Unitarian eyes repeat in Elkhorn
LEXINGTON, Ky. – You won’t get 18-1 on him this year, but given the depth of the opposition, Unitarian still might be a square price when the $250,000 Elkhorn Stakes is run Saturday at Keeneland for the 30th time.
Unitarian won the Grade 2 Elkhorn last spring from far back, rewarding his scattered backers with $38.80 on a $2 bet, a rare price indeed for the combination of Javier Castellano and Todd Pletcher. This time around, they won’t be dismissed so easily as Unitarian comes off a sharp triumph at Gulfstream Park and figures to be one of the favorites among 11 older horses set to go 1 1/2 miles.
Holiday Star and Dynamic Sky are among the rivals who also will take serious play in what is shaping up as a contentious renewal of this three-turn race.
The Elkhorn, the ninth of 10 races, will share the Saturday spotlight with an earlier turf allowance that marks the 3-year-old debut of Hootenanny, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last fall at Santa Anita. Owned by the Coolmore group and trained by Wesley Ward, Hootenanny will be part of a heavily favored entry with the unbeaten filly Asia when they dash 5 1/2 furlongs in the fourth race of the day.
First post Saturday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with Hootenanny’s race going at 2:38 and the Elkhorn at 5:13. TVG will have extensive coverage throughout the day.
Another big crowd figures to turn out for Saturday, with the forecast calling for highs in the upper 70s and no chance of rain.
After Saturday, only one stakes remains at this 15-day spring meet – the Bewitch Stakes on closing day, April 24.
Key contenders
Unitarian (Last 3 Beyers: 97-92-93)
* Bred and owned by Robert “Shel” Evans of Tonalist fame, this 5-year-old son of Pulpit showcased his superiority in his latest victory and has had six workouts in the interim at Palm Beach Downs and Keeneland.
* Pletcher already has three graded stakes wins at this meet, and Castellano has four.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Unitarian. Won the two-mile Allen Jerkens Stakes last out, and runners from that race have gone 8-0-2-0 in the immediate next starts. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Holiday Star (Last 3 Beyers: 85-95-94)
* A winner here of the fall-meet counterpart to this race, the Sycamore last October, this Augustin homebred was regrouped over the winter by Graham Motion at Fair Hill and figures to return fresh, fit, eager, and dangerous as Rajiv Maragh assumes the mount.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Holiday Star. Trainer Graham Motion is 34-9-3-3 with a $5.55 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes on turf of 12 furlongs and longer. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Dynamic Sky (Last 3 Beyers: 99-96-96)
* Ontario-bred failed to make much of an impression as part of Mark Casse’s California string this winter, although he was well backed in both of his grass attempts. A look further back in his running lines reveals his consistency and class.
Biz The Nurse (Last Beyer: 88)
* He’s something of an unknown in here after making a positive first impression in his stateside debut March 7, the day trainer Tom Albertrani snapped out of a Gulfstream slump with three victories.
Optimizer (Last 3 Beyers: 92-104-36)
* Onetime D. Wayne Lukas trainee and almost millionaire hasn’t been out since facing Wise Dan in back-to-back races, including his memorable nose defeat in the Bernard Baruch at Saratoga last August.