Dallas Stewart

CLASSIC HOPES PADDY O’PRADO, FIRST DUDE WORK OVER HOME  TRACK FOR ROMANS – Louisville-born trainer Dale Romans’ pair of 3-year-old contenders for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade I) – Paddy O’Prado and First Dude – topped the roster of works by Breeders’ Cup hopefuls Saturday over their home track at Churchill Downs.

Donegal Racing’s Paddy O’Prado, third in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and winner of the Secretariat (GI) on turf at Arlington Park, breezed five furlongs over a “fast” track in 1:01.  Exercise rider Tammy Fox was up for the move, which came just after the mid-morning break for track maintenance.  The 3-year-old son of El Prado covered the distance in fractional times of :12.40, :24.40 and :36.20 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.40.

Donald Dizney’s homebred First Dude, runner-up in the Preakness (GI) and the Pennsylvania Derby (GII), breezed six furlongs under Fox a short time later and covered the distance in 1:15.  The 3-year-old Stephen Got Even colt was timed in fractions of :12.60, :24.60, :36.60, :49.20 and 1:01.80 and galloped out seven furlongs 1:29.60.

First Dude’s move was the slowest of five works at six furlongs.

“They’re both fit,” Romans said.  “We were looking for maintenance and we’ll come back and work them again next Saturday.”

Paddy O’Prado’s work, which ranked as the seventh fastest of 34 at the distance, was the first since his owners and Romans decided that the Classic would be the colt’s Breeders’ Cup target.  The Breeders’ Cup Turf (GI) was also an option, as was the Japan Cup in Tokyo on Nov. 27.

"It was a tough decision,” said Romans of the Classic choice for Paddy O’Prado.  “There really wasn’t a wrong choice.  You’re running for big money in all three races, but the bottom line is that if he runs well in the Classic it does so much more for him as a stallion prospect.  That’s what kind of sealed the deal.”

And, Romans added, a victory over the star-studded Classic field headed by unbeaten Zenyatta, Blame and Quality Road could give Paddy O’Prado a shot at 3-year-old championship honors.  Preakness (GI) winner Lookin At Lucky, a Classic rival, is the current front-runner for that Eclipse Award honor.

“The one thing he needs to do is to show up in another dirt race and show everybody he’s dirt or turf,” he said.  “Even if wins the Turf and ‘Lucky’ runs well on the dirt, it’s still an uphill battle to be 3-year-old of the year.  If he runs big here, he’s got a legitimate shot.”

Romans noted that First Dude, a winner of just one of 11 races but second or third in nine of those races with earnings of $860,160, might be the most accomplished horse ever to still be eliglble for a “non-winners of two” race.

“He shows up every single time and we expect him to show up in this race, too,” Romans said.  “He’s showed he can run with anybody.  We’re right here in our back door, he runs well over this racetrack and trains here everyday.  He’s gonna run well.”

HURRICANE IKE SHARP IN WORK FOR BC DIRT MILE – With jockey Calvin Borel up, Ike and Dawn Thrash’s Hurricane Ike tuned up for his engagement by working six furlongs in 1:12.40 in company with Third Dawn after the renovation break Saturday morning.

Fractions for the move, which was the fastest of five at the distance, were :12.20, :24, :35.80, :47.80 and :59.80 with a seven-furlong gallop-out time of 1:27.80.

"He worked super this morning,” trainer John Sadler said of Hurricane Ike, who also worked a bullet five-eighths in :59 here on Oct. 17. “He might be a horse for course. He worked OK on it here in the spring, but he also won on it (in the Grade III Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial).”

Hurricane Ike and Third Dawn started off together with Hurricane Ike on the inside. At the head of the stretch, Hurricane Ike began to steadily pull away, finishing eight lengths in front of his workmate at the wire.

Prior to the Hurricane Ike work, Borel was aboard Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) hopeful Tell a Kelly for the Thrashes and Sadler through a five-furlong work in 1:00.80, fifth fastest of 34 at the distance.

Fractions on the work were :12.60, :24.40, :36, :48 and out six furlongs in 1:15.40.

“They both went well,” Borel said. “That Hurricane Ike, he really likes this track.”

Sadler’s Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) candidate Switch, owned by C R K Stable, is scheduled to work on Sunday after the break.

Sadler will head back to California on Sunday night to supervise a Monday work for TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI) hopeful Sidney’s Candy.

“Sidney’s Candy will fly here on the next Tex Sutton flight,” Sadler said. “And, we have to make up our minds on (Gary and Cecil Barber’s) Cost of Freedom (for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint). We will bring in a couple more horses for the (Breeders’ Cup) undercard races.”

STEWART HOPING FOR SOME REPEAT MAGIC IN LADIES’ CLASSIC – Dallas Stewart has flown below the radar before at Breeders’ Cup time. In 2001, he saddled Unbridled Elaine to a 12-1 upset victory in the Grade I Distaff (now Ladies’ Classic) at Belmont Park.

This year, for the now-named Ladies’ Classic, Stewart has Ladies’ Classic hopes for another 3-year-old filly in Seeking the Title for owner Charles Fipke.

“She’s a quality filly,” Stewart said. “I thought she worked awesome this morning and she will work again next Saturday.”

With Calvin Borel up and working on her own before the renovation break, Seeking the Title covered five furlongs in 1:01.60, eighth fastest of 34 at the distance. Fractions for the work were :13.20, :25.60, :37.60, :49.60 and out six furlongs in 1:16.40.

Seeking the Title finished fourth in her most recent start in the Indiana Oaks (GII) at Hoosier Park on Oct. 2.

“Her last race was on mud and on a speed-biased track,” Stewart said. “She ran well in the race before at Monmouth (GIII Monmouth Oaks) when she came from far back. She finishes with energy every race except for the mud. She is doing very well and I see no reason not to take a shot.”

MALIBU PRAYER HEADS STELLAR LIST OF 31 CHILUKKI NOMINEES – Edward Evans’ Malibu Prayer, winner of the Ruffian Invitational Handicap (GI) this summer at Saratoga and 2009 winner of the Chilukki (GII) is the marquee name among 31 nominations for the 25th running of the $150,000-added race for fillies and mares ages 3 and up scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 6.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malibu Prayer is being pointed to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (GI) scheduled the previous day.

Ten other graded stakes winners are among the nominees for the one-turn mile race for fillies and mares, including Starlight Partners’ Ailalea, winner of the Dogwood (GIII) here in May, who also is trained by Pletcher.

The 33rd running of the $100,000-added River City Handicap (GIII) will kick off the Breeders’ Cup World Championship weekend on Thursday, Nov. 4. The 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up over the Matt Winn Turf Course attracted 20 nominations including the past two winners of the race: Amerman Racing Stables’ Demarcation (2008) and Robert Courtney’s Rahystrada (2009).

The 18th running of the $100,000 Ack Ack Handicap (GIII) for horses 3-years-old and up going 1 1/16 miles on the main track serves as the lead-in to six Breeders’ Cup races on Friday, Nov. 5. Among the 31 nominees is Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine’s Mine That Bird, winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

Augustin Stable’s Forever Together, winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (GI) and a candidate for this year’s renewal, is the marquee name among 29 fillies and mares nominated to the 37th running of the $100,000-added Cardinal Handicap (GIII) to be run at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course on Sunday, Nov. 7.

BARN TALK – There were other Breeders’ Cup works of note Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. Working before 6:30 on his own was Turf Sprint candidate Chamberlain Bridge, who covered a half-mile in :49.40 under Jamie Theriot for trainer Bret Calhoun. Fractions for the move, 18th best of 47 at the distance, were :12.60, :25.40, :37.40 and out five furlongs in 1:03.60.

