Charles Lopresti

WISE DAN IN PERFECT SHAPE MORNING AFTER CLARK ‘CAP VICTORY – Mort Fink’s Wise Dan had an easy morning after his impressive 3 ¾-length victory in the 137^th running of Churchill Downs’ $572,500 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I). The 4-year-old gelded son of Wiseman’s Ferry walked the shedrow and then grazed for an hour outside trainer Charlie Lopresti’s barn at Keeneland.

“He came out of the race in perfect shape,” Lopresti said. “He’s 100%.”

The Clark Handicap victory caps a phenomenal year for Wise Dan, who recorded stakes victories on turf, dirt and synthetic surfaces. Other than the Clark, he was also victorious in the Firecracker Handicap (GII), Presque Isle Mile and Fayette (GII), with the latter two on synthetic surfaces, Lopresti said Wise Dan would now get some well-deserved time off.

"We’ll let him wind down (at Keeneland) and then take him to our farm in Lexington,” Lopresti said. “He’ll have the whole month of December off and some of January and then we’ll start getting him ready for a 5-year-old campaign.”

While plans for Wise Dan’s first start next year are not definite, Lopresti does have a race in mind.

“He can run on any surface at different distances, so we have a lot of options with him,” Lopresti said. “Most likely we will bring him back in the Commonwealth (GII) at Keeneland like we did this year.”

Wise Dan won’t be the only talented horse racing from the Lopresti barn next year. Turallure, winner of the Woodbine Mile (GI) and second by a nose to Court Vision in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI), is expected to race next year, as is Successful Dan, Wise Dan’s older half-brother who missed 2011 with a tendon injury. Successful Dan was disqualified from first and placed third in last year’s Clark.

“Successful Dan is at our farm and gallops about five days a week,” Lopresti said. “We’ll keep doing that for awhile and then get more serious with him in January or February. Look for him in the spring.”

With so many top horses in the barn, Lopresti will be faced with the tough task of keeping them apart from each other during their 2012 campaigns; however, he is unsure if that will even be possible.

“I was able to keep Turallure and Wise Dan apart this year, but I don’t know if I can keep them all apart next year,” Lopresti said. “It’ll be tough and a couple of them may have to go in the same race. But this is a good problem to have. It’s been a dream year and if next year is half as good as this one, then I’ll be thrilled.”

LEPAROUX, MAKER LOOK TO HOLD MEET LEADS ENTERING FINAL DAYS – With just two days remaining in the Fall Meet, the races for leading jockey and leading trainer are still wide open. Entering Saturday’s action, Julien Leparoux, seeking his ninth riding title at the Louisville track, holds a 31-to-26 lead over Corey Lanerie, who is seeking his first Churchill Downs riding title, and Mike Maker, the leading trainer at the 2008 Fall Meet, is leading Steve Asmussen, a 10-time leading trainer at Churchill Downs, 15 to 12. Below is a rundown of entries for the top two in the jockey and trainer standings for the final two days of the 2011 Fall Meet.

Julien Leparoux, Saturday, Nov. 26

• Race 1, Casa de Cambio (5-1 on morning-line)
• Race 2, La Capella (6-1)
• Race 3, Brando (8-1)
• Race 4, Soft Whisper (3-1)
• Race 5, Swaythisway (3-1)
• Race 6, Wayward Sailor (3-1)
• Race 7, Tito (8-1)
• Race 8, Voodoo Daddy (2-1)
• Race 9, Customer Base (7-2)
• Race 10, Daddy Nose Best (5-2)
• Race 11, Ever So Lucky (5-2)
• Race 12, Big John B (3-1)

Julien Leparoux, Sunday, Nov. 27

• Race 1, Chyhyryn, (3-1)
• Race 2, Romans Reward (4-1)
• Race 3, Bluegrass Summer (5-2)
• Race 4, Biogio’s Gift (5-1)
• Race 6, Hillary D (5-1)
• Race 7, Woodford Lady (7-2)
• Race 8, Eyeseeyou (5-1)
• Race 10, Gutsy Call (7-2)

Corey Lanerie, Saturday, Nov. 26

• Race 1, Mr Saturday (12-1)
• Race 2, Audington (10-1)
• Race 3, Charlie in Charge (6-1)
• Race 4, Yorona (15-1)
• Race 5, Bluegrass Rumor (12-1)
• Race 6, Burning Fire (12-1)
• Race 7, Battle Hardened (8-1)
• Race 9, Glinda the Good (5-1)
• Race 10, Salvatore G (15-1)
• Race 11, Africanist (10-1)
• Race 12, King Kid (8-1)

Corey Lanerie, Sunday, Nov. 27

• Race 1, Minestone (5-2)
• Race 2, Winkatdawat (8-1)
• Race 4, Preach Easy (3-1)
• Race 5, Tend (5-1)
• Race 6, Four Point (12-1)
• Race 7, Miz Ida (5-1)
• Race 8, Paladin’s Fury (12-1)
• Race 9, Accesorize (12-1)
• Race 10, Joes Blazing Aaron (5-1)
• Race 11, Ocean Bertie (2-1)

Mike Maker, Saturday, Nov. 26

• Race 3, Stevie Jones (8-1)
• Race 6, Tizanexpense (15-1) and Wayward Sailor (3-1)
• Race 10, Magical Season (8-1)
• Race 11, Mr. Prankster (10-1)
• Race 12, Big John B (3-1)

Mike Maker, Sunday, Nov. 27

• Race 1, Chyhyryn (3-1)
• Race 4, Biogio’s Gift (5-1)
• Race 10, Twinspired (8-1)

Steve Asmussen, Saturday, Nov. 26

• Race 1, Goingoingone (6-1) and Casa de Cambio (5-1)
• Race 2, La Capella (6-1)
• Race 3, Brando (8-1)
• Race 5, Tapajo (4-1)
• Race 6, Power Emblem (7-2)
• Race 7, Tito (8-1)
• Race 8, Voodoo Dancer (2-1)
• Race 9, Glinda the Good (5-1)
• Race 10, Daddy Nose Best (5-2)

Steve Asmussen, Sunday, Nov. 27

• Race 6, Miss Chloe H. (9-2)
• Race 8, Eyeseeyou (5-1) and Hunterwood Point (6-1)
• Race 10, Joes Blazing Aaron (5-1)

CHURCHILL JOCKEYS MAKE PLANS FOLLOWING SPRING MEET – With the conclusion of the Fall Meet at Churchill Downs coming on Sunday, the leading jockeys at the Louisville track are preparing to move their tack elsewhere for the winter and most are heading for warmer climates.

Jockeys expected to ride at Fair Grounds: Corey Lanerie, Brian Hernandez Jr., Shaun Bridgmohan, Robby Albarado and Miguel Mena.

Jockeys expected to ride at Gulfstream Park: Julien Leparoux, Calvin Borel, Jesus Castanon, Edgar Prado and Kent Desormeaux.

Members of the Churchill Downs jockey colony who will not be riding at either Gulfstream Park or Fair Grounds include Jon Court (Oaklawn Park), Leandro Goncalves (Tampa Bay Downs) and Roberto Morales (Turfway Park).

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockey over the last five racing days (Nov. 19-25) is Corey Lanerie (11-for-43). Eddie Kenneally (4-for-6) and Mike Maker (4-for-17) are the hottest trainers over the same period. Ken and Sarah Ramsey (3-for-11) are the hottest owners.

BARN TALK – Twin Creeks Racing Stable LLC’s Mission Impazible came back from his runner-up effort to Wise Dan in Friday’s Clark Handicap (GI) in good order, according to assistant trainer Michael McCarthy. No definitive plans have been made regarding his next start. …

Clark Handicap favorite Flat Out, who finished third behind Wise Dan and Mission Impazible, also exited the race in good order, according to trainer Scooter Dickey. Preston Stables LLC’s Flat Out, who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) at Belmont Park in October, will ship to Dickey’s barn at Gulfstream Park on Monday afternoon and will be given a few weeks rest before being prepared for a 2012 campaign.

“I’ll work him on the turf at Gulfstream and if he works well then he could start the year in the Fort Lauderdale (GIII at 1 1/16 miles on the turf on Jan. 14),” Dickey said. If he doesn’t work well on the turf, then we’ll probably point to the Donn Handicap (GI at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt on Feb. 11).” …

Churchill Downs will offer free general admission to all fans on Sunday, Nov. 27, the closing-day of the 2011 Fall Meet. Also, be sure to bring the kids out to see Santa Claus, who will be in the Paddock Pavilion on Sunday.

WORKTAB – Stoneway Farm LLC’s Exfactor, winner of the Bashford Manor (GIII) at Churchill Downs in July, breezed five furlongs on the fast main track beneath the Twin Spires on Saturday morning in 1:01 for trainer Bernie Flint. The work was the fourth fastest of 34 at the distance. …

Stonestreet Stables LLC’s Hierro, who turned heads when he broke his maiden by 5 ¼ lengths in his most recent start at Churchill Downs, breezed five furlongs on the main track in 1:02.80 for trainer Steve Asmussen. The work was the 22^nd fastest of 34 at the distance. …

Kirk and Judy Robison’s Wine Police, third in the Hopeful (GI) as a 2-year-old and second in the Jimmy V “Don’t Give Up…Don’t Ever Give Up!” in his most recent start, breezed five furlongs in 1:03.20 for Steve Asmussen. It was the 25^th fastest half-mile work Saturday morning.

