U D Ghetto gets easier task in Matt Winn

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Flying First Class and U D Ghetto, the one-two finishers from the April 28 Derby Trial, are running again on Saturday. Fortunately for U D Ghetto, Flying First Class is racing hundreds of miles away from him at Pimlico in the Preakness Stakes.

That leaves U D Ghetto as one of the horses to beat in Saturday's $100,000 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs, a six-furlong dirt race that drew six other entrants, led by Spin Master and Run Alex Run.

U D Ghetto, a 3-year-old gelded son of Honour and Glory owned by the Lucky Seven Stable, ran his best race in the Derby Trial since winning the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Juvenile last September. After ducking sharply toward the rail from his inside post, he closed up the fence under Calvin Borel to finish 3 3/4 lengths behind Flying First Class.

Drawn in post 1 for the Matt Winn, U D Ghetto would seem a candidate to duck in again, but trainer Tony Reinstedler downplayed that possibility. "I've never seen him do the same thing twice," he said.

The Matt Winn is U D Ghetto's first start at six furlongs since he won a maiden race last summer at Ellis Park at the distance.

Since that time, he has raced at two turns with mixed results. Although he won the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Cup Juvenile at Turfway Park last fall, he was soundly defeated in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the Kentucky Jockey Club, and Rebel Stakes in his other two-turn dirt races. He also struggled racing two turns on grass in the Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland, finishing seventh, beaten 16 1/4 lengths. The Derby Trial was run at a one-turn mile.

Reinstedler is hopeful that U D Ghetto could reinvent himself as a sprinter. Joe Johnson has the mount.

Spin Master is unraced since a ninth-place finish behind Preakness starter King of the Roxy in the March 3 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream. Making his third start, Spin Master faded badly in the stretch of the Grade 2 Hutcheson after setting a fast early pace. He won his first two starts easily, which included an allowance win at Gulfstream Feb. 3 in fast time.

Trainer Dale Romans believes he asked Spin Master to do too much too soon in the Hutcheson. "So I decided to back off and give him his proper time," he said.

Spin Master has trained well at Churchill Downs, capped by a half-mile breeze in 48.40 seconds May 14. Miguel Mena rides.