Also working before the break was Filly & Mare Sprint candidate My Jen for trainer Eddie Kenneally. Working in company with Missyoulikecrazy, My Jen covered a half-mile in :47.40, second best of the morning at the distance.
Other half-mile works for Breeders’ Cup candidates were Rinterval (Filly & Mare Sprint) in :49.40 (:12.40, :24.80, :36.80 and out in 1:03.60) and More Than Real (Juvenile Fillies Turf) in :49.80 (:12.80, :25 and out in 1:03) with jockey Garrett Gomez up.

After the break, trainer Eric Guillot sent two-time Grade I winner Champagne d’Oro out for a five-furlong work with Miguel Mena up. Working solo, Champagne d’Oro stepped the distance in :59.60, second fastest of 34 at the distance. Fractions for the work were :11.40, :22.80, :34.60, :46.80 and out six furlongs in 1:14.20. “I got her in a minute and a fifth,” said Guillot, who plans to work the filly a half-mile next Saturday. “She’ll be 10-1 [in the Breeders’ Cup] and run like 3-5.”

At Keeneland on Saturday morning, Breeders’ Cup Mile candidate Proviso worked five furlongs on the turf in 1:02.20 for trainer Bill Mott. Working on the main track was Hot Cha Cha (Filly & Mare Turf) covering five furlongs in 1:00 for trainer Phil Sims and Silver Timber (Turf Sprint) working a half-mile in :49.20 for trainer Chad Brown. Two Ken McPeek 2-year-olds, Harlan’s Ruby (Juvenile Fillies) and Rogue Romance (Juvenile or Juvenile Turf), worked in company on the main track, covering five furlongs in :58.40. Splits for the work were :12.60, :23.60, :35.20, :47 and out six furlongs in 1:10.80 and seven-eighths in 1:24.20. ...

Other works of note for Breeders’ Cup hopefuls outside of Kentucky included Sara Louise (Filly & Mare Sprint) going a half-mile in :49.01 at Belmont Park, Big Drama (Sprint) covering six furlongs in 1:14.20 at Calder and Musket Man (Classic) going six furlongs in 1:17 at Monmouth Park.  …

Breeders’ Cup candidates expected to work Sunday morning in addition to Switch are Acoma (Ladies’ Classic), Espoir City (JPN) (Classic) and Pluck (Juvenile Turf). Espoir City, who will have jockey Tetsuzo Sato up, is scheduled to work after the renovation break. Blame, one of the leading contenders for the Classic, is scheduled to work Sunday morning around 7:30 at Keeneland for trainer Al Stall Jr. … 

Trainer Michelle Nihei said that Casa Farms I’s Prince Will I Am, winner of the Jamaica Handicap (GI) in his most recent start, would be pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (GIII) instead of the Emirates Airlines Breeders’ Cup Turf (GI). Prince Will I Am, who worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 on Friday, is scheduled to work next Saturday. Nihei also said that Silent Joy, fifth in the Miss Grillo (GIII) at Belmont Park in her most recent start, would be pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII). Silent Joy is owned by Danny Gargan, Adam Wachtel and Nils Brous. …

Frank Bernis, agent for jockey Jamie Theriot who has been the regular rider of Dubai Majesty and Secret Gypsy, said that Theriot would ride Dubai Majesty in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (GI). Robby Albarado will have the mount on Secret Gypsy, according to his agent, Lenny Pike. …
Trainer Tom Amoss said that Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Falling Knife would not be pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon.
                                    
WORK TAB (Track: FAST) – Dryfly, an early contender for the 2010 Kentucky Derby before injury knocked him off the Derby trail, breezed six furlongs in 1:13.80 for trainer Lynn Whiting.  Borel was up for the move … C.S. Silk breezed five furlongs in :59.40, the fastest move of 34 at the distance.
   

Stronach Stables’ Einstein (Brz) will carry high weight of 123 pounds and break from the outside post in a field of 14 as he shoots for back-to-back victories in Friday’s 135th running of the $400,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII) at Churchill Downs.

    Trained by Helen Pitts-Blasi, Einstein will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the Clark since Bob’s Dusty in 1977-78. Only two others have posted consecutive victories in the Clark: Hodge (1915-16) and Bold Favorite (1968-69).

    The Clark, run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, will go as the 11th race on Friday’s 12-race card that begins at 11:30 a.m. (all times ET). The race, like the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and the Kentucky Oaks (GI), has been renewed annually without interruption since the first race meet at Churchill Downs, then known as the Louisville Jockey Club, in 1875. Approximate post time for the 2009 Clark Handicap is 4:29 p.m.

    Despite his outside post in the large field, Einstein was installed as the 7-2 favorite by Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia.

    Einstein, who will be ridden for the first time by Rajiv Maragh, is one of three Grade I stakes winners in the Clark field. Einstein has accumulated four of his five Grade I victories on the grass with the fifth coming over the Pro-Ride surface at Saint Anita where he took the Santa Anita Handicap in March.  He was a hard-luck third in the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) in his most recent trip over the dirt surface at his home track. Einstein will concede 2-10 pounds to his rivals in the Clark.

    West Point Thoroughbreds’ Macho Again claimed his Grade I over the Chruchill Downs dirt in June at the expense of Einstein in the Stephen Foster. The Dallas Stewart-trained Macho Again, who got seven pounds from Einstein in the Stephen Foster, will carry 121 pounds in their Friday rematch and be ridden by Robby Albarado. Macho Again, the 9-2 second choice on the morning line, will start from post position two.

    Mitchell Ranch, Frank Lewkowitz and Joe Rice’s Bullsbay got his Grade I victory at Saratoga this summer in the Whitney in which he defeated Macho Again. Bullsbay, ninth to Furthest Land in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI) over the synthetic Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita, will tote 119 pounds in the Clark.  The Graham Motion-trained son of Tiznow will break from post position nine under Jeremy Rose.

    Three Clark entrants come into Friday’s race off Grade II victories: Godolphin Racing’s Etched, Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s Blame and Jill Baffert and George Jacobs’ Misremembered.

    Etched, who will be ridden by Alan Garcia and carry 120 pounds, won the Meadowlands Cup for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin last out on Oct. 16; Blame, who will be ridden by Jamie Theriot and carry 117 pounds, won the Fayette for trainer Al Stall, Jr. at Keeneland on Oct. 31; and the Bob Baffert-trained Misremembered, who will be ridden by Victor Espinoza and carry 116 pounds, won the Oct. 3 Indiana Derby at Hoosier Park.

    The field for the Clark Handicap, from the rail out, is as follows: You and I Forever (J. Valdivia Jr., 115 pounds, 20-1), Macho Again (R. Albarado, 121, 9-2), Giant Oak (S. Bridgmohan, 115, 20-1), Demarcation (J. Castanon, 116, 20-1), Blame (J. Theriot, 117, 6-1), Anarko (Chi) (L. Goncalves, 113, 50-1), Anak Nakal (J. Bravo, 116, 30-1), Etched (A. Garcia, 120, 6-1), Bullsbay (J. Rose, 119, 6-1), Kiss the Kid (P. Lopez, 118, 15-1), Timber Reserve (K. Desormeaux, 114, 20-1), Misremembered (V. Espinoza, 116, 8-1), Dubious Miss (C. Borel, 116, 10-1) and Einstein (Brz) (R. Maragh, 123, 7-2).