Mort Fink’s homebred Wise Dan achieved Grade I glory when he kicked clear of Mission Impazible in the final furlong to easily win the 137^th running of the $572,500 Clark Handicap presented by Norton Healthcare by 3 ¾ lengths on Friday at Churchill Downs.

Wise Dan gave Fink and trainer Charlie Lopresti a bit of redemption for last year’s Clark in which their Successful Dan was disqualified from an apparent victory. Successful Dan finished a head in front of Giant Oak a year ago, but because of interference with Redding Colliery in the upper stretch, was disqualified and placed third.

There was no doubt about Wise Dan’s sublime performance. Ridden by two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey John Velazquez, Wise Dan tracked pacesetter Will’s Wildcat and Mission Impazible from clear sailing on the outside in third under a strong hold as the former led the field of 13 three-year-olds and up through fractions of 23.80, :48.24 and 1:12.80.

Midway around the final turn, Will’s Wildcat began to falter and Mission Impazible took the lead. Velazquez slipped Wise Dan some rein and the 4-year-old gelding quickly drew even from the outside. He kicked clear of that rival at the eighth pole and stood head and shoulders above the field in deep stretch while crossing the finish line in 1:48.95 for 1 1/8 miles over a fast track.

The versatile Wise Dan, a graded stakes winner on synthetic tracks and turf who entered the Clark off an impressive four-length romp in Keeneland’s Fayette (GII), is a gelded Kentucky-bred son of Wiseman’s Ferry out of the Wolf Power-SAf mare Lisa Danielle. The huge pot of $326,554 increased his earnings to $919,601. Overall, it was Wise Dan’s eighth victory from 14 starts (14-8-0-0).

Freddie Wirth, who guided Sentiment Sake to victory in the 1945 Clark, and Donna Allen, a vice president with Norton Healthcare, presented the Clark Handicap trophy to the winning connections.

Sent postward as 9-2 third choice, Wise Dan, who carried 120 pounds, returned $11, $6 and $4.20. Mission Impazible, who carried 116 pounds under Javier Castellano at odds of 7-1, paid $7 and $5.40. Flat Out, the 123-pound high weight and 2-1 favorite under Alex Solis, raced in mid-pack early and could only manage third, 2 ¾ lengths behind the runner-up, and paid $3.20 to show.

Mister Marti Gras, 9-2 second choice Ruler On Ice, Headache, Alma d’Oro, Will’s Wildcat, Prayer for Relief, Stately Victor, Demarcation, Pleasant Prince and General Quarters completed the order of finish.

The Clark was Wise Dan’s first stakes triumph on dirt. Before the Clark, he had three races on the Churchill Downs dirt that include maiden and allowance wins, both over sloppy surfaces, and a solid sixth-place finish in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in which he was beaten just 2 ½ lengths by the champion Big Drama. He won the Firecracker (GII) on the Churchill Downs grass in early July, and added two stakes wins over synthetic surfaces: a victory in the Presque Isle Downs Mile in September and the Oct. 29 Fayette.

The Clark Handicap was run for the first time in 1875 during the first racing meet at Churchill Downs, which was then known as the Louisville Jockey Club. Like the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and Kentucky Oaks (GI), the Clark has been renewed annually without interruption since its first running.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Saturday with a 12-race “Stars of Tomorrow II” program exclusively for 2-year-olds with first post time of 12:40 p.m. (all times Eastern). Highlighting the program are two Grade II stakes: the 68^th running of the $150,000-added Golden Rod for fillies, which goes as the ninth race (4:42 p.m. post time), and the 85^th running of the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club, which goes as the 11^th race (5:42 p.m. post time).

In just six years of existence, Stars of Tomorrow has been the launching pad for numerous graded stakes winners including 24 Grade I winners. Thirteen horses have exited the events and become millionaires: Court Vision ($3,746,658), Rachel Alexandra ($3,506,730), Lawyer Ron ($2,790,008), Pure Clan ($1,987,498), Shackleford ($1,985,803), Super Saver ($1,889,766), Macho Again ($1,825,767), Giant Oak ($1,484,829), First Dude ($1,442,140), Swift Temper ($1,296,688), General Quarters ($1,220,930), Fly Down ($1,187,935) and Any Given Saturday ($1,083,533).

Closing day of the 21-day Fall Meet is Sunday and Churchill Downs will offer free general admission to all patrons.

CLARK HANDICAP QUOTES

Charlie Lopresti, trainer of Wise Dan (winner): “It was perfect and I was pretty confident going into the race, other than about whether he could go the 1 1/8 miles on the dirt. But I thought he was going to run one of his best races today. I would have been disappointed if he didn’t do it. It looked like the Fayette. It was the same kind of race. He’s a pretty good horse. Just stay out of his way and try to take care of him.”

Q. What allows him to be so consistent on multiple surfaces?  “I just think he loves to run. We galloped him two miles the other day and the exercise rider came back and said he could have gone around five more times. He just doesn’t get tired. He just loves to run.”

Q. What are the plans for next year? “We’re going to give him the winter off, just like Turallure. We’ll give him some time to be a horse and then bring him back in the spring.”

Q. What went into the decision to ride John Velazquez for the first time? “Julien (Leparoux) rides all of our horses and he couldn’t ride him a few times and that’s why Jon Court got the mount on him (on thee occasions earlier this year). Jon Court has done a great job on him and it’s nothing he did wrong. Julien is our number one rider and rode him in the Fayette and when he won the Fayette he had already committed to ride in California today (Never Retreat in the Grade I Matriarch). I talked to the owner (Mort Fink) and he asked if we could get John Velazquez to ride him and I said I didn’t know if he would come. I called Angel Cordero (Velazquez’s agent) and he called me back in five minutes and said they were coming. Mr. Fink said any time that you can get John Velazquez on a horse you should try it.”

Q. How does it feel to win this race after being taken down with Successful Dan in last year’s Clark? “I was really disappointed last year. I just didn’t understand why they took his number down, but they saw it that way and I have to respect their opinion. I jokingly said surely we don’t get taken down this year. It’s a dream come true to be back here with this many good horses.”

John Velazquez, jockey on Wise Dan (winner): “I like these pickup mounts. It worked out perfect. I was on the outside and the trainer (Charlie Lopresti) told me he was going to be pulling pretty strong, but to keep him third or fourth. Right from the start I got him back and he settled pretty good. He was strong in hand and when I got to the quarter-pole he took off and moved so smoothly. He was very confident in himself.”

Todd Pletcher (via phone from New York), trainer of Mission Impazible (runner-up): “He’s run two big races, but unfortunately he’s been a bridesmaid twice there this year in the two Grade Is (the Stephen Foster Handicap and Clark Handicap). But it was another big effort from him and we’re proud of him.”

Q: Everything looked possible at the head of the stretch …“I thought at the three-eighths pole you could see Wise Dan was really loaded up, and then I thought we might have snuck away from him for just a half a second, but he (Wise Dan) was just too good on the day and hats off to him. He ran a big race and I’m very proud of our second.”

Q: Assuming he’ll race next year, so what will be the early plan for his 5-year-old campaign? “We might take a look at the (Grade I) Donn (Handicap at Gulfstream Park), and of course he loves the Fair Grounds, so those races there would certainly be possibilities. We feel like he’s a Grade I horse and we’ve been very unlucky not to win one, so that’s our main objective.”

Javier Castellano, rider on Mission Impazible (runner-up): “He loves Churchill. We had a beautiful spot today; we were where I wanted to be in the race. He settled down beautifully and I loved the way he did it. I think we were just second-best today. I’m very satisfied and very happy with the way he did it today. I’m not disappointed at all. I know we got beat and he finished second, but you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the winner. He was very impressive.”

“Scooter” Dickey, trainer of Flat Out (third as the favorite): Q: Jockey Alex Solis said he believed Flat Out just does not care for this racetrack.  What are you thinking? “I think that’s what we’ve got to kind of face. I saw him and he was laying perfect over there and he started his move, and I said ‘Well, if he likes this track he’s going to run good today. But he just looked like he got to fightin’ it, and Alex said when asked him to run he just can’t handle it. He said he had a hold of him and he had a lot of horse, and he was very happy with where he was laying. But when he asked him, it wasn’t there.”

Q: That’s amazing because he works so well over this track … “Yeah, but you know he’s only working five-eighths and all that. He laid right there with ‘em and he looked good, but that was it. He came back and seemed fine. I looked at his legs and they’re fine and everything, but it’s just one of those things, I guess.”

Q: You have talked about trying him on the grass next year. Is that still a thought? “Well, I’m going to Florida and I’m going to work him on it down there and see how he likes that. But we’ve enjoyed him. We’ve had a good time this year.”

Alex Solis, rider on Flat Out (third as the favorite): “He broke really good and I got a good position. He went really nice when he was in hand, but as soon as asked him to drop his head he’d just start swimming around. He struggled over the track too much.”

Q: You think he just doesn’t care for the track at Churchill Downs? “Definitely, because when you see the replay you can see him stumbling and losing his footing and he’s a horse that needs to get in a rhythm.”

Kelly Breen, trainer of Ruler On Ice (fifth): “Just looking back, they say he may not be at his best when he has to take all the dirt in his face and the one-post kind of put us there.  Garrett (jockey Garrett Gomez) didn’t mention anything negative about it, but knowing the horse it didn’t help our cause.”

A year after experiencing the heartbreak inflicted by the disqualification of Successful Dan from an apparent victory in the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I), owner Morton Fink and trainer Charles Lopresti are back to take another shot at winning the premier race of Churchill Downs’ Fall Meet with another talented “Dan.”

