The connections of Chunk of Gold decided Monday morning that the West Virginia Derby winner will make his next start in the $300,000 Bourbon Flight on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Chunk of Gold also was entered in the $250,000 St. Louis Derby that runs Friday at Fairmount Park. Chunk of Gold, who is based at Turfway Park, drew post 11 for the St. Louis Derby and is the 3-2 favorite on the morning line.

“We’re going to go to the race at Churchill, the Bourbon Flight,” said Ethan West, who trains Chunk of Gold for Terry L. Stephens.

The September and November meets at Churchill Downs have become hotbeds for showcasing later-developing 2-year-olds who want to run longer distances. Juveniles who ran at Churchill Downs last September include this year’s Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer; Grade 1 winners La Cara, Sandman, and World Beater; and Magnitude and Owen Almighty, both graded stakes winners this year.

Spice Runner has been a promising but immature colt this season. Both aspects of his personality were seen in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Spice Runner wandered about in the stretch when urged by jockey Jose Ortiz, with trainer Steve Asmussen noting the colt didn’t appreciate the whip. However, Spice Runner then zeroed in on Comport out in front of him and bore down with focus in the final yards to get up by a head at the wire. He earned a 76 Beyer Speed Figure.

A five-day race week at Churchill Downs begins Wednesday with a nine-race card that has big fields, if little fanfare.

A pair of auction-restricted, $92,000 maiden special weight races for juveniles sold or bought back for $65,000 or less in their most recent sale highlight the card. They are joined by a trio of starter-allowance races, with purses of $60,000, $76,000, and $83,000, respectively.

Several of the nine races have drawn overflow fields – including both maiden races, with 15 entrants (12 may start). The average field size is 10.6 entries.

After his win in Saturday’s Louisville Thoroughbred Society at Churchill Downs, Bentornato is likely to train up to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, giving him seven weeks between races.

That’s okay. He can handle the gap.

Bentornato was making his first start in more than 10 months on Saturday. Prior to that, he finished second in the 2024 BC Sprint at Del Mar. He was on his toes Saturday, sitting just off pacesetter Skelly and responding when called upon, pouring it on for a 5 1/4-length victory.

Fresh off claiming his fourth consecutive leading rider title, and seventh overall, at the summer Saratoga meet, Irad Ortiz Jr. moved his tack from New York to Kentucky for the fall season. Unsurprisingly, the five-time Eclipse Award winner is off to a strong start at the Churchill Downs September meet that began last Thursday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sovereignty, the leading 3-year-old in the country and a Horse of the Year contender, was expected to return to the work tab over the weekend as he prepares for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

Bill Mott, the trainer of Sovereignty, said at Belmont Park on Friday morning that Sovereignty would likely work at Saratoga on Saturday morning. It would be his first work since his 10-length win in the Travers on Aug. 23. Sovereignty will enter the BC Classic having won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Jim Dandy, and Travers in succession.