EINSTEIN WORKS FOR CLARK; MARAGH PICKS UP MOUNT – Trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi was talking to a passer-by about her stable star Einstein (Brz) when fellow trainer Dallas Stewart rode past on his pony.

“Tell it like it is, Helen,” Stewart said with a laugh. “Tell him how you’re gonna kick Macho Again’s rear end.”

“Hey, Macho’s already got me once this year,” Pitts-Blasi said referring to Macho Again’s victory over Einstein in June’s Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I).

The rematch comes Friday when Einstein and Macho Again are expected to be the starting high weights in the 135th running of the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII).

Owned by the Stronach Stable, Einstein worked a half-mile in :48.60 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01 early Sunday morning under Kelly Likes. It was Einstein’s first work since finishing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) on Nov. 7, the worst showing of his 29-race career.

“I have no answer,” Pitts-Blasi said of the Breeders’ Cup. “We couldn’t find anything. He went very well this morning and I was pleased."

Pitts-Blasi has worked Einstein in the past, but opted for Likes on Sunday for the work over a fast track.

“I wanted to take some weight off him and Kelly is lighter than I am and I could watch him,” Pitts-Blasi said.

Regular rider Julien Leparoux will miss the final two days of the meet to ride in the Japan Cup and Pitts-Blasi has enlisted New York-based Rajiv Maragh to ride Einstein in the Clark.

CARROLL CELEBRATES ACOMA’S “BIGGEST WIN” IN CARDINAL – Trainer David Carroll was still beaming Sunday morning after Acoma’s hard-charging head victory over You Go West Girl in Saturday’s Cardinal Handicap (GIII).

“Absolutely it was her biggest win,” Carroll said of Acoma, who rebounded from a last-place showing in the Grade I First Lady at Keeneland on Oct. 10. “I walked into the paddock and she was 12-1 and I was surprised. My wife Kim gets on her every day and said she was as good as she has ever been. She gets better in the fall.

“She got nothing out of the Keeneland race. We took her to Dr. (Larry) Bramlage to check her out to make sure we didn’t miss anything and she got a clean bill of health.”

A regally bred daughter of Empire Maker out of the Danzig mare Aurora, Acoma is 5-for-5 in her career at Churchill Downs for her owners Helen Alexander and Helen Groves.  Three of those wins – including the 2008 Early Times Mint Julep (GIII) and last fall’s Mrs. Revere (GII) – have been on turf and all in stakes competition.  She also won the Grade III Dogwood on dirt in 2008.

“They are great people to train for,” Carroll said. “They breed to race and this filly … even if she couldn’t run, I could look at her all day. She is so gorgeous, a great combination of talent and looks.”

Carroll said Acoma came out of the Cardinal in good shape and likely was looking at some down time.

“We will probably have the same plan as last year and send her to Payson Park for some R & R and then join us at the Fair Grounds,” Carroll said. “We got her a little early this year for the Azeri at Oaklawn and then she bounced in the Apple Blossom. I don’t foresee doing that again, but it is up to Miss Helen (Alexander).”
    
FIELDS TAKING SHAPE FOR KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB, GOLDEN ROD – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won the Golden Rod (GII) a record five times and the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) a record four times, is expected to have a shot at building on those marks when both races are renewed on Saturday.

Lukas is expected to send Westrock Stables’ Decelerator into the 66th running of the Golden Rod and Activity Report in the 83rd running of the Kentucky Jockey Club. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles on the main track and serve as centerpieces of the closing-day “Stars of Tomorrow II” card that features 12 races exclusively for 2-year-olds.

As of Sunday, Churchill Downs racing officials had five fillies considered as probable to line up against Decelerator, the winner of this summer’s Debutante (GIII) who ran second in the opening-day Pocahontas (GIII) behind Sassy Image.

In addition to Sassy Image, other Pocahontas runners expected to come back in the Golden Rod are third-place finisher All Due Respect, fourth-place finisher Vivid Colors and sixth-place finisher Vertical Vision. Also expected to run is Canadian Storm, a maiden winner at Philadelphia Park.

The Golden Rod was won last year by Rachel Alexandra, the first of nine consecutive victories for the filly.
The Kentucky Jockey Club lineup is expected to feature the 1-4 finishers from the opening-day Iroquois (GIII) in Thiskyhasnolimit and Gleam of Hope. Also considered as probable for the race is William’s Kitten, who ran eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) in his most recent start.

Other probables are Call Shot, Callide Valley, Mr. Saturdaynight and Super Saver.

Entries for both races will be taken Wednesday.

BARN TALK – Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ Anak Nakal, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Jockey Club, is scheduled to arrive Monday for an expected run in the Clark Handicap. Winner of the Grade II Pennsylvania Derby last year, Anak Nakal finished third in the Meadowlands Cup (GII) behind Clark probables Etched and Kiss the Kid in his most recent start. Jill Baffert and George Jacobs’ Misremembered, winner of the Indiana Derby (GII) in his most recent start, is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Tuesday from his Southern California base. …

Apprentice Oriana Rossi posted her first victory at Churchill Downs in Saturday’s fifth race with a rail-skimming ride aboard Ship’s Cabin ($17.40). It was Rossi’s 16th career win with the other victories coming at Ellis Park and Turfway Park. She recorded her first victory on Aug. 16 at Ellis Park. …

Trainer Steve Asmussen saddled two winners here Saturday to boost his career total at Churchill Downs to 350, fifth all time at the track. Lone Cypress ($5.60) won the third race and Jackpot Joanie ($5) took the seventh to give Asmussen 14 winners for the meet and a four-victory advantage over Dale Romans in the race for leading trainer.  The latter is a half-sister to Summerly, who provided Asmussen with a victory in the 2005 Kentucky Oaks.  Asmussen has won six training titles here – three spring and three fall – and was the leading trainer during the 2009 Spring Meet. …

Even though A. Stevens Miles Jr.’s Warrior’s Reward ran second in the Saturday nightcap, trainer Ian Wilkes was pleased with the effort in the six-furlong sprint, a runner-up finish in which he just failed to catch Flavor after being six lengths back at the eighth pole. “I expected him to run a good race and I thought he ran tremendous,” Wilkes said of the 3-year-old who was vanned off the track at Keeneland five weeks previous after finishing fifth in the Perryville (GIII). “He made up a lot of ground the last eighth. I am going to give him a little break and yesterday I wanted to give him a good experience before the break.”       

STEWART: MACHO AGAIN “READY TO ROLL” FOR CLARK – The heavy lifting is all done and according to trainer Dallas Stewart, Macho Again is “ready to roll” for Friday’s 135th running of the $400,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade II) at Churchill Downs.

“I feel good about our chances,” Stewart said of Macho Again, who is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds. “I like where we are, he loves this track and he worked great yesterday (five furlongs in 1:01.20).”

Macho Again has compiled a record of 5-3-1-0 at Churchill Downs with his biggest victory coming in June’s Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) in which he defeated likely Clark rivals Einstein (Brz) and Bullsbay.

The Clark will be Macho Again’s first start since finishing fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) on Oct. 3.

“There was no pace in that race and things just didn’t pan out that day,” Stewart said.

Macho Again came down with a cough after the Jockey Club that forced Stewart to cancel a trip to Santa Anita for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI). Since recovering from the brief setback Macho Again has had three five-furlong works.

The 4-year-old colt’s top effort of 2009 in which he also won the New Orleans Handicap (GII) was a runner-up effort to Kentucky Oaks (GI) winner and top Horse of the Year contender Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward (GI) at the Clark Handicap distance of 1 1/8 miles.