Wise Dan is this year’s Clark hope for the Fink-Lopresti team and the 3-year-old son of Wiseman’s Ferry is a major player in a strong and competitive 13-horse field for the 1 1/8-mile race for older horses.  Like the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and the Kentucky Oaks, the Clark has been run annually without interruption since the 1875 debut racing meet of the track then known as the Louisville Jockey Club.

“I don’t think we could have him any better than he is right now,” Lopresti said Thursday morning by telephone from his training base at Keeneland.  “We had him out grazing this morning and he was such a handful we had to put him in.  He’s really good.”

Wise Dan will break from post 11 as the 4-1 third choice in the Clark behind Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) winner Flat Out and Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Ruler On Ice, who ran fifth and third, respectively, behind WinStar Farm’s Drosselmeyer in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5.  While that high-powered duo will attempt to keep their names in the discussion for Eclipse Awards in their respective division, Lopresti is anxious to see how Wise Dan will handle his newest challenge.

The Clark will be the 4-year-old gelding’s first attempt to win a major stakes race over traditional dirt at a two-turn distance.  He ran a respectable sixth over the Louisville track in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI), where he finished just 2 ½ lengths behind the victorious Big Drama.  He has two wins in four dirt starts at Churchill Downs, both victories coming last year in allowance races on sloppy tracks at six furlongs and a mile.

Wise Dan comes into this year’s Clark in exactly the same manner as the last two first-place finishers in the Clark.  He romped to a four-length victory over Polytrack at the Clark distance of 1 1/8 miles in Keeneland’s Fayette (GII), just as Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s future Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame did in 2009 and Successful Dan accomplished a year ago. 

Prior to the Fayette, Wise Dan enjoyed significant success at shorter distances, including 2011 wins in the one-mile Firecracker Handicap (GII) in his turf debut at Churchill Downs and an impressive win from an outside post in the $250,000 Presque Isle Downs Mile over the Pennsylvania track’s synthetic Tapeta surface.

Wise Dan tuned-up for his Clark bid with a sharp six-furlong work in 1:!2 on Nov. 15 at Keeneland.  That move encouraged Lopresti, but he believes Wise Dan has questions to answer in Friday’s race.

"I feel pretty confident, but I still have a question about the mile and an eighth on the dirt,” Lopresti said.  “That’s my big concern.  He got it on the ‘Poly’ and it looked like he was running away from them at the end, but this is a lot tougher field, too.  I’m realistic about it – the Fayette was a lot lighter bunch than he’s running against here.”

Lopresti points to the presence of Breeders Cup Classic contenders Flat Out and Ruler On Ice as primary Clark contenders, and said the efforts of both in the 1 ¼-mile Classic merit respect.

“Flat Out only got beat three lengths in the Breeders’ Cup and Ruler On Ice got beat two lengths,” Lopresti said.  “If those horses had finished up the racetrack, I wouldn’t have as much respect for them.  But they didn’t run bad races.”

Wise Dan’s resume of three wins in seven 2011 races, which also includes a close third fourth-place run on the Keeneland turf behind three-time Eclipse Award champion Gio Ponti in the Grade I Shadwell Mile, provides ample fuel for Lopresti’s optimism.  But that impressive six-furlong work at Keeneland strengthened Lopresti’s confidence that Wise Dan will run well in Friday’s race, and possibly ease the painful memory of the stewards’ decision that deprived Successful Dan of a victory in last year’s Clark.

“He worked three-quarters in (a minute) twelve and he was in the middle of the racetrack when he did it,” Lopresti said.  “If we had put him down on the fence, there’s no telling what he would have done.  We were talking him out of it.”

Lopresti’s star will have a new rider for the Clark as John Velazquez will travel from New York to substitute for Julien Leparoux.  The leading rider of the Churchill Downs Fall Meet will be in California on Friday to pilot Vinery First Lady (GI) winner Never Retreat in the Grade I Matriarch at Hollywood Park.

“He’s a good strong rider,” Lopresti said of Velazquez.  “I know he’s talked to Julien about him (Wise Dan).  I know when I called him, it didn’t take two minutes to tell me he would come to ride him.  It’s a compliment when a guy like Velazquez comes in to ride him.  I know he’s watched his races and he knows him.”

Wise Dan brings career record of 7-0-0 in 13 races and earnings of $593,047 into Friday’s 137^th Clark.

DICKEY PLEASED WITH POST DRAW FOR CLARK FAVORITE FLAT OUT – Trainer Scooter Dickey entered Tuesday’s post position draw for the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I) with hopes that Preston Stables LLC’s favored Flat Out would not draw the rail.  His wish was granted when the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) winner drew post six in the field of 13 for Friday’s race at Churchill Downs.

“I like the post and it should be good for him,” Dickey said. “He’s gotten beat three times this year when leaving from the one-hole. The post might not have had anything to do with him losing, but maybe it did. I’d rather not take the chance.”

In his most recent start, the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI), Flat Out drew post two, but still broke further inside than all other horses after Prayer for Relief, who had drawn post one, scratched out of the race. Post position one was left open in the Classic, where Flat Out finished fifth behind Drosselmeyer.

Now that Dickey is happy with his post position, he is hoping to get the type of track that best suits the 5-year-old son of Flatter: fast and dry.

“I want the sun to come out and dry this track out some more,” Dickey said. “The track had a little water in it for the Breeders’ Cup and the Stephen Foster (GI) and he doesn’t seem to like it when there’s only a little water. He’d rather run over a muddy track than a “good” track or a fast track with some water. I don’t really know why that is, though.”

Flat Out, whose two off-the-board finishes this year have come on the main track beneath the Twin Spires, has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. Flat Out was also the post-time favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“Being the favorite makes you worry more because you don’t want to let people down,” Dickey said. “But the horse is doing really well. He went out early (Thursday) morning and galloped down the stretch. We’re ready for tomorrow.”

Flat Out will be guided in the Clark by Alex Solis, who has been aboard him for his last five starts. Solis is scheduled to arrive in Louisville on Thursday night.

OXLEY, CASSE TAKE TWO SHOTS AT SATURDAY’S $150,000 GOLDEN ROD – Owner John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse will take two shots in Saturday’s $150,000-added Golden Rod (GII) with 2-year-old fillies Golden History and Spirited Miss, and hope that one of those rising stars will land them in the winner’s circle following the 68^th running the 1 1/16-mile race for juvenile fillies on the main track.

The Golden Rod will be the co-feature with the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) on Churchill Downs’ Stars of Tomorrow II program devoted exclusively to races for 2-year-olds. The Golden Rod will be run as race nine with a scheduled post time of 4:42 p.m. (all times EST).

"It looks like a real competitive field and there doesn’t appear to be a standout, with maybe the exception of the horse that won the Pocahontas (On Fire Baby),” assistant trainer Norman Casse said. “I like both of our horses’ chances.”

Golden History, a $450,000 purchase earlier this year at Florida’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, has been pointed to the Golden Rod since she won her career debut by 2 ¾ lengths on the synthetic Polytrack surface at Toronto’s Woodbine. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro arrived at Churchill Downs in mid-October and made her second career start over the main track in a fifth-place run in the one-mile Pocahontas (GII), where she finished three lengths behind On Fire Baby.

“We were hoping to run her in an allowance race here but the race didn’t go, so our hands were tied and we had to go in the Pocahontas,” Casse said. “The Golden Rod has been the target all along.”

Golden History will break from post nine under Shaun Bridgmohan in the Golden Rod.

Unlike her stablemate, Spirited Miss did not have a Golden Rod bid on her long-range radar.  The Oxley homebred broke her maiden on the Woodbine turf in August, and then finished fourth on turf to Northern Passion in the Natalma (GIII).  She moved to the Polytrack course at the Toronto track for a runner-up finish to Blue Heart in the Mazarine before the daughter of Sky Mesa was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII).  Mark Casse ultimately decided against entering the filly in that race.

The Golden Rod will be the first race on traditional dirt for Spirited Miss, who will break from post three under Javier Castellano.

“She’s always been one of the horses that we’ve really liked,” Casse said. “The Juvenile (Fillies) Turf just came up too tough and we didn’t want to put her in there. She’s been at Churchill Downs for several weeks and has had four good works over the (main) track. With the Golden Rod coming up the way it has and her working so well over the dirt, we decided to give it a shot.”

The Casse barn experienced success this year with a horse trying dirt for the first time when 36-1 shot  Pool Play won Churchill Downs’ $500,000-added Stephen Foster Handicap Presented by Abu Dhabi (GI) in June after running on synthetic and turf courses in 27 previous starts.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockeys over the last five racing days (Nov. 17-23) are Corey Lanerie (7-for-40), Julien Leparoux (6-for-24) and Jesus Castanon (6-for-25). Wayne Catalano (3-for-5) and Mike Maker (3-for-12) are the hottest trainers over the same period. Ken and Sarah Ramsey (2-for-11) are the hottest owners.

BARN TALK – A local memorial service for the late trainer Robert Holthus is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26 at 10:30 a.m. (EST) at Christ Chapel on the Churchill Downs backside. Holthus saddled 211 winners beneath the Twin Spires, including 11 stakes wins.  Holthus, who died in Louisville on Nov. 22 at the age of 78, started five horses in the Kentucky Derby.

