Turfway Park notes: Field of 11 for Battaglia Memorial

The main local prep for Turfway Park’s showcase event will be run Saturday at the Florence, Ky., track, where 11 3-year-olds will go postward in the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial.

The 1 1/16-mile Battaglia comes three weeks before the Grade 3, $550,000 Spiral Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile race worth 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner.

From the rail, this is the Battaglia field: Poker Player, Solitary Ranger, Canzoni, Emmett Park, Red River Rising, Laddie Boy, Kids Rule, General Jack, Empower, Chester’s Park, and Harry’s Holiday.

The Battaglia goes as the 10th of 11 Saturday races, with post time set for 5:22 p.m. Eastern. TVG will have coverage.

Good pedigree for apprentice

Brandon “Chance” Boulanger has been riding at Turfway Park as a 10-pound apprentice this winter, and to answer the first question that arises: Yes, he is the son of jockey Gary Boulanger.

Into this weekend, the younger Boulanger was still seeking his first career victory after 24 mounts. Meanwhile, the elder Boulanger is back riding in south Florida after a successful comeback last year in his native Canada following an eight-year hiatus caused by serious injury. Gary Boulanger, 46, has 3,184 career wins.

No plans for Sundays

Although Turfway Park will host racing here Sunday, the track has announced no plans to race during any of the remaining Sundays through the end of the meet, according to a track spokesperson. In its dates application, the track allowed itself the liberty of determining whether to race Sundays in March.

That means the racing schedule most likely is down to a two-day schedule (Friday nights and Saturday afternoons) through March 29.
Meanwhile, Turfway has changed what had sometimes been a 48-hour schedule so that entries will now be drawn 72 hours ahead of time, i.e., Tuesday for Friday and Wednesday for Saturday.

◗ Veteran jockey Jeremy Rose won with four of his final five mounts Sunday at Turfway Park and has a 9-for-36 record since he moved from Oaklawn Park starting Feb. 1. Rose’s nine wins during that span were second only to the 11 for Albin Jimenez, who into Friday was easily the leading rider at the winter-spring meet with 35 wins.

◗ Turfway is offering a Spiral Stakes ballcap giveaway to the first 1,000 customers next Saturday, March 8. The promotion replaces the traditional Spiral glass giveaway. Collectors can still get a 2014 Spiral glass with purchase of a drink.