Cafe Pharoah

American Pharoah – Mary’s Follies, by More Than Ready

Bred in Kentucky by Paul Pompa ($475,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. 2-year-old purchase by Narvick International, for Koichi Nishikawa)

Churchill Downs has submitted operational plans to Kentucky state officials that envision allowing spectators for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby and the race cards that will precede it, a Churchill Downs official confirmed Tuesday.

Cafe Pharoah strengthened his status as the leading Japanese contender for the Kentucky Derby with a decisive five-length win in Sunday’s Grade 3 Unicorn Stakes at a mile at Tokyo Racecourse.

Ridden by Damian Lane, Cafe Pharoah (the even-money favorite in Japan) closed from a stalking position in the one-turn race to take the lead in the stretch. Cafe Pharoah quickly drew away from 15 rivals to remain unbeaten in three starts.

Dieu du Vin finished second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Kenshinko.

Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, 1 1/8 miles, Belmont Park, June 20, 2020
(150 Derby qualifying points for a win, 60 for second, 30 for third, 15 for fourth)

Winner: Tiz the Law, by Constitution
Trainer: Barclay Tagg
Jockey: Manny Franco
Owners: Sackatoga Stable
Beyer Speed Figure: 100

ELMONT, N.Y. – Though he basked in the quietude of a spectator-less Belmont Park on Saturday, trainer Barclay Tagg knows the noise level will be ratcheted up a few notches as the summer rolls on.

“You gotta get used to it, it’s the job,” Tagg said Sunday morning.

Cafe Pharoah, the top-ranked active 3-year-old in the standings for Kentucky Derby prospects in Japan, will have his first start in four months in Sunday’s Grade 3 Unicorn Stakes at a mile at Tokyo Racecourse.

The $630,825 Unicorn Stakes is one of two remaining races on the schedule of prep races in Japan for the Kentucky Derby. The final race in the series is the Japan Dirt Derby at Oi Racecourse on July 8. The horse with the most points in the series will earn a berth in the 20-horse field for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The 3-year-old Gouverneur Morris has developed a leg infection that could put an intended start in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes on July 11 at Keeneland in jeopardy.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Gouverneur Morris was sent to the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland earlier in the week, where he would undergo oxygen-tank treatment. He is expected to be there for at least a week.

“It puts the Blue Grass as a question mark,” Pletcher said Friday. “The Peter Pan could be in play, we’ll just have to play it by ear.”

A horse that wins the Haskell, the Kentucky Derby, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year will be awarded a $1 million bonus by Monmouth Park, the host track of the Haskell, Monmouth announced Thursday.

WHO’S HOT
Late developers Uncle Chuck, who got a Beyer Speed Figure of 95 when debuting going two turns against maidens at Santa Anita, and Art Collector, who got an even bigger figure of 100 when beating allowance runners at Churchill Downs, are the two newest members of the Derby Watch top 20 following wins last week. Uncle Chuck is 15-1 on the line set by Marty McGee of Daily Racing Form for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, with Art Collector at 20-1.

WHO’S NOT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ron Moquett is fiercely proud of his Arkansas heritage, so there was a little something extra to a race he won last week at Churchill Downs.

Moquett sent out an Arkansas-bred named Man in the Can to win a 1 1/8-mile first-level allowance for 3-year-olds on Friday. He earned a second straight 87 Beyer Speed Figure and is now 4 for 5, and likely will get a shot at making the Kentucky Derby with his next start.

“I think he’ll fit with a lot of these other 3-year-olds,” said Moquett. “He’s an improving horse at the right time.”