Churchill Downs will host a “Stache Bash” on Saturday during the races to honor and celebrate all of the Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who participated in Movember. Churchill Downs will donate $1 per attendee who is sporting a mustache to the Movember Foundation with a minimum guaranteed pledge of $5,000 given through the Churchill Downs Foundation. The day’s festivities will include between-race live music by popular Cincinnati-based My Sister Sarah in the paddock area and Happy Hour drink specials from 3-5 p.m.

Preston Stables LLC’s Flat Out and George and Lori Hall’s Ruler On Ice, two major players from the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade I) run at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, will be searching for Eclipse Award championship momentum when they face 11 rivals on the famed Louisville track in Friday’s 137^th running of the Grade I, $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare.

The 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up is the centerpiece of the “Black Friday” racing card that in recent years has been the most heavily-attended racing program of the Fall Meet.  The Clark Handicap is scheduled as the 11^th event on a 12-race Thanksgiving Holiday weekend program that will get underway with the first race 12:40 p.m. (all times EST).  Post time for the Clark is set for 5:42 p.m.

Flat Out, fifth behind WinStar Farm’s victorious Drosselmeyer as the slight favorite in the Classic, is the 5-2 favorite for the Clark in oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds for the 13-horse Clark field.  Co-second choices at 4-1 are Classic winner Ruler On Ice, the upset winner of the Belmont Stakes (GI) and third in the Classic, and Morton Fink’s Wise Dan, a graded stakes winner on synthetic tracks and turf who is coming off an impressive win in Keeneland’s Fayette (GII).

Following two days of upset-laden racing in this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Eclipse Award championships in several divisions remain uncertain.  The Clark contenders with the most to gain with regard to year-end honors are Flat Out and Ruler On Ice.  The field includes four winners of Grade I stakes races and four horses with career earnings that exceed $1 million.

Flat Out, a 5-year-old son of Flatter with wins in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) and Suburban Handicap (GII) at Belmont Park, could gain an edge in the race for champion older horse with a win over his home track in the Clark.  Although he trains brilliantly at Churchill Downs for veteran conditioner Charles “Scooter” Dickey, he has yet to hit the board in three career starts over the traditional dirt surface at the famed Louisville track.

Veteran jockey Alex Solis, who has been aboard the Clark favorite in his last five starts, will be back in the saddle when Flat Out breaks from post six in the field of 13 horses.  Flat Out was assigned highweight of 123 pounds and will concede from three-to-nine pounds to his rivals.  His career record stands at 5-3-0 in 13 races with earnings of 1,259,713 heading into the Clark.

A victory over a strong field of older rivals in the Clark could push Ruler On Ice, who upset Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness winner Shackleford in the Belmont Stakes, into the wide-open race for champion 3-year-old.   The Belmont victory is the only stakes win of the year for trainer Kelly Breen’s gelded son of Roman Ruler, but Ruler On Ice finished third to older rivals in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and has recorded top-four finishes in the Haskell Invitational (GI), Travers (GI) and Pennsylvania Derby (GII) since his Belmont triumph.

Ruler On Ice drew the rail post for the Clark and will have Garrett Gomez in the saddle.  He was assigned 118 pounds and brings a record of 3-3-3 in 11 races and earnings of $1,603,500 into Friday’s race.

Wise Dan will pursue his first victory in a Grade I race and owner Fink and trainer Charles Lopresti will seek a bit of redemption for last year’s Clark in which their Successful Dan was disqualified from his apparent victory.  The versatile Wise Dan has career victories on dirt, grass and synthetic courses, but has yet to win a stakes race on traditional dirt.  He has three races on the Churchill Downs dirt that include maiden and allowance wins, both over sloppy surfaces, and a solid sixth-place finisher in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in which he was beaten by just 2 ½ lengths by the victorious Big Drama.  He won the Firecracker (GII) on the Churchill Downs grass in early July, and since then two stakes wins over synthetic surfaces: a victory over Tapeta in the Presque Isle Downs Mile and a four-length romp in his most recent start in the Fayette over Keeneland’s Polytrack surface.

John Velazquez will make his debut in the saddle aboard Wise Dan, who drew post 11 and will carry an impost of 120, the second-highest weight in the Clark.

Another 3-year-old hoping to finish 2011 in a big way is Zayat Stables LLC’s Prayer for Relief, who was entered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but scratched by trainer Bob Baffert the following day.  The son of Jump Start ran off a three-race winning streak during the summer that included the Iowa Derby (GIII), West Virginia Derby (GII) and the Super Derby (GII).  Third to Redeemed in his most recent run in the Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park, Prayer for Relief will break from post 12 under Rafael Bejarano.  The 5-1 fourth choice will carry 117 pounds in the Clark.

Another horse that competed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and returns for a run in the Clark is Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Headache, who was last of 12 in the Classic after wins in the Hawthorne Gold Cup (GII) and the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker (GIII).  The two remaining Grade I winners in the field are Thomas McCarthy owned-and-trained General Quarters and Thomas and Jack Conway’s Stately Victor.  Both won Keeneland’s Toyota Blue Grass (GI) over Polytrack at three – General Quarters won in 2009 and Stately Victor last year, and the former also won the 2010 renewal of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) over Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course.

The remaining 2011 Clark Handicap contenders include Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Mission Impazible, a narrow loser for trainer Todd Pletcher in this year’s Stephen Foster Handicap and Alysheba (GIII) at Churchill Downs and winner of Fair Grounds’ 2011 New Orleans Handicap (GII) and the 2010 Louisiana Derby (GII); Pleasant Prince, fourth to Afleet Again in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (GII) and winner of the 2010 Oklahoma Derby and Ohio Derby (GIII); Lothenbach Stables’ Mister Marti Gras, accomplished on both turf and dirt and winner of the Ack Ack (GIII) at Churchill Downs last time out; Pattons Creek Farm’s Will’s Wildcat, winner of the Jimmy V at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4; Demarcation, winner of the 2009 Ack Ack who will compete in his third consecutive running of the Clark for trainer Paul McGee; and Pletcher’s Alma D’Oro, runner-up in the Ack Ack and winner of the Carpenter Memorial at Delaware Park in July.

The Clark Handicap was run for the first time in 1875 during the first racing meet at Churchill Downs, which was then known as the Louisville Jockey Club.  Like the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and Kentucky Oaks (GI), the Clark has been renewed annually without interruption since its first running.  Two years ago the race was won by Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s 3-year-old Blame, who returned to the track in 2010 to win the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) and downed previously unbeaten Zenyatta her only defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.   The 2011 renewal featured a rough-and-tumble stretch run in which Successful Dan edged Giant Oak at the finish, but stewards disqualified the former and elevated the latter to the victory.

Other recent winners of note include Saint Liam, who won the 2004 Clark en route to a 2005 campaign that included a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and an Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.  Silver Charm, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby, returned to Churchill Downs take the Clark the following year.  And the 3-year-old filly Surfside wrapped up an Eclipse Award as the champion of her division with a victory over males in the 2000 Clark.

The field for the 137^th Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (from the rail out with rider, weight and morning line odds) includes: Ruler On Ice, (Gomez, 118, 4-1), Alma D’Oro (Jesus Castanon, 116, 20-1) Demarcation (Corey Lanerie, 114, 15-1), Stately Victor (Victor Lebron, 115, 30-1), Mission Impazible, (Javier Castellano, 116, 12-1), Flat Out (Solis, 123, 5-2), Pleasant Prince, (Julio Garcia, 114, 20-1), Headache (Edgar Prado, 115, 12-1), Mister Marti Gras (Rajiv Maragh, 117, 12-1), Will’s Wildcat (Calvin Borel, 112, 30-1), Wise Dan (Velazquez, 120, 4-1); Prayer for Relief (Bejarano, 117, 5-1) and General Quarters (Jon Court, 116, 20-1).

LOPRESTI: TURALLURE GETS A REST, WISE DAN LIKELY FOR CLARK – Trainer Charles Lopresti’s tremendous run of success over the past three years came within a nose of producing the biggest moment of his career during the recent Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs.

Four D Stable’s Turallure, winner of the Grade I Woodbine Mile in his previous start, launched a dazzling stretch run in the $2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI) and blew past three-time defending champion Goldikova in the stretch, but was denied victory by longshot Court Vision.  Turallure had defeated that rival at Woodbine.

Coming up short in that painful photo-finish was disappointing, but Lopresti is proud of Turallure’s performance and looking for better things when the gray son of Canadian Triple Crown winner Wando returns to run in 2012.  Lopresti is also hoping for a big finish in 2011 with Morton Fink’s versatile Wise Dan, who is being pointed toward a run in the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI).  That’s a race that Lopresti appeared to win last fall – but lost via disqualification – with Fink’s Successful Dan.

But first, Lopresti is winding Turallure down from his terrific season and near-miss seasonal finale in the Mile.

“We’re just going to let him down and unwind him a little bit,” Lopresti said.  “We’ve got him out in a round pen right now, just letting him be a horse for about a month or so.  Then we’ll start back after the first of the year for him.”

A much-discussed aspect of the 2011 renewal of the Mile has been jockey Olivier Peslier’s decision to pull Goldikova, who had started from post one, off the hedge while in traffic in upper stretch.  The move set off a chain-reaction of bumping and altered paths among horses behind and outside of Goldikova, who eventually finished third.

Among the horses forced to alter course was Turallure.

“That just pushed him farther out on the track,” Lopresti said.  “But he proved that he’s that nice a horse.  And if we’ve got that nice a horse for next year, we’re golden, I think.”