“That was a great race,” Stewart said of the Saratoga race in which Macho Again came the closest of any horse this year to Rachel Alexandra in falling a head short. “One more jump … that would have made my year.”

Stewart said that Macho Again would ship with his barn to the Fair Grounds at the end of the meet with the initial plans for 2010 being the Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita on Jan. 30 or the Donn Handicap (GI) on Feb. 6 at Gulfstream Park.

GIANT OAK MAKES BELATED RETURN TO CHURCHILL DOWNS – After running second in last fall’s Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) here Giant Oak appeared on many watch lists as a contender for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

However, instead of running here on the first Saturday in May, Giant Oak will make a belated encore appearance beneath the Twin Spires on the last Friday in November in the Clark Handicap.

  “We had bad luck with him in New Orleans,” said Drew Coontz, assistant to trainer Chris Block. “In the Risen Star (GIII), that was a train wreck. A narrow track with 13 head and no pace. Then two hours before the Louisiana Derby (GII) there was a major downpour.”

Giant Oak went on to run second in the Illinois Derby (GII) under Shaun Bridgmohan, but Block pulled the colt from Kentucky Derby consideration because he did not feel he was seasoned enough for the Run for the Roses.

Owned by the Virginia Tarra Trust, Giant Oak spent the summer running on the grass at Arlington Park where he had made a spectacular debut as a 2-year-old. Giant Oak returned to the dirt in the Indiana Derby (GII) on Oct. 3 in which he ran second.

“Chris had wanted to try him back on the dirt,” Coontz said. “He ran very well in the Indiana Derby and we were very pleased.”

However, after the Indiana Derby, bumps in the road continued to emerge for Giant Oak.

“Five days after the Indiana Derby, he stepped on an Allen’s wrench with his right front,” Coontz said. “We shipped him to Keeneland a week before the Fayette (on Oct. 31). I flew in Thursday night and the next morning we were going to train and he was off in the left front and we had to scratch him.”

Giant Oak shipped directly to Churchill Downs instead of returning to his home base in Chicago and had three works, the most recent being Saturday morning, a bullet five furlongs in :59.80 with Bridgmohan up.

“He’s been doing great since he got here,” Coontz said. “He has worked well and this morning I got him in a minute.”

ONE CAROLINE SIDELINED; DERBY WEEK RETURN EYED – One Caroline, the talented 4-year-old daughter of Unbridled’s Song who won her first five career starts, has been sidelined by an injury that occurred during a third-place finish to Malibu Prayer in the Nov. 7 running of the Chilukki (GII).

“When she wasn’t nominated to the Falls City (Handicap), I figured somebody would be calling,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “She got hurt in the Chilukki, has had surgery and is now on the farm.”

Owned by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and the Louise Ireland Humphrey Revocable Trust-2008, One Caroline suffered her first career loss in the Louisville Distaff (GII) here on May 1. Shortly after that, she suffered an injury that sidelined her until the Chilukki.

“It is not the same injury and she has not been retired,” Arnold said of One Caroline, who ran third in the Chilukki. “The plan is to have her join the barn in Florida in February and try to run her (at Churchill Downs) Derby Week.

“The goal is to run in the Louisville Distaff, the same race she ran in this year.”

One Caroline suffered her first career defeat in that Kentucky Oaks Day race when she ran second to Miss Isella.

BARN TALK – For the followers of leading riders Calvin Borel and Julien Leparoux, mutual clerks were printing money on Friday at Churchill Downs. Borel and Leparoux, who have opened considerable daylight in the race for leading rider, combined to sweep the early Pick 4 resulting in payoffs that boggled the mind. Leparoux won the opener on Next May ($18.40), Borel won the second on Unreachable Star ($23) and third on Misleader ($10.60) and Leparoux took the fourth on Turfiste ($10.20). The rolling doubles came back $225.20, $199.80 and $72.20; the rolling Pick 3s returned $1,619.20 and $1,024; and, the Pick 4 returned $5,825.20 for a $2 bet. Borel added two more victories on the Friday card – Cielo Classic ($12.60) in the eighth and Haven’s Honey ($15) in the ninth for a $71.20 double – to open an 18-16 lead on Leparoux. Shane Bridgmohan is third with 12 victories.

WORK TAB – Dubious Miss was on the track a little after 6 a.m. Saturday with jockey Calvin Borel up to work five furlongs in 1:01 over a fast track in preparation for Friday’s Clark Handicap. “I got him in :26 the first part and :35 the last three-eighths,” trainer Paul McGee said. “Perfect.” McGee also worked Demarcation a half-mile in :50.80 for a probable start in Friday’s River City Handicap (GIII). Also working toward the River City was Pleasant Strike, who covered a half-mile in :48.60 for trainer Todd Pletcher. … Pocahontas (GIII) winner Sassy Image worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 for trainer Dale Romans in readying for next Saturday’s Golden Rod (GII). Other juveniles working five furlongs toward a likely closing-day stakes engagement on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” card were Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) nominees Callide Valley (1:00.60) for trainer Eddie Kenneally and Mr. Saturdaynight (1:01.80) for Romans. … Working at the Trackside Training Center for trainer Mike Maker were Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI) winner Furthest Land (half-mile in :50.40) and Kentucky Jockey Club probable William’s Kitten, the eighth-place finisher in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI), who worked a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.

MARY’S FOLLIES HEADS TO FLORIDA AFTER MRS. REVERE VICTORY – Paul Pompa Jr.’s Mary’s Follies did not stick around Louisville long after her 1 ½-length score in Saturday’s Grade II Mrs. Revere in stakes-record time over the Matt Winn Turf Course under Kent Desormeaux.

“I’ve got a van picking her up Sunday and taking her straight to Gulfstream Park,” trainer Rick Dutrow said by phone Saturday night. “I am going to let her regroup and get over this one and train up to her next one.”

Mary’s Follies is now 2-for-2 on the turf with her other grass win coming in the Boiling Springs (GIII) at Monmouth in June. Prior to the Mrs. Revere, Mary’s Follies had finished sixth in the $750,000 Fitz Dixon Cotillion (Grade II) at Philadelphia Park on Oct. 3.

“She had been training real good since her last race, which was kind of surprising since she ran such a dull race,” Dutrow said. “She had been training very, very good and we felt like we couldn’t turn down the opportunity last time because that purse was so big and she had run good over that Philadelphia track.

"We felt like we had to take a shot, which was very stupid. But she came out of it the right way and she fired a bullet (Saturday).”

Whatever Mary’s Follies’ next race will be, it figures to be on the lawn.

“I haven’t looked for a race yet, but we will definitely point for a grass race,” Dutrow said. “Even if it comes off, she likes the mud.”

EINSTEIN, MACHO AGAIN HEAD CLARK HANDICAP NOMINEES – Stronach Stable’s Einstein (Brz) and West Point Thoroughbreds’ Macho Again, winners of the past two major handicap races for older horses here, head a list of 23 nominations for the 135th running of the $400,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII) to be run Nov. 27.

Trained by Helen Pitts-Blasi, Einstein is the defending champion in the Clark. Should Einstein run in the Clark, he would be coming back to the races in less than three weeks after finishing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita, the worst showing in his 29-race career.

Macho Again won the Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap here in June and defeated Einstein in the process. Trained by Dallas Stewart, Macho Again has not run since finishing fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) on Oct. 3 at Belmont Park.

