Copper State

Team Valor International’s Unbridled Belle and Mark Stanley’s Swift Temper, each a Grade I stakes winner in her career, will carry top weight of 122 pounds and concede 6-8 pounds when they take on four rival fillies and mares in Thursday’s 94th running of the $150,000-added Falls City Handicap (Grade II) at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/8-mile Falls City will go as the 11th race on the 12-race Thanksgiving Day card that begins at 11:30 a.m. (all times ET). Post time for the Falls City is approximately 4:24 p.m.

Unbridled Belle has finished behind Swift Temper on three occasions this year, but the daughter of Broken Vow enters the Falls City off a 4-length victory in the Turnback the Alarm Handicap (GIII) at Aqueduct on Oct. 31 and has been installed as the 7-5 morning line favorite by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. Winner of the Grade I Beldame in 2007, Unbridled Belle is trained by Todd Pletcher who won the 2005 Falls City with Indian Vale.

Ramon Dominguez, who has ridden Unbridled Belle to five graded-stakes victories and six of her eight career victories, will ride Thursday and break from post position five.

he highlights of 2009 for Swift Temper have been a 1 ¾-length score in the Grade I Ruffian at Belmont Park and a front-running victory in the Delaware Handicap (GII). Trained by Dale Romans who won the 2004 Falls City with Halory Leigh, Swift Temper is the second choice in the morning line 5-2. The 5-year-old daughter of Giant’s Causeway ran fourth in last year’s Falls City and this year was third in the Louisville Distaff (GII) and second in the Fleur De Lis (GII).

Alan Garcia, who rode Swift Temper in both the Ruffian and Delaware Handicap, has the riding assignment Thursday and will exit post position four.

The field for the Falls City, from the rail out, is as follows: Best Lass (K. Desormeaux, 114 pounds, 10-1), Morena (Per) (S. Bridgmohan, 115, 6-1), Copper State (R. Albarado, 116, 7-2), Swift Temper (A. Garcia, 122, 5-2), Unbridled Belle (R. Dominguez, 122, 7-5) and Serenading (J. Leparoux, 116, 8-1).

Edward Evans’ Malibu Prayer collared favored One Caroline on the far turn and then held off a late charge by Copper State by a length to win the 24th running of the $167,550 Chilukki (Grade II) for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Chris DeCarlo, Malibu Prayer gave trainer Todd Pletcher his second consecutive victory in the Chilukki having scored in 2008 with Leah’s Secret. Malibu Prayer covered the mile on a “fast” main track in 1:36.24.

One Caroline, who was coming off a six-month layoff because of an injury, shot to the lead under Leandro Goncalves and took the field through fractions of :22.47 and :44.87 while maintaining a clear advantage.

DeCarlo moved Malibu Prayer after One Caroline leaving the backstretch and took command entering the stretch only to have One Caroline battle back. Malibu Prayer finally began to draw clear in the final sixteenth of a mile as Copper State closed fast to swipe second place by a neck over One Caroline.

The victory was worth $99,626 and increased Malibu Prayer’s earnings to $348,526 with her fourth victory in nine starts.

Malibu Prayer, a 3-year-old Virginia-bred daughter of Malibu Moon who carried 115 pounds, nine fewer than top weight Swift Temper who finished sixth, returned $12.20, $6.20 and $3.80. Copper State, ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, paid $15 and $6.60 with One Caroline paying $2.60 to show.

Payton d’Oro, who finished fifth in the field of nine, represented the final starter for trainer Larry Jones, who is turning the training of his 23-horse stable over to his wife Cindy.

Jones, a 53-year-old native of Hopkinsville, Ky., who began training in 1982, is best known as the conditioner of 2008 Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles. Jones, who saddled Proud Spell to win the 2008 Kentucky Oaks, also had the 2007 Kentucky Derby runner-up in Hard Spun.

"At least I ended the career better than I started,” Jones said. “The pressure’s off. I bet my blood pressure’s already come down now. But, no, it’s good. Trust me, it’s got some sentimental feelings about it, but I’m OK. It’s all good. . . . I don’t know what the future really holds, but it’ll all be good.  You know, we’re ready for the next journey, whatever it may be.”

Cindy Jones will oversee the barn operations through the end of the Churchill Downs meet on Nov. 28 and then the couple will head home to Henderson, Ky., for the holidays before rejoining the barn for the 2010 meet at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

In the race before the Chilukki, Destiny Oaks’ She’s Our Annie made a successful return to the races after a 7 ½-month layoff to post a 2 ½-length victory over Adhrhythm in the $61,300 Dream Supreme, a six-furlong overnight stake for fillies and mares.

Ridden by Jon Court for trainer Jinks Fires, She’s Our Annie returned mutuels of $5.20, $4.20 and $3.20 as the favorite in the field of nine. Adhrhythm, ridden by Chris Emigh, returned $17.60 and $10.20 with Step Out Smartly paying $5.20 to show under Francisco Torres.

Racing continues Sunday with a 10-race card beginning at 12:40 p.m.

(Nov. 1, 2008) – Zayat Stables’ Baroness Thatcher, who narrowly missed Grade I glory in the Humana Distaff on Kentucky Derby Day, will seek redemption Sunday at Churchill Downs as she heads a competitive field of 11 fillies and mares scheduled to start in the $150,000 Chilukki Stakes (Grade II).

Baroness Thatcher, conditioned this year by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, was installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite following her gutsy gate-to-wire score at Keeneland in a 1 1/16-mile allowance over Polytrack on Oct. 11.

The victory snapped a 15-race winless streak that included eight second- or third-place finishes in graded stakes events, including runner-up efforts in the Las Virgenes (GI), Ballerina (GI), Shirley Jones Handicap (GII) and Humana Distaff (GI).

On Sunday, Baroness Thatcher will attempt to collect her second graded stakes win. Her lone black-type triumph came in the 2007 Santa Ysabel Stakes (GIII) at Santa Anita.

The 4-year-old filly will be reunited with Robby Albarado, who rode the daughter of Johannesburg to a second place finish in her career debut on July 3, 2006 at Churchill Downs.

Baroness Thatcher’s main contenders include Millennium Farm’s Copper State, who was second in the Go For Wand Handicap (GI) and Ruffian Handicap (GI) in her last two starts for trainer Steve Asmussen; WinStar Farm’s Leah’s Secret, winner of the Chicago Handicap (GIII) at Arlington Park in June for trainer Todd Pletcher; and Castleton Lyons’ Super Freaky, who invades from the Southern California stable of trainer Doug O’Neill after finishing fourth behind eventual Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic winner Zenyatta in the Lady’s Secret (GI).

The complete Chilukki Stakes field, from the rail out (with jockeys and morning line odds): Initforthekandy (John McKee, 12-1); Striking Tomisue (Corey Lanerie, 12-1); Copper State (Shaun Bridgmohan, 7-2); Unforgotten (Miguel Mena, 12-1); Swift Temper (Kent Desormeaux, 10-1); Tiz to Dream (12-1); Marquee Delivery (Jesus Castanon, 15-1); Baroness Thatcher (Albarado, 3-1); Super Freaky (Julien Leparoux, 6-1); Leah’s Secret (Rene Douglas, 4-1); and Amazing Speed (Jaime Theriot, 30-1).

The 23rd running of the one-mile Chilukki, which honors the Stonerside Stable mare who won three stakes events at Churchill Downs for trainer Bob Baffert in 1999-2000, is scheduled as the ninth race at approximately 4:37 p.m. ET. The 10-race program begins at 12:40 p.m. ET.

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