Turallure completed his 4-year-old season with a record of 6-3-3 in 16 career races with earnings of $1,267,465.  He had career earnings of $110,005 entering the 2011 season. 

Regarding Wise Dan, Lopresti is leaning toward a run in the 137^th Clark Handicap for the 4-year-old son of Wiseman’s Ferry, who has stakes wins this year on grass in Churchill Downs’ Firecracker Handicap (GII) and on synthetic surfaces in the Fayette (GII) at Keeneland and Presque Isle Downs Mile, which were run on synthetic Polytrack and Tapeta surfaces, respectively.

Wise Dan is also nominated to run in next Saturday’s $100,000-added River City Handicap (GIII) at 1 1/8 miles on turf and was assigned high weight of 122 pounds for that race. But Lopresti said the Clark looks like the best spot for Wise Dan, who also lists a pair of wins on Churchill Downs dirt on his increasingly impressive résumé.

Since his run at Woodbine, Wise Dan had two races at Keeneland:  a strong fourth-place run behind three-time U.S. turf champion Gio Ponti in the Shadwell Turf Mile (GI) and his impressive four-length romp in the 1 1/8-mile Fayette.   Lopresti said Wise Dan is scheduled for an easy breeze this week at Keeneland, his first work since his Fayette win.

“We had a question about the mile and an eighth, but after that race (the Fayette) we decided to go to the Clark,” Lopresti said.  “If everything goes right in the next couple of weeks, he’s coming.”Meanwhile, Lopresti reported that Fink’s Successful Dan – who won last year’s Fayette prior to his DQ loss in the Clark – continues to make solid progress after missing all of this year with tendon injury.  Continued forward movement could lead to a return to racing next year for the 5-year-old gelding by Successful Appeal, a horse Lopresti believes that, at his best, is as talented as any older horse in the United States.

“He’s training every day and looking good,” Lopresti said.  “Look for him next spring.  I hope he comes back good.”

WISE DAN ASSIGNED HIGH WEIGHT FOR SATURDAY’S RIVER CITY – Wise Dan, an eye-catching four-length winner of the Fayette (Grade II) at Keeneland, has been assigned the high weight of 122 pounds by racing secretary Ben Huffman for Saturday’s 34^th running of the $100,000-added River City Handicap (GIII) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course at Churchill Downs.

The Fayette triumph was the second Grade II victory of the year for Morton Fink’s homebred Wise Dan, who also captured the Firecracker Handicap on the turf beneath the Twin Spires on closing day of the 38-day Spring Meet.

A 4-year-old gelded son of Wiseman’s Ferry, the Charlie Lopresti-trained Wise Dan is not expected to run in the River City and instead will be pointed to the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25.

The next high weight at 121 pounds is Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Dean’s Kitten, who recently finished ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (GI) over the Matt Winn Turf Course on Nov. 5. A 4-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy, Dean’s Kitten was narrowly defeated by Cape Blanco-IRE in the Turf Classic (GI) at Belmont Park prior to running in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Trained by Mike Maker, Dean’s Kitten has a record of 4-4-4 from 24 starts and earnings of $802,950.

Weighted one pound below Dean’s Kitten is Hat Trick Stable and Kinghaven Farms’ Stormy Lord. Trained by Ian Black, the 4-year-old gelded son of Stormy Atlantic is an eight-time winner with $922,375 in career earnings. His biggest victory came in the Connaught Cup (GII) at Woodbine in May of this year.

Entries for the River City will be taken Wednesday. Horses expected to be entered according to Churchill Downs officials include Tajaaweed (trained by Daniel Peitz, weighted at 119 pounds), Blues Street (Eddie Kenneally, 116), Gleam of Hope (Mike Stidham, 115), Bergerac (Jimmy Baker, 114), Plutonium (David Pate, 114), Allie’s Event (Lori Smock, 113) and Zimmer (Pat Byrne, 112).

BOREL MOVING TACK TO GULFSTREAM AT CONCLUSION OF FALL MEET – Three-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel is moving south for the winter and will begin riding at Gulfstream Park at the conclusion of Churchill Downs’ 21-day Fall Meet, according to agent Jerry Hissam.

"The main reason we’re going is to ride horses for (trainer) Ian (Wilkes),” Hissam said. “He’s got (Grade III Iroquois-winner) Motor City and several other babies that haven’t started yet. When you get a chance to ride a group of nice horses, you take it.”

Gulfstream Park’s meet will begin on Dec. 3, but Borel, who has traditionally ridden at Oaklawn Park over the winter, is not scheduled to begin riding at the track until Dec. 15.

Borel, who has ridden 853 winners at Oaklawn Park since 1991, has only recorded two victories at Gulfstream in the same time-span. In December, he will ride his first race at Gulfstream Park in nearly three years.

While the main draw to Gulfsteam is the Wilkes barn, Hissam noted there could be a few more reasons the 45-year-old Cajun is heading to Florida.

"We’re working on getting a few more good horses for him to ride down there, but nothing is official yet. Stay tuned.”

Borel, who is the second all-time leading rider beneath the Twin Spires with 1,071 wins, is currently tied for sixth in the jockey standings at Churchill Downs with four wins through the first 10 days of the Fall Meet.

BARN TALK – Glen Hill Farm’s Marketing Mix and Holidaysatthefarm both exited Saturday’s Mrs. Revere (Grade II) in good order, according to trainer Tom Proctor. Marketing Mix, an easy winner of the 1 1/16-mile race on the Matt Winn Turf Course at Churchill Downs, will remain at Proctor’s barn at the Louisville track for another week before shipping to Glen Hill Farm in Ocala, Fla. for a few months of R and R. Holidaysatthefarm, who finished eighth, will be pointed to the La Prevoyante Handicap (GIII) at Calder on Dec. 2. …

Happy 37^th birthday to jockey Corey Lanerie, who is currently second in the Churchill Downs jockey standings with 13 wins at the Fall Meet. On Nov. 6, Lanerie recorded his 300^th victory beneath the Twin Spires aboard Taptowne.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockeys over the last five racing days (Nov. 6-12) are Julien Leparoux (13-for-36) and Brian Hernandez Jr. (8-for-24). Mike Maker (7-for-15) and Ronny Werner (4-for-5) are the hottest trainers over the same period. Ken and Sarah Ramsey (6-for-10) is the hottest owner.

WORKTAB – Silverton Hill LLC’s Fine breezed a “bullet” four furlongs on the fast main track at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning in :48.40 for trainer Bret Calhoun. Fine is nominated to the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade II) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 26. …

Bluegrass Hall LLC’s Optimizer, who is also nominated to the Kentucky Jockey Club, breezed four furlongs on the main track in :49.60. The work was the 14^th fastest of 55 at the distance. …

Rule, a multiple graded-stakes winner of over $1 million, breezed five furlongs on the main track in 1:00.20 for trainer Todd Pletcher. The work was the fourth fastest of 38 at the distance Sunday morning. Owned by WinStar Farm LLC, Rule is nominated to Saturday’s River City Handicap (GIII) and the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI), which is to be run on Nov. 25. …

Team Block’s Never Retreat, winner of the First Lady (GI) at Keeneland in her most recent start, breezed six furlongs on the main track in 1:14.40 for trainer Chris Block.

At the nearby Trackside Training Center, Juanita, winner of the Indiana Oaks (GII) in her most recent start, breezed five furlongs on a fast track in 1:02.40 for trainer Mike Maker. The work was the fifth fastest of 21 at the distance. A 3-year-old daughter of Mineshaft, Juanita is nominated to $175,000-added Falls City Handicap, which is to be run beneath the Twin Spires on Nov. 24.

Also working at Trackside, Shadwell Stable’s Tajaaweed breezed a “bullet” five furlongs in 1:01.60 for trainer Daniel Peitz. Tajaaweed, a 6-year-old son of Dynaformer, is nominated to Saturday’s River City Handicap at Churchill Downs.

Mort Fink’s Wise Dan stalked the pace and rallied to take over from Strike Impact in deep stretch to draw off and win the 21^st running of the Grade II, $203,000 Firecracker Handicap Presented by GE by 2 ¾ lengths over Baryshnikov on Monday to close out the 38-day Spring Meet at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Charlie Lopresti and ridden by Jon Court, Wise Dan ran the mile on a firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:34.59. It was Wise Dan’s fifth victory in 10 starts, but first on turf. He became the first horse to win the Firecracker without a previous race on the grass.

Wise Dan is a 4-year-old gelded homebred son of Wiseman’s Ferry out of the Wolf Power-SAf mare Lisa Danielle.

The victory was worth $119,567 and increased Wise Dan’s earnings to $323,047 with a record of 5-0-0 in 10 starts. The Firecracker was the second graded stakes victory for Wise Dan, who won the Grade III Phoenix at Keeneland last fall. That race served as a steppingstone to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs in which he finished sixth.

Longshot Plutonium and 6-1 chance Strike Impact prompted the early pace of :23.81, :47.19 and 1:11.12 with Wise Dan just off their hips in third from the outside. Strike Impact grabbed the lead at the head of the stretch and Wise Dan was in close pursuit four-wide to his outside. With clear sailing and right handed urging by Court, Wise Dan kicked home powerfully to turn back a late run by Baryshnikov, who rallied from the back of the pack to get the place.

“Wow! He ran huge,” said Lopresti, who breezed Wise Dan a half-mile in :48.80 over the Matt Winn Turf Course on Tuesday – a move that convinced him to enter in the Firecracker. “Jon rode him perfectly and that’s what this horse has needed all along. He had him sit back and just make one big run with him. I wanted that kind of a race. I didn’t want him in a speed duel. He needed to learn how to relax and he’s grown up and matured.”