Other Grade I winners nominated to the Clark are Mitchell Ranch, Frank Lewkowitz and Joe Rice’s Bullsbay, winner of the Whitney at Saratoga as well as the Grade III Alysheba here, and Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Furthest Land, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI).

Three horses that won Grade II events in their most recent starts are also among the nominees. They are Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s Blame, winner of the Fayette (GII) at Keeneland on Oct. 31; Darley Stable’s Etched, winner of the Meadowlands Cup (GII) on Oct. 16; and Jill Baffert and George Jacobs’ Misremembered, winner of the Indiana Derby (GII) at Hoosier Park on Oct. 3.

Weight assignments for the Clark will be announced Friday.

DEFENDING CHAMPS WON’T MEET AGAIN IN RIVER CITY HANDICAP –When the nominations came out for the 32nd running of the River City Handicap (GIII), there were two prominent names among the 27 nominees: Amerman Racing Stables, LLC’s Demarcation and Green Lantern Stables’ Karelian.

Those two dead-heated for the victory in last year’s running of the River City, so the possibility existed of the same horses dead-heating in the same race a year later.

However, it’s not going to happen.

“Karelian’s not running. We’re running Wicked Style in there,” said Jack Bohannan, assistant to trainer Rusty Arnold.

“I’m not sure which race we’ll go in,” said Paul McGee, trainer of Demarcation who is nominated to both the River City and the Clark Handicap. “(Owner) Mr. (John) Amerman is up in the air on it too.”

Demarcation won the Grade III Ack Ack on dirt here on Nov. 6 for his first victory since last year’s River City that is run at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Wicked Style, owned by Ashbrook Farm, ran third in the Fayette (GII) at Keeneland over Polytrack in his most recent start on Oct. 31. In three turf starts in 2009, Wicked Style has two victories and a second-place finish.

Three graded-stakes winners on the turf in 2009 are among the nominees headed by Rahy’s Attorney, winner of the Nijinsky (GII) and King Edward Handicap (GII) at Woodbine this summer. The others are Brave Tin Soldier, winner of the Cliff Hanger (GIII) at the Meadowlands in October and the mare Tizfiz, who took the San Gorgonio (GII) at Santa Anita in January.

Weights for the River City will be announced Friday.    

NOMINATIONS OUT FOR CLOSING WEEKEND STAKES – Grade I winners Swift Temper and Unbridled Belle top the list of 18 fillies and mares nominated to the 94th running of the Falls City Handicap (GII) to be contested on Thanksgiving Day.

Swift Temper took the Ruffian in September at Belmont Park and three times this year has gotten the best of Unbridled Belle, a five-time graded-stakes winner who won the Grade I Beldame in 2007.

Weights for the Falls City, which is run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, will be announced Friday. Miss Isella won last year’s Falls City, a race in which Swift Temper finished fourth.

Closing day of the 21-day meet on Nov. 28 is “Stars of Tomorrow II” and will feature 12 races exclusively for 2-year-olds. Highlighting the day will be the 83rd running of the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) and the 66th running of the Golden Rod (GII) for fillies.

The Kentucky Jockey Club, won last year by Beethoven, drew 37 nominations including the top three finishers from the opening day Iroquois: Thiskyhasnolimit, Uh Oh Bango and Soaring Empire.

The Golden Rod, won last year by Rachel Alexandra, attracted the top three finishers from the opening day Pocahontas in Sassy Image, Decelerator and All Due Respect among the 23 nominations.

BARN TALK – Calvin Borel’s four-win day on Saturday gave him 11 victories through the first 10 days of the 21-day meet and a two-win advantage over Julien Leparoux and Shaun Bridgmohan in the Fall Meet race for “leading rider.” Borel’s four-bagger came in races 5-8 and the Calvin backers in the crowd were richly rewarded. Borel won with Win Grammy Boy ($12) in the fifth, High Spirit ($16.40) in the sixth, Choice Play ($11.60) in the seventh and Cosmic ($9.60) in the eighth. The rolling doubles returned $146.60, $96.40 and $76.80 and the rolling Pick-3s paid $637 and $783.20. …

 Stronach Stable’s Harlem Rocker ran second to Cosmic on Saturday beaten a head in his first start since being disqualified from first in last November’s Cigar Mile (GI) at Aqueduct. “The reason he ran here instead of New York is because he was entered twice up there and the race didn’t go,” said Michael Dilger, who oversees trainer Todd Pletcher’s Churchill Downs string. “A win would have been nice, but he ran well and that sets him up for his next race. He will head to Florida after this meet closes (Nov. 28).”

Trainer Bill Mott, the leading conditioner all time at Churchill Downs, recorded his 625th victory beneath the Twin Spires when Soldier Field was moved up to first place via disqualification in Saturday’s 10th race. Closest to Mott on the all-time list is Dale Romans with 481 with nine of those coming at the current meet.

WORK TAB – Giant Oak, who is pointing toward the Clark Handicap, worked seven furlongs in 1:29.60 over a fast track Sunday morning after the renovation break for trainer Chris Block. The 3-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway lost narrowly to Beethoven in last year’s Kentucky Jockey Club (GII)… Vosburgh (GI) winner Kodiak Kowboy worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 for trainer Steve Asmussen.

West Point Thoroughbreds’ Macho Again, last in the early going, made a strong move on the far turn to reach contention and then drew clear to win Saturday’s 28th running of the $660,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I) at Churchill Downs by a length over Asiatic Boy (ARG).

Einstein (BRZ), bidding to become the first horse to win three consecutive Grade I races on three surfaces, finished a nose back in third.

            In giving West Point its second Stephen Foster win in three years -- Flashy Bull won in 2007 -- Macho Again gave jockey Robby Albarado his third consecutive Foster triumph. Albarado won last year on Horse of the Year Curlin.

Finallymadeit set the early fractions of :24.13, :48.13 and 1:12.71 with Researcher and Alphabet Magic in closest pursuit. Julien Leparoux had Einstein in three path about mid-pack while Macho Again lagged at the back of the eight-horse field.

Leaving the backstretch, Albarado swung Macho Again wide and kept him in the clear turning for home and avoiding a tightly bunched pack to his inside. Macho Again, now three for five at Churchill Downs, opened a clear lead in the stretch and had enough left to hold off Asiatic Boy, who was making his U.S. debut.

Trained by Dallas Stewart, Macho Again covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.75 over a fast track, carrying 117 pounds five fewer than Asiatic Boy. The victory was worth $396,924 and increased the 4-year-old Florida-bred son of Macho Uno’s earnings to $1,475,247.

            Macho Again, who won the 2008 Derby Trial here, returned $17.40, $6.20 and $3.60. Asiatic Boy returned $7 and $3.80 with Einstein, carrying top weight of 124 pounds, paying $2.10 to show. Arson Squad and Bullsbay dead-heated for fourth, a neck behind Einstein, and were followed in order by Researcher, Finallymadeit and Alphabet Magic.

POST-RACE QUOTES – THE STEPHEN FOSTER HANDICAP

DALLAS STEWART, trainer of MACHO AGAIN (winner)

            “He ran great, you know. He’s a great horse. We had a great rider. We put it all together today. You know he’s not an in and out horse like most people think. He got the money today on a dry track today at Churchill. He proved himself. I think we’ve got a lot of good things ahead of us. He’s won major races on major tracks from down in New Orleans to Saratoga to here. He’s all dirt horse is what he is.”

            Q: What might be next?

            “The Whitney (the Grade I, $750,000 Whitney Handicap for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga on Saturday, Aug. 8) will be our next goal.”

