Will Take Charge looks to bounce back in Stephen Foster Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The North American racing calendar takes a significant turn every June with the Triple Crown ending and the Breeders’ Cup the next big thing ahead.

The Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs has become the symbolic race of transition, the one at which fans start finding their second wind just as Triple Crown fatigue is daring to set in. Now is as good a time as any to start talking Breeders’ Cup Classic, especially with handicap stars such as Will Take Charge and Revolutionary among those gunning for the Win and You’re In berth at stake Saturday night.

Will Take Charge, beaten an inch or two last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, is the 123-pound highweight and morning-line favorite in the $500,000 Foster, the anchor of an 11-race Downs After Dark program. The 4-year-old colt threw in a real clunker before a huge Kentucky Oaks crowd in his last start in the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes, but Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas chalked that up to the vagaries of racing in general and, perhaps, the limitations of distance in particular.

“I’d say he prefers something just a little north of that,” Lukas said of the 1 1/16-mile distance of the Alysheba. “Not that I can really give him any excuse for how he ran [sixth as the 3-5 favorite]. Sometimes these horses have bad days, just like we do. I think we tend to overanalyze these things, whether it’s the Triple Crown, a big stakes like this, or just an everyday race. Sometimes you just have to see it for what it is and move on.”

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Will Take Charge, with Gary Stevens in to ride for Lukas and owners Willis Horton and Three Chimneys Farm, will break from post 4 when facing eight other older horses on a slight stretch-out to 1 1/8 miles. The colt was the 3-year-old champion of 2013 when earning almost $3 million and already is making his fifth start of 2014.

This is the 33rd running of the Foster, one of four straight graded races on a terrific Saturday night card. First post is 6 p.m. Eastern, with the Foster, the eighth race, set for 9:39.

Will Take Charge “has done nothing but good since the last race,” Lukas said. “He’s actually put on weight and hasn’t skipped a beat. He’s bigger and stronger, I think. We’re going to lead him over there optimistic. I’m very happy with how he comes into this.”

Revolutionary (post 1, Mike Smith), trained by Todd Pletcher for WinStar Farm, comes off an eye-catching victory in the Pimlico Special, a race in which he was far out of it early before getting a full head of steam. The colt narrowly was defeated by Will Take Charge in the Oaklawn Handicap in their respective two-back starts.

Other major considerations include Moonshine Mullin, Departing, Golden Ticket, and Long River.

Moonshine Mullin (post 3, Calvin Borel) posted his fourth straight triumph in upsetting the Alysheba at almost 7-1 and looms a real danger as the lone speed in the Foster. The 6-year-old horse competed in a $25,000 claiming race less than 10 months ago.

“These claimers can get real good and peak like this one has,” said trainer Randy Morse. “Usually, they end up going back down, but I haven’t seen that yet from him.”

Departing (post 6, Robby Albarado) had a very useful prep race during Kentucky Derby week and has hit on all cylinders toward this, according to trainer Al Stall Jr.

Golden Ticket (post 7, Julien Leparoux) narrowly was beaten in the Alysheba and has back class aplenty, having earned more than $1.2 million while taking on all comers.

Long River (post 8, Irad Ortiz Jr.) is something of a wise-guy pick, as his speed figures match up well, and his latest Charles Town effort is reasonably excused because of how he pushed hard to keep pace.

The rest of the field is Jaguar Paw, Mylute, and Prayer for Relief.

The Foster is part of an all-graded-stakes pick four on races 6-9, with the others being the Grade 3 Matt Winn (race 6), the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis (race 7), and the Grade 3 Regret (race 8). Churchill also is offering a $100,000 pool guarantee on its 20-cent jackpot pick six wager (races 4-9).

The President of the United Arab Emirates Cup, a Grade 1 race for Arabians, goes as race 10, which has led Churchill to shift the 50-cent pick five to races 5-9.

◗ Perry Martin and Steve Coburn will be on hand Saturday night to accept the engraved trophy as co-owners and breeders of Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome during a presentation scheduled for after the fourth race (7:26). According to Churchill officials, neither trainer Art Sherman nor his son, Alan, will attend. Retired jockey Jose Espinoza will accept the jockey’s trophy on behalf of his brother, Victor Espinoza.