It was the second stakes win of the meet for Lopresti, who also won the $76,445 Kelly’s Landing on June 24 with Here Comes Ben. He has four stakes wins at Churchill Downs overall. Fink combined with Lopresti to win the 2009 Northern Dancer (Grade III) at Churchill Downs with Successful Dan for his only other Churchill Downs stakes win. For the 50-year-old veteran Court, it was his 12^th stakes triumph beneath the Twin Spires.

Wise Dan, carrying 115 pounds, returned $30.60, $12 and $7.40 as a 14-1 wagering choice in the field of 10 older horses. Baryshnikov, the 5-2 favorite ridden by Julien Leparoux at 117 pounds, paid $5 and $3.80 and finished a neck in front of Strike Impact, who paid $4.20 to show under Robby Albarado at 117 pounds.

Mystic, Lubash, Plutonium, 119-pound starting high weight General Quarters, Joshua Reynolds, El Caballo and Omniscient completed the order of finish. Mister Marti Gras was scratched.

Leparoux won his eighth Churchill Downs riding title (fourth at the Spring Meet) with 53 victories with Corey Lanerie in second with 47 triumphs. Steve Asmussen held off late charges by Ken McPeek and Eddie Kenneally to win his 10^th training title and fifth straight which began with the 2009 Spring Meet crown. Asmussen had 18 wins, one more than McPeek and Kenneally. Richard and Karen Papiese’s Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc. was the leading owner with eight wins, two ahead of Jay Em Ess Stable and 17-time champs Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

Racing returns to Churchill Downs on Sunday, Oct. 30 for the 122^nd Fall Meet, a 21-day stand that will be highlighted by the return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to the track on Nov. 4 and 5.

FIRECRACKER HANDICAP QUOTES

Charlie Lopresti, trainer of Wise Dan (winner): Q. Immediate reaction after the race: “Wow! He ran huge. (Jockey) Jon (Court) rode him perfectly and that’s what this horse has needed all along. He had him sit back and just make one big run with him. I wanted that kind of a race. I didn’t want him in a speed duel. He needed to learn how to relax and he’s grown up and matured.

"Things have been tough on him. He had to come back off long layoffs and run against good horses. At Keeneland, I was a little disappointed in him in the Commonwealth (when he finished fourth) and then we threw him to the wolves in the Alysheba (finished eighth), but he really didn’t run a bad race and only got beat a few lengths and then he just lost by a couple of lengths. I told Mr. (Morton) Fink that he’s getting better every race and some horses it just takes a few races.”

Q. What went into the decision to try him on the turf? “Mr. Fink and I were talking about it and decided that since he was nominated we would go up and work him on the grass just to see what he would do. They had him coming home (in the workout) in 23 (seconds) and everyone was telling me he worked phenomenal and Jon (Court) told us he could have gone around the track again.”

Q. What’s the next spot for Wise Dan? “Turallure (also trained by Lopresti) was going to run in the Fourstardave (at Saratoga) and we might think of running him (Wise Dan) there, but I don’t know…we’ll want to try and keep the two apart. I don’t think there are any mile races up there and I don’t want to run him (Wise Dan) any further. We’ll look at the fall and the big races and the Breeders’ Cup (Mile), but he’s earned a little vacation so we’ll see how he comes out of this and then decide where to go.”

Mort Fink, owner of Wise Dan (winner): “This is one of the most exciting things that’s happened to me. This makes up a little bit for getting disqualified from the (2010) Clark (with Successful Dan). He’s a super horse.”

Jon Court, jockey of Wise Dan (winner): “I didn’t want to go with the leaders. The strategy was to get him to rate and he actually settled and we were able to wait for the punch down the lane. When we hit the top of the stretch, I had a bridle full of horse. I wanted to pull away as fast as I could and beat them to the wire and he did that. As the owner (Fink) said, it’s great when a plan comes together.”

Mike Maker, trainer of Baryshnikov (runner-up): “Not winning the race is the only thing I’d change. We’ll just take it race-by-race from here. Obviously he’s stepping up every time. There’s a big race run here in the fall and it would be nice to get back to that one.”

Jockey Julien Leparoux, rider of Baryshnikov (runner-up): “He ran good. He broke OK, but not as fast as the other ones. But they set a nice pace for us and he relaxed good and put me in the race on the backside, then he made his run and he ran big.

“In my mind I knew there was a lot of pace and the main thing was the start. He broke good, but not as fast. But I was comfortable there. He was nice and relaxed and I got a clean run after that. I was just second-best today.”

Q: Baryshnikov keeps stepping up … “He’s a nice horse and he keeps trying.”

Robby Albarado, jockey on Strike Impact (third): “Ideally, I would have liked to have been in the back a little bit more, but he was just a little keen. Having said that, I don’t think it compromised him because he ran to the wire. They just went awfully fast for him. When I turned for home, I loved where I was sitting, and he exploded, too. The horse was going really good.”

Tom McCarthy, trainer of General Quarters (seventh as the favorite): “He appeared to come back just fine.  He (jockey Jamie Theriot) said he was going just fine and he asked him to go at the quarter pole and he just came up empty, that’s all. Maybe he just bounced (from his first race of the year), I don’t know.”

POOL PLAY WORKS, FLAT OUT POINTS TO BREEDERS CUP AFTER NEW YORK ROMP – William S. Farish Jr.’s Pool Play worked on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs in his first serious training move since his upset victory in the 30^th running of the $500,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I).

The 6-year-old son of Silver Deputy breezed five furlongs under regular exercise rider Melanie Giddings in 1:03 over a fast main track for trainer Mark Casse.

“We just wanted him to go nice and easy,” said assistant trainer Norman Casse, the son of the Woodbine-based trainer. “Everything went fine.”

Pool Play, whose Stephen Foster came in his debut over a traditional dirt surface, will likely have one more work beneath the Twin Spires before he heads to New York for the summer.

“We’ll give him another easy one (work) before going to Saratoga,” Casse said. “The plan right now is to ship (to Saratoga) on the tenth (of July) and work him a day before (on July 9). We’ll save the big works for when we get him up there.”

Bred in Canada by Windfields Farm, Pool Play has a career record of 6-6-5 from 28 starts with earnings of $909,556. He will be pointed to the Whitney Handicap (GI) at Saratoga on Aug. 6, with the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5 being the ultimate year-end goal.

Pool Play defeated an impressive group of older horses in the Stephen Foster that included Preston Stables LLC’s Flat Out, who traveled to New York on Saturday for a 6 ½-length romp in Belmont Park Park’s Suburban Handicap (GII) in his first start since his fifth-place run in the Foster.

"I think it proves how good the Stephen Foster field was this year,” Casse said. “It also further showed just how big Pool Play ran.”

Flat Out, a 5-year-old son of Flatter, received a Beyer Speed Figure of 113 for his demolition of his Suburban rivals.  That is the highest Beyer recorded this year for a race on traditional dirt at a mile or farther.

"We are really proud of him,” trainer Scooter Dickey said. “We really thought he would run well, but didn’t know he would whoop ‘em like that.”

Flat Out, who shipped to Dickey’s stable at Monmouth Park following his victory in Saturday’s Suburban, is also being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“We still don’t know just how good he is,” Dickey said. “I talked to the owner and we decided we’ll find out how good he is in the Breeders’ Cup.”

Bred in Florida by Nikolaus Bock, Flat Out has a career record of 4-1-0 from nine starts and earnings of $359,713. No decision has been made regarding his next start.   Flat Out has been plagued by quarter cracks that have limited in racing and training over the past two years, but his feet are fine right now.

“There are a lot of options,” Dickey said. “I think we’ll look to run him at either Saratoga or Monmouth, but we really haven’t discussed it much.”

BOREL, LANERIE SIZZLE WITH LEPAROUX OUT OF TOWN AND JOCKEY RACE TIGHTENS – Leading jockey Julien Leparoux traveled to New York on Saturday for a successful raid on Belmont Park and a victory aboard George Bolton and Stonestreet Stable’s The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII) runner-up Dominus in the Grade II Dwyer.

But if Leparoux was keeping track of happenings back home in Louisville, the seven-time leading rider at Churchill Downs witnessed fireworks by Calvin Borel and a flurry of wins by Corey Lanerie, his closest pursuer in the battle for leading rider honors in Churchill Downs’ 38-day Spring Meet.

Borel, the three-time Kentucky Derby winner and three-time leading jockey at its home track, tallied five wins in Saturday’s 13 races.  The memorable was capped by a dazzling win aboard Stoneway Farm’s Exfactor in the 110^th running of the $100,000-added Bashford Manor (GIII) for 2-year-olds.

“It was an awesome day,” Borel said.  “I’m riding some good babies (2-year-olds) this year.  Even my brother, Cecil, has a good baby.  I think it’s going to be another good year.”

Cecil Borel trains Brown Eyed Jozi, an eight-length winner under Calvin Borel in the colt’s second career start at Churchill Downs on June 18.

Borel’s big day lifted his Spring Meet win total to 32, good for fourth place in the race for leading rider.

As Leparoux returned to Louisville to prepare for Sunday’s races, he should have been able to again feel Lanerie’s breath on his neck.  A blistering three-week hot streak by Leparoux had allowed the French-born rider to overcome what had one point had been an 11-win lead by Lanerie and surge to a seemingly comfortable six-win advantage in the race for top jockey.  But Lanerie, bidding for his first Churchill Downs riding crown, got out the gate quickly on Saturday with three wins in the day’s first four races.  That burst narrowed Leparoux’s lead to 49-46 with head-to-head competition over two days and 23 races remaining in the Spring Meet.