ROBBY ALBARADO, jockey of MACHO AGAIN (winner)

            “The race set up great for us today. We had an outside trip and got a clear run. It’s not by design that I wanted to go around that wide, but I just put him in a path where he can run around horses. That’s just where he wants to be. You just hope that you don’t have to go too wide. He just prevailed to be the best today.”

TERRY FINLEY, co-owner of MACHO AGAIN (winner)

            “He’s not a big, imposing horse but he’s well balanced. He’s a sound horse, obviously. He’s danced a lot of dances. For a horse like this you’ve got to be a Grade I winner to be a Kentucky stallion. That was the reason we brought him back this year. We fully intend, if everything stays on track . . . we’re in the racing business and we love the game. We really think that in 2010, if everything stays on track, we’d love to come back and defend our title in the Stephen Foster.”

            Q: What about the rest of this year?

            “We’re going to try and get the money in the Whitney. We’ll talk to the partners and try to knock out the Jockey Club (Gold Cup) at Belmont and try to get to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

JULIEN LEPAROUX, jockey of EINSTEIN (third as the favorite)

“I’m on the horse to beat, so of course they’re trying to beat me. I had nowhere to go; I just had to wait.  I was in a pretty good spot, but I had nowhere to go.  So I just waited and when he got room at the eighth pole, he finished strong.  He was probably the best horse, but that’s horse racing.  Sometimes you get a tough trip and that’s that.”

HELEN PITTS-BLASI, trainer of EINSTEIN (third as the favorite)

“He ran huge, it was just bad racing luck.  They did all they could to get him beat, but that’s just part of racing I guess.  He gallops out in front.  What can you do?”

-30-

WOOLLEY CHARTS COURSE FOR MINE THAT BIRD: WEST VIRGINIA DERBY AND TRAVERS – Trainer Chip Woolley said Friday morning that the West Virginia Derby (Grade II) at Mountaineer Park would be the next start for Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Mine That Bird.

    “The West Virginia Derby fits our schedule the best and that’s the main thing,” Woolley said. “From there we will go to the Travers with the ultimate goal being the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

    The $750,000-guaranteed West Virginia Derby will be run at 1 1/8 miles at Mountaineer on Aug. 1. The $1 million Shadwell Travers (Grade I) will be run at 1 ¼ miles on Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

    After the Travers, the route to the Breeders’ Cup to be run Nov. 7 at Santa Anita remains uncharted.

    “The Breeders’ Cup is 10 weeks after the Travers,” Woolley said. “He does not need an out on the Pro-Ride. He has been on the artificial and he won four in a row over the synthetic last year at Woodbine. I’d like to fly him in there two or three weeks before and have two breezes over the track, but we can sneak a race in there if we need it.”

    Owned by Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine, Mine That Bird walked the shedrow at Barn 42 on Friday, a day after he returned to the track for the first time since his third-place finish to Summer Bird in last Saturday’s Belmont Stakes (GI).

    “I may jog him Saturday rather than wait until Sunday because he is so fresh,” Woolley said. “I’d rather have him like that than the other way. I may go every other day, because I don’t want him to hurt himself.”

    Woolley had planned to track Mine That Bird one day and then walk two.  He said that Mine That Bird would resume full training next Sunday.

    “That way he would have had two full weeks off,” Woolley said. “We may stay here all the way (before the West Virginia Derby) and then go straight up to Saratoga.”

    Woolley, who has been on crutches since tearing his right leg up in a motorcycle accident this winter, was able to put a shoe on his right foot Thursday.

    “First time I have done that in three months and three weeks since Feb. 22,” Woolley said. “The doctor said I can put 20 to 40 pounds off pressure on it and it feels good to be able to walk a little on it.”

RESEARCHER BEATS THE RAIN IN FIRST DASH AT THE DOWNS – Rutledge Farm’s Researcher beat the rain Thursday upon arriving at Churchill Downs. Now, the question is can he beat seven other rivals in Saturday’s 28th running of the $660,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I).

“We had just unloaded him at the barn at six o’clock when the rain started,” trainer Jeff Runco said. “We didn’t hit any rain at all coming in.”

Listed as the co-third choice at 4-1 on the morning line for the Foster, Researcher shipped in from his home base at Charles Town (W.Va.) for his first venture into Kentucky. Researcher will break from post position five under Calvin Borel, who won the 2006 Stephen Foster aboard longshot Seek Gold.

The Foster will be Researcher’s first start since he won the Charles Town Classic at 1 1/8 miles on April 18 in which he defeated $1.9 million earner Commentator and eight others.  Runco would have preferred a race for Researcher between the Classic and the Foster, but couldn’t find the right spot for the 5-year-old Virginia-bred gelding.

    “There was no race that would fit and then come back here in a timely fashion,” Runco said of Researcher, who has compiled a career record of 17-10-3-2 for earnings of $676,809.  He shipped to New York to win last fall’s Queens County (GII) at Aqueduct.

    Runco, who rode at Churchill Downs but never has saddled a starter as a trainer, explained Researcher’s only off-the-board finishes.

    “The day he ran eighth in his third start, a horse bumped him and he hit the rail and came back with a nasty cut,” Runco said. “In the Stymie (in which Researcher was fifth), he was picking up nine pounds off a layoff and he had to steady two or three times and just flattened out.”

    Researcher has a record of 8-4-3-0 at the Foster distance of 1 1/8 miles.  Although he dodged Thursday’s rain, Runco would not mind seeing some more showers Saturday.

    “He likes the mud,” Runco said. “Two races back when he won by 22, he broke the track record.”

MACHO AGAIN INDICATES HE COULD BE FOSTER FACTOR – After West Point Thoroughbreds’ Macho Again won last year’s Derby Trail, trainer Dallas Stewart told one and all that the colt was sitting on a big effort going into the Preakness (GI).

    Macho Again then ran second to Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, one of the highlights in a year that produced three victories and two seconds from 10 starts and earnings of $731,427.

    Fast forward a year to Saturday’s Stephen Foster Handicap at 1 1/8 miles and there is Macho Again, sitting with two bullet works in his holster.

    “When he is on top of his game, he will show you,” Stewart said. “He has been doing great since the Alysheba and his last two works have been exceptional.”

    A 4-year-old son of Macho Uno, Macho Again has a 4-2-1-0 record at Churchill Downs with his only off-the-board finish coming in the Grade III Alysheba on May 1, when he finished sixth, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by Stephen Foster rival Bullsbay.

    “There was no pace in the race (:48.60 for a half and 1:13.40 for three-quarters), plus it was a mile and a sixteenth,” Stewart said. “He’s better at a mile and an eighth.”

    Macho Again, who won the New Orleans Handicap (GII) earlier this year, will break from post position under Robby Albarado and will carry 117 pounds.

“We’re getting 7 pounds from Einstein,” Stewart said, referring to the likely race favorite and starting high weight. “He’s going to be tough and he’s been looking real good galloping.”

BEAUTICIAN MAY BE FOLLOWING IN BIG HOOFPRINTS – A couple of weeks ago, trainer Ken McPeek called Take Charge Lady “probably my favorite horse that I’ve had.”

    A possible successor to the “Lady” may have been unveiled at Churchill Downs last Friday when Beautician won at first asking in taking a 5 ½-furlong race by 2 lengths in 1:04.71, one of the fastest times of the meet for the distance.

    “She could be any kind of horse,” McPeek said, adding that Beautician could show up in the Debutante (Grade III), a six-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies on June 27.

