (races 7-12), which had a carryover of $186,622 when the final five-day stretch of the meet began Wednesday. Mandatory disbursement of the Single 6 and all pools will be held Sunday with meet’s end.

Dry conditions and a daytime high of 47 are in the Friday forecast.