Leparoux was scheduled to ride in 10 of Sunday’s 12 races and has mounts in all 11 races on Monday’s closing day program.  Lanerie was set to ride in 11 races on Sunday and all but one of Monday’s races.

MCGEE AND JAY EM ESS STABLE: A WINNING COMBINATION – Louisville-native Paul McGee has enjoyed a long run of success for Mace and Samantha Siegel’s Jay Em Ess Stable since he started training for that California-based operation in the early 1990’s, and the ongoing 2011 Spring Meet has provided more of the same for the owner-trainer team.

McGee, who will celebrate his 49^th birthday on July 10, has saddled seven winners during the meet and six were owned by Jay Em Ess Stable. Two Jay Em Ess horses won Saturday when Shameless took Race 7 and Reserved Indian won the ninth.  Both winners were ridden by Calvin Borel.

“I’ve trained for the Siegels for a long time and they’re great people to train for,” McGee said.

McGee, who has 294 career wins beneath the Twin Spires, has trained several high-quality horses for the Siegels, including Miss Pickums and Suave. Miss Pickums, the dam of Shameless, won the Grade II Golden Rod at Churchill Downs in 2000 on her way to $376,809 in career earnings. Suave, a multiple graded stakes winner of over $1.3 million, captured Churchill Downs’ Grade III Northern Dancer (now the Matt Winn) and lost by a narrow head to Magna Graduate in the 2005 Clark Handicap, which was then a Grade II event.

Jay Em Ess Stable is currently second in the owner standings with six wins, two behind Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc., and will have their final starter of the Spring Meet with Ready to Taunt in Sunday’s eighth race, a maiden-special at 1 1/8-miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

“He was just second in the same race a few weeks ago (May 22) and so we’re running him right back,” McGee said. “He should have a good shot.”

It will be the fourth start for the 3-year-old gelded son of More Than Ready, who debuted in June of 2010 at Churchill Downs on the main track. Following a 10-month layoff, Ready to Taunt ran third in a $50,000 maiden claiming race on Keeneland’s Polytrack prior to his runner-up effort on the Matt Winn Turf Course at Churchill Downs.

Sunday’s eighth race has a post time of 4:25 p.m. and Ready to Taunt, who will be ridden by Corey Lanerie, is 6-1 on the morning line.

WISE DAN A ‘GO’ FOR TURF DEBUT IN MONDAY’S FIRECRACKER ‘CAP – With just over 24 hours to go before the turf debut of Morton Fink’s homebred Wise Dan in Monday’s $175,000-added Firecracker Handicap Presented by GE (GII), trainer Charles Lopresti reported that all systems were “go” for what could be a pivotal race for his veteran stakes winner.

Wise Dan tuned up for his turf bow last Tuesday when he worked four furlongs in :48.80 around the dogs on the Matt Winn Turf Course in his first experience on grass.  On the same day Preston Stables LLC’s Flat Out, who dominated his foes in Saturday’s Suburban Handicap (GII) on at Belmont Park, breezed a half-mile over the same surface in :50.20.

“He’s doing good,” Lopresti said by telephone from Lexington on Sunday.  “He came out of that breeze good and his blood work is good.  It just depends on whether he likes the grass or not.

A Firecracker victory by Wise Dan would make him the first horse in its 19 renewals on grass to win the one-mile test for 3-year-olds and up without the benefit of a previous race on grass.  The quality of last week’s work over the Matt Winn Turf Course encouraged Lopresti to think that the homebred son of Wiseman’s Ferry possesses the ability to be a major factor in the race.

“Everybody told me that it was really a phenomenal work,” Lopresti said.  “I was watching up in the clocker’s stand and down the backside he (Wise Dan) didn’t know what he was doing at first.  It was like, ‘What am I supposed to be doing on this thing?’  Then when he hit the half-mile pole and went around the turn, I saw Jon lower down and he said he kicked it for home.

"Jon said he eased him up, because I didn’t want him to do too much with him.  I kind of like my outside post, and it wouldn’t bother me if we got a little rain because there was a good cut in the course the other day when he worked.”

Wise Dan has a record of 4-0-0 in nine races, with his biggest win to date coming in last fall’s Phoenix (GIII) at six furlongs over synthetic Polytrack at Keeneland.  He followed that effort with a good sixth place finish in which he finished fewer than three lengths behind the victorious Big Drama in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) at Churchill Downs.

He is 0-for-3 in 2011, but has a pair of good fourth-place finishes in tough races this season.  He ran fourth to Dogwood Stable’s Aikenite in the Commonwealth (GII) at Keeneland and that rival returned to win the seven-furlong, $300,000 Churchill Downs (GII) on Kentucky Derby Day in his next outing.  After an eighth-place run in his first attempt at a two-turn distance in the 1 1/16-mile Alysheba (GIII) at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day, Wise Dane rebounded with a good fourth-place finish in a seven-furlong allowance race on dirt at the Louisville track.  That stakes-quality race was won by multiple stakes winner Native Ruler and the runner-up was two-time Grade I winner General Quarters, the morning line favorite for Monday’s Firecracker.

The change in surface is a bit of a gamble by Lopresti, but a good run by Wise Dan will present new options for the 4-year-old gelding’s future.

“If he likes the grass, that’ll be good,” Lopresti said.  “It will be a pivotal race.  We’ll just figure out where to go from there.”

The field for the Grade II, $175,000-added Firecracker Handicap Presented by GE in post position order (with jockey, weight, and morning line odds) includes General Quarters (Jamie Theriot, 119, 3-1), Omniscient (Manoel Cruz, 113, 20-1), Mister Marti Gras (Shaun Bridgmohan, 115, 5-1), El Caballo (Corey Lanerie, 114, 9-2), Mystic (Jesus Castanon, 114, 12-1), Joshua Reynolds (Brian Hernandez Jr., 114, 30-1), Baryshnikov (Julien Leparoux, 117, 4-1), Plutonium (James Lopez, 112, 30-1), Strike Impact (Robby Albarado, 117, 8-1), Wise Dan (Court, 115, 6-1) and Lubash (Kent Desormeaux, 115, 12-1).

Mister Marti Gras is expected to scratch from the race, a move that would move Wise Dan down to post position nine in the Firecracker starting gate.

BARN TALK – Corey Lanerie, who rode Courtlant Farms’ Power World to a runner-up effort in the Grade III Bashford Manor on Saturday at Churchill Downs, hopped on a plane to Louisiana after that race to ride Brittlyn Stables Inc.’s Star Guitar in the $100,000 Louisiana Showcase Classic at Evangeline Downs for trainer Al Stall Jr.  Star Guitar won the race by 1 ¾ lengths at odds of 1-5. …

Leading rider Julien Leparoux recorded his 499^th Churchill Downs victory aboard Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Raven Hawk in Friday’s eighth race for Steve Asmussen, the leading trainer of the Spring Meet. Leparoux will attempt to become just the tenth jockey to record 500 wins at Churchill Downs with one of his ten mounts Sunday (Races 1-6, 8-11). …

During the final two days of the Spring Meet, Churchill Downs will offer special all-day $1 Budweiser drafts and $1 hot dogs on the bricks of the paddock area to celebrate “Red, White, and Blues Weekend” Presented by GE. Also, there will be live blues music on the paddock stage between races each day from 2-6 p.m. V-Groove will play Sunday and Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons are set to perform on closing day, Monday, July 4. …

The 3^rd Annual Horsemen’s Golf Scramble at Glenmary’s Country Club on Monday, Aug. 29. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and the cost is $100 per player with four players to a team. Lunch will also begin at 11 a.m. and the shotgun start is at 12:30 p.m. Those interested may pick up a form from The Backside Learning Center and return it by Friday, Aug. 12.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockey over the last five racing days (June 25-July 2) is Calvin Borel (10-for-32). Bill Mott (4-for-8), Mike Maker (4-for-11) and Eddie Kenneally (4-for-13) are the hottest trainers over the same period. Mace and Samantha Siegel’s Jay Em Ess Stable (3-for-3) are the hottest owners.

WORKTAB – Ed Few’s Lil Cherokee, who won the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sale Futurity at Lone Star Park in his second career start, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.40 on a fast track under Brian Hernandez Jr. on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs for trainer Bret Calhoun. Lil Cherokee, a 2-year-old son of Cherokee Run, was scratched from Saturday’s Grade III Bashford Manor after the earlier scratch of Laurie’ Rocket placed him in the number one post for the race. “He’s perfectly healthy,” assistant trainer Dennis Geier said on Saturday.  “We just didn’t like the post.”

Dr. Joseph Witek’s homebred Joes Blazing Aaron breezed four furlongs in :51.80 on the main track for trainer Mike Maker on Sunday morning. A 3-year-old gelded son of Graeme Hall, Joes Blazing Aaron, who won the Palm Beach (GIII) at Gulfstream Park in March, was fourth in his most recent start, a 1 1/16-mile allowance race that was taken off the Matt Winn Turf Course because of rain and run over a “good” main track beneath at Churchill Downs on June 19.

WEATHER – Sunday: partly sunny with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 91. Monday: partly sunny with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 89. Tuesday: mostly sunny, 88. Wednesday: mostly sunny with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 88. Thursday: partly sunny with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, 89. Friday: mostly sunny, 89. Saturday: mostly sunny, 89.