    Take Charge Lady, who posted a career record of 22-11-7-0 with earnings of $2,480,377, is a daughter of Dehere out of the Rubiano mare Felicita. Beautician is also a daughter of Dehere out of the Rubiano mare Caroni.

    “I picked them both out at Keeneland sales,” said McPeek, who got Take Charge Lady for $175,000 and Beautician for $110,000. “I had that (the breeding) in mind when I got her (Beautician). The two have a lot of the same qualities other than the coloring.”

    Take Charge Lady, who was owned by Select Stable, is a bay and Beautician, owned by Peter Callahan, is a gray/roan.

    The runner-up as the favorite to eventual 3-year-old filly champion Farda Amiga in the 2003 Kentucky Oaks, Take Charge Lady’s wins included Keeneland’s Ashland (GI) and Spinster (GI), and won the latter twice.  She also won the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) and Alcibiades (GII), and scored Grade III wins in the Dogwood, Silverbulletday, and. Arlington Matron.

MILESTONE WATCH – Greg Foley moved closer to the 300-win mark at Churchill Downs on Thursday when he bookended the card with Gerivello in the opener and Speak of Kings in the nightcap. Foley, now with 297 Churchill Downs victories, is third in the trainer standings with 12 victories this spring, He has one horse entered Friday: Valentine Fever in the fourth.

    Trainer David Vance, who has sent out 299 winners at Churchill Downs, is represented by Citizen John in Friday’s seventh race as he bids to become the 11th conditioner with 300 victories at Churchill Downs.

    Trainer Bill Connelly, who has saddled 998 winners in his career, has two horses entered in Friday’s sixth race: Button Dancer and Princesa Marin.

Jockey Calvin Borel, whose two victories Thursday gave him 924 winners in his career at Churchill Downs, is named on eight mounts Friday. He needs one victory to equal Don Brumfield’s total of 925 for second all time at Churchill Downs behind Pat Day (2,482).

WORK TAB – Adele Dilschneider’s Terrain, working toward the Iowa Derby on June 26 at Prairie Meadows, worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 over a track labeled as “good” on Friday morning. The move was the sixth fastest of 27 at the distance.

As trainer Tom Amoss stood in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs following his 300th victory under the historic Twin Spires of the home of the Kentucky Derby, he recalled his first journey to the Louisville track.
    The 47-year-old New Orleans native picked a good day for that first visit.
    “I always, when I started training, aspired to train here at Churchill Downs,” said Amoss.  “My first day of racing at Churchill Downs was the 1979 Kentucky Derby that Spectacular Bid won.  I was a senior in high school and I came up with (fellow trainer) Al Stall and his family.  That morning, the morning of the race, I rode (trainer) Frank Brothers’ pony on the track. I always thought it would be wonderful to train here one day.”
    Amoss made it to Louisville and Thursday’s milestone win in the fifth race with Maggi Moss’ McGlamery Road made him just the ninth trainer in Churchill Downs history to achieve 300 victories at the track.  The eight who preceded him are: Bill Mott (615 wins), D. Wayne Lukas (466), Dale Romans (460), Bernie Flint (411), Jack Van Berg (335), Angel Montano Sr. (319), Steve Asmussen (314) and Forrest Kaelin (309).
    “I’m very proud it and I’m very proud for my staff,” Amoss said.  “These guys have all been with me a long time. Anybody that comes to the barn sees the same faces and I really feel we did it together.  It’s a good deal for everybody.”
    Among those 300 wins are a couple of personal highlights.  Amoss ranks last spring’s victory by Moss’ Indian Chant in the Aristides (GIII) at the top of that roster.
    “That was a wonderful win,” Amoss said.  “That’s something that was really exciting to me and to the staff.  That and maybe Lone Star Sky’s (2002) Bashford Manor (Grade III) win.  Those two are the ones that quickly come to mind.”
    Amoss, who won last year’s Spring Meet training crown to go with an earlier spring crown he earned in 2002, has 36 horses in training at Churchill Downs.  His horses have run well at the meet with a record of 4-7-3 in 19 starts entering Friday’s 10-race program – an in-the-money rate of 74 percent.  His win total is tied for third in the “leading trainer” race behind co-leaders Steve Asmussen and Wesley Ward, each of whom has six wins heading into Friday’s racing at Churchill Downs.
    Along with his success at Churchill Downs, Amoss has enjoyed tremendous success at Fair Grounds in his hometown of New Orleans.  Amoss has exactly 800 wins at Churchill Downs’ sister track in the Crescent City.

STEWART AIMS MACHO AGAIN TO GRADE I STEPHEN FOSTER – West Point Thorughbreds’ Macho Again came out of a disappointing fifth-place finish in the $150,000-added Alysheba (GIII) on Kentucky Oaks Day in good shape and is now being pointed toward the $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (GI), the track’s top race for older horses on Saturday, June 13.
    The Dallas Stewart-trained runner-up to Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) Big Brown in the 2008 Preakness (GI) was favored in the Alysheba following an impressive win over a “sloppy” track in the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap (GII) at Fair Grounds on March 14.  But he was far back early behind a slow pace in the 1 1/16-mile Alysheba and was never contention, although he did close ground late to finished just 4 1/2 lengths behind the victorious Bullsbay.
    But Stewart liked what he saw when the son of Macho Uno returned to serious training on May 11 with a half-mile work in :49 over a “fast” local surface.  
    “He’s doing good,” Stewart said.  “He was probably up against it with the pace last time.  He ran well and was coming on, and maybe a little more distance will help him out. He’s ready to roll.”
    The 1 1/8-mile Foster is expected to attracted two-time Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) winner Einstein, the runner-up to two-time “Horse of the Year” Curlin in the 2008 Stephen Foster.
    The Alysheba marked the first time in four starts that Macho Again had finished worse than second at Churchill Downs.  He scored an emphatic 5 ½-length victory in his career debut here in late October of 2007 and notched an upset victory in last year’s Derby Trial prior to his outstanding run in the Preakness.  His other loss here was a narrow defeat to eventual Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) winner Monba in an allowance race that followed his maiden win in the fall of his 2-year-old season.
    Macho Again’s career slate stands at 5-4-0 in 17 races with earnings of $1,078,323.  His New Orleans ‘Cap win is his only victory in three 2009 starts.
    Stewart has never won the Stephen Foster Handicap, but did saddle Dollar Bill for a runner-up finish behind Godolphin’s Street Cry in 2002.

SPICE ROUTE TOPS WEIGHT ASSIGNMENTS FOR LOUISVILLE HANDICAP, BRASS HAT PROBABLE STARTING HIGH WEIGHT – Spice Route, winner of Keeneland’s Elkhorn (GIII) in his most recent start and the runner-up to Marsh Side in last fall’s Canadian International (GI) at Woodbine, has been assigned high weight of 121 for next Saturday’s 72nd running of the $100,000-added Louisville Handicap (GIII) at Churchill Downs.
    Co-owned by Harlequin Stable, Ralph Johnson and trainer Roger Attfield, the 5-year-old son of King’s Best is not considered a likely starter in the 1 ½-mile race over the Matt Winn Turf Course, but would concede from three to 11 pounds to the 27 other horses nominated to the race.
    Veteran Better Talk Now, winner of the 2004 John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf (GI) at Lone Star Park, and Churchill Downs-based veteran Brass Hat, winner of the 2006 Donn Handicap (GI) at Gulstream Park and runner-up in that year’s $5 million Dubai World Cup (GI) before being disqualified for a medication violation, were weighted at 118 pounds by Churchill Downs Racing Secretary Ben Huffman.
    Brass Hat, an 8-year-old gelding owned and bred by Fred Bradley and trained by Bradley’s son William “Buff” Bradley, is scheduled to run in the Louisville and is expected to be its starting high weight.  He finished a late-running third to Spice Route in the Elkhorn and prior to that was a fast-closing fifth to Proudinsky in the Mervin Muniz Jr. Handicap (GII) at Fair Grounds.
    The son of Prized closed strongly off a very slow pace to finish fourth to Lattice in last year’s running of the Louisville.
    Others considered likely for the race include Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Furthest Land, a 4-year-old Smart Strike gelding won finished eighth to Einstein in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI), and Kim and John Glenney’s Transduction Gold, who was assigned 114 pounds.
    
