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.
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DRF Past Performances
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.
Sovereignty, the leading 3-year-old in the country and a leading contender for Horse of the Year honors, returned to the work tab Saturday morning in Saratoga, breezing an easy half-mile in 49.11 seconds over the Oklahoma training track.
Atitlan finished a fast-closing third by a neck in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 31, just missing a win and an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
Atitlan has another chance to prove he belongs in the BC Turf in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Sept. 27.
The $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship is run at 1 1/4 miles. The Del Mar Handicap was run at 1 3/8 miles.
Baeza, second or third in four of the nation’s toughest races for 3-year-olds since early April, was declared on schedule for the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 20 after a quick six-furlong workout in 1:11.60 at Santa Anita on Friday.
Baeza was ridden by Hector Berrios, who has the mount in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at 1 1/8 miles.
“Hector said the track was really heavy this morning,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “I think it was a really good work.
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.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Book’em Danno, the leading male sprinter in the country, returned to the work tab on Thursday, going an easy half-mile in 50 seconds at Monmouth Park, but trainer Derek Ryan said no decision has been made on where the New Jersey-bred gelding will make his next start.
“We haven’t really figured it out, probably in another week or two,” Ryan said.