FIRECRACKER HOPE WISE DAN SHARP IN FIRST GRASS WORK– Trainer Charles Lopresti made the trip west on Interstate 64 from his Lexington base Tuesday morning with Morton Fink’s homebred Wise Dan Tuesday morning to give the 4-year-old son of Wiseman’s Ferry an important test.

Lopresti traveled to Churchill Downs to see how Wise Dan would handle Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course during half-mile work.  If the versatile gelding performed well, he could earn a start in Monday’s 21^st running of the $175,000-added Firecracker Handicap (GII).

Wise Dan zipped around the “dogs” on the firm course in: 48.80 – the second-fastest time among nine works at the distance on a sunny morning.  And, in Lopresti’s view, Wise Dan passed Tuesday’s test and is much closer to making a racing debut on turf on Monday.

“He worked awful good this morning,” Lopresti said.  “That was his first time on the grass.  He finished up real strong – I think he came home the last quarter in something like :23 (seconds) and change.  He really wasn’t sure what to do down the backside because he’d never been on it before.

“I’m going to talk Mr. Fink about it and, if he comes out of this breeze good, we’re seriously considering it.”

Jockey Jon Court was aboard for the work and Lopresti said he would get the call if Wise Dan makes his turf racing debut in the Independence Day race.

“All we wanted to really do is see what he felt like when he kicked it down the lane,” Lopresti said.  “Jon eased him up.  He said he would have gone a lot further than that, but I told him don’t go too far because I wanted to leave something left in the tank in case we decided to run.”

Wise Dan has a career record of 4-0-0 in nine races, all on synthetic or dirt courses and highlighted by a victory in last fall’s $175,000-added Phoenix (GIII) over Keeneland’s Polytrack surface.  He finished sixth, beaten only 2 ½ lengths by Big Drama, in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) at Churchill Downs and closed out his 2010 season with a one-mile allowance win over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs.

Wise Dan has not won in three starts this year, but two were strong efforts in the forth-place finishes to Aikenite in the Commonwealth (GII) at Keeneland and in a stakes-quality allowance race on the Churchill Downs dirt in which Firecracker contender General Quarters finished second.

GENERAL QUARTERS HAS EASY MAINTENANCE MOVE – Owner-trainer Tom McCarthy’s General Quarters took an easy trip around Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course in his final prep for Monday’s Firecracker Handicap.

The 5-year-old son of Sky Mesa cruised four furlongs around the dogs on a firm course in :52.20.  The move under jockey Jamie Theriot was the slowest of eight at the distance, and McCarthy could not have been happier with it.

“We went off extra slow and finished a little faster,” McCarthy said.  “I didn’t want to take too much out of him.  I told Jamie I wanted him to go between :50 and :52, and he went :52.”

General Quarters, a Grade I winner over the Matt Winn Turf Course in the 2010 renewal of the $500,000-added Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, looms as the likely starting high weight in the one-mile Firecracker at 119 pounds.  He is coming off a runner-up finish to multiple stakes winner Native Ruler at seven furlongs on dirt, a race that was General Quarters’ first since a seventh-place run behind upset winner Debussy and eventual 2010 turf champion Gio Ponti the Arlington Million (GI) in late August.

Theriot was aboard General Quarters for his comeback race and will have the mount on Monday.  McCarthy’s star brings a record of 4-8-2 in 22 races and earnings of $1,178,200 into the featured event on Monday’s final program of the 38-day Spring Meet.

FIRERACKER CONTENDERS MISTER MARTI GRAS, BARYSHNIKOV, FLAT OUT WORK – Trainer Chris Block confirmed that Lothenbach Stables LLC’s Mister Marti Gras is “definite” to run in Monday’s Firecracker after a four-furlong work on the grass on Tuesday.

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan was aboard as the 4-year-old Belong to Me gelding covered the distance in an easy :51.80.  Bridgmohan has the Firecracker mount on Mister Marti Gras, whom he piloted to a one-mile allowance win over the Churchill Downs turf on June 3.

Jeffrey Columbro and Connie Apostelos’ Baryshnikov, runner-up to Paddy O’Prado in Pimlico’s Dixie Handicap (GII), completed his serious training for the Firecracker with a five-furlong move on the six-furlong dirt course at Churchill Downs’ Trackside Training Center.  The Mike Maker-trained son of Empire Maker covered the distance over a fast surface in 1:03.20.

Julien Leparoux is scheduled to ride Baryshnikov, who has won five of his last seven races in a string that started with a $15,000 claiming race over Polytrack at Turfway Park on Dec. 12.  He won an allowance race on the turf at Keeneland prior to his run in the Dixie, where Baryshnikov had a three-length late in mid-stretch before he was run down by Paddy O’Prado in the final race of that Grade I winner’s career.

Preston Stable LLC’s Flat Out, sixth to Pool Play on dirt in the $500,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (GI), tuned up for his possible turf debut in the Firecracker with a four-furlong work in :50.20 over the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Jockey Corey Lanerie was in the saddle for the move by the 5-year-old Flatter, who has a career record of 3-1-0 in eight races on traditional dirt surfaces.

BARN TALK –Frank L. Jones Jr.’s Tapitsfly, the Dale Romans-trained winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2009, breezed a half-mile in :50.60 under exercise rider Tammy Fox.  The daughter of Tapit finished third in the recent Early Times Mint Julep (GIII). … Trainer Neil Howard gave two of his talented 3-year-olds a look on the turf Tuesday morning.  Courtlandt Farm’s Prime Cut, 11^th in the Belmont Stakes (GI), breezed four furlongs in :48.60.  That move was the fastest of eight at the distance.   Gallardia Racing LLC’s Wilkinson, winner of the Lecomte (GIII), breezed three furlongs for Howard in :37.30. … Lil Bit O’Fun, winner of the recent Oliver Stakes at Indiana Downs for trainer Tom Proctor, breezed four furlongs on turf in :50.80. … Multiple stakes winner Demarcation breezed four furlongs in :53.20 over a fast main track for trainer Paul McGee. … Vinery Stables LLC’s and Mrs. Susan Roy’s 2010 Gotham (GIII) winner  Awesome Act, 19^th in last year’s Kentucky Derby and a disappointing fifth in a June 12 allowance race at Churchill Downs, breezed four furlongs on dirt in :49 for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Marianne and Brandon Chase’s homebred Here Comes Ben powered down the historic Churchill Downs stretch Friday night to score a repeat victory in $76,445 Kelly’s Landing overnight stakes by 3 ¼ lengths before a “Downs After Dark” crowd of 25,523.

Here Comes Ben, a 5-year-old son of Street Cry, broke sharply under Jon Court to grab a brief early lead and then settled in third behind pace-setters Captain Cherokee and Cool Bullet through fractions of :24.29 and :47.39. The Charles Lopresti-trained veteran surged to the lead a few strides past the quarter-pole and increased his advantage in the run to the finish.  He completed seven furlongs over a fast track in 1:22.26.

Here Comes Ben broke from the gate as the 5-2 second choice and returned mutuels of $7, $3.40 and $2.80. Stonestreet Stables LLC’s Captain Cherokee finished second to return $2.60 and $2.10, while G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s A Diehl, who finished another length back in third, paid $3 to show. Cool Bullet finished another 1 ¾ lengths back in fourth and was followed in order by The Program and Spicer.

The victory was worth $46,800 and increased the Kentucky-bred’s bankroll to $406,264 with a record of 7-1-3 from 16 starts. Here Comes Ben, who recorded his fourth career win beneath the Twin Spires, followed last year’s victory in the Kelly’s Landing with victory in the Grade I Forego at Saratoga.

Racing continues Saturday with an 11-race program highlighted by the 111^th running of the Grade III, $100,000-added Debutante. The six-furlong Debutante is the nation’s first graded stakes event for 2-year-old fillies and will be run as Race 10 at 5:25 p.m. (all times EDT). First post for the next-to-last Saturday program of the Spring Meet is 12:45 p.m. and the Pick 6, which has a carryover of $46,741, begins with Race 6 at 3:23 p.m.

The Robert B and Beverly J Lewis Trust’s Secret File battled with Street Storm and Heavenly Landing down the stretch before overcoming those rivals inside the eighth-pole to take the $63,038 Thursday afternoon feature at Churchill Downs by a widening 1 ¼ lengths.

Secret File was well-held in last in the field of five through opening fractions of :24.49 and :49.07 set by Lally Stable’s Heavenly Landing. The 4-year-old daughter of Smart Strike began to move at the leaders at the three-eighths pole, drew even with Street Storm and Heavenly Landing in the stretch and finally wore down her foes with less than a furlong remaining. Trained by Charlie Lopresti and ridden by Jon Court, Secret File covered the 1 1/16 miles over a fast main track at Churchill Downs in 1:45.47.

Breaking from the gate as the 2-1 favorite, Secret File retuned mutuels of $6.60, $3.80 and $3. Right Time Racing LLC’s Street Storm, who was eighth in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks in her most recent start, finished second to return $3.40 and $3.20, with Heavenly Landing in third returning $3.20.

The victory, which was worth $39,060, was Secret File’s second win of the Spring Meet and increased her bankroll to $98,126 with a record of 3-1-3 from eight lifetime starts.

Racing continues Friday with the return of the Downs After Dark nighttime racing program. Admission gates will open at 4 p.m. EDT and the first of 11 live races will begin at 6 p.m.