BARN NOTES – Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel will not be adding to his milestone victory total for a couple of days as he has traveled to Pimlico to ride Kentucky Oaks (GI) winner Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness.  Borel became only the fourth rider to win 900 races in the 135-year history of Churchill Downs to win 900 races when he piloted Patton’s Creek Farm’s War Eagle Lady to a 14 ¾-length romp in Thursday’s sixth race.  Borel, who won Fall Meet riding titles at Churchill Downs in 1999 and 2006, ranks fourth in total wins at the track and trails only retired Hall of Famers Pat Day (2,482 wins) and Don Brumfield (925) and active veteran Larry Melancon (907).  The 42-year-old native of St. Martin, La. will return to Churchill Downs on Sunday. … Also out of town on Friday and Saturday to ride in Preakness weekend races at Pimlico are leading rider Julien Leparoux and Jamie Theriot, who ranks second in the Spring Meet standings. Robby Albarado, sixth in the standings heading into Friday’s racing, will ride at Pimlico on Saturday. … Leparoux had a pair of wins on Thursday to increase his lead over Theriot in the early stages of the battle for the Spring Meet’s leading jockey to 22-16. … With no live racing on Wednesdays for the remainder of the Spring Meet, Churchill Downs will offer free general admission for ITW simulcast wagering on Wednesdays through the remainder of the Spring Meet. … Secret Gypsy, winner of the Distaff (GII) at Aqueduct but last of nine to Informed Decision in the Humana Distaff (GI) on Derby Day, breezed four furlongs over a “good” track in :49.20 on Friday.  It was the first work for trainer Ronny Werner’s 4-year-old daughter of Sea of Secrets since her disappointing Derby Day outing.
    
ENJOY THE PREAKNESS SIMULCAST ON SATURDAY AT CHURCHILL DOWNS – Churchill Downs will take on a Pimlico-feel for a simulcast of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, complete with yellow, white and black bunting and flowers and live Dixieland and Big Band music.
Fans will get a choice of a free Mine That Bird or Rachel Alexandra button while supplies last in the paddock area. Also, Black-Eyed Susan specialty drinks and coastal food specials will be sold at select locations throughout the facility. And between races in the paddock area, the “World’s Largest Black-Eyed Susan” will be on display, and select customers will get a chance to compete in “Crab Races” – they’ll be in costumes dressed as crabs – with the final scheduled for later in the day on the Matt Winn Turf Course.
Post time for Churchill Downs’ Preakness simulcast is 6:15 p.m. (all times EDT)
Early arrivals to Churchill Downs on Preakness Stakes Day can take part in the new “Get in the Game” Handicapping Seminar that will feature informative and in-depth analysis of races and handicapping topics. Churchill Downs racing analyst Jill Byrne hosts the seminar each week and will be joined Saturday by jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.   The seminar is held paddock area at 11:45 a.m. (note: event will be held in the ITW area on the second floor of the clubhouse if there is inclement weather).

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES IN CHURCHILL DOWNS’  JUNIOR JOCKEY CLUB –  Decorating paper horses highlight this weekend’s activities at Churchill Downs’ Junior Jockey Club located near the Guest Services Booth inside Gate. 10. Coloring books, crayons, individual games and reading material are available as well, and Churchill Downs’ mascot Churchill Charlie will be on hand both Saturday and Sunday for photographs between 2-2:30 p.m. The Junior Jockey Club, designed for children age 3-10, is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

PREAKNESS CONTENDERS RACHEL ALEXANDRA, PIONEEROF THE NILE DEPART CHURCHILL DOWNS FOR BALTIMORE – The exodus of Churchill Downs-based contenders for Saturday’s 134th running of the $1 million Preakness (Grade I) was completed on Wednesday when major contenders Rachel Alexandra and Pioneerof the Nile stepped onto separate vans around 12:30 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday for the short trip to Louisville International Airport for their flight to Baltimore.
    Those major players figure to be the top two betting choices in Saturday’s second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown.  Post positions for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness will be drawn this afternoon at Pimlico.
    Kentucky Oaks (GI) winner Rachel Alexandra, running for the first time for new owners Stonestreet Stables and Harold T. McCormick, was led from the barn of new trainer Steve Asmussen to her waiting van by assistant trainer Scott Blasi.  She had galloped and stood briefly in the starting gate on her final morning of training before traveling to take on the boys in the Preakness.
    Assistant Jim Barnes accompanied Zayat Stables LLC’s Pioneerof the Nile, runner-up to Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and winner of the Santa Anita Derby (GI), to his van.  The son of Empire Maker also galloped and spent a little time standing in the starting gate on his final morning of Preakness preparations at Churchill Downs.
    Also leaving Churchill Downs for the flight to Baltimore was Adele Dilschneider’s Terrain, the fourth place finisher in the Toyota Blue Grass (GI) and third in the Louisiana Derby (GII) for trainer Al Stall Jr.
    Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach’s Mine That Bird traveled to Baltimore in trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley’s horse trailer on Tuesday.  Also making the trip to Pimlico by van on Tuesday were owner-trainer Tom McCarthy’s Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) winner General Quarters, who finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby, and the D. Wayne Lukas-trained duo of Flying Private, last of 19 in the Kentucky Derby, and Marylou Whitney’s Luv Gov, who notched his first career victory in Churchill Downs maiden race on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

‘CANDYMAN’ READY FOR CHURCHILL DOWNS RETURN – A lot has happened to Joseph Rauch and David Zell’s Capt. Candyman Can since he stamped himself as one of the top 2-year-olds on the grounds – and in the country – during the Fall Meet at Churchill Downs.
    After a win in the Iroquois Stakes (GIII) and a gritty third-place run in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) over this track, trainer Ian Wilkes gave the Candy Ride gelding the opportunity to prove himself as a candidate for the Kentucky Derby.  The first step, a victory in the seven-furlong Hutcheson (GII) at Gulfstream Park, was promising, but he faltered in a fourth-place run behind Quality Road in the one-mile Fountain of Youth (GII) over the same track.  The latter convinced Wilkes that 1 ¼ miles on the first Saturday in May was not the goal that Capt. Candyman Can should pursue.
    “Seven furlongs, I think, is the max he wants to go,” Wilkes said.  
    Capt. Candyman Can returned to form, and to the national racing consciousness, with a sharp victory in the seven-furlong Bay Shore (GIII) at Aqueduct.  On Saturday he’ll be back at the seven-furlong distance when he starts as the likely favorite in the $100,000-added Matt Winn Stakes for 3-year-olds over his home track at Churchill Downs.
    Wilkes said the Bay Shore was a big step for Capt. Candyman Can, who is being pointed toward a run in the seven-furlong King’s Bishop (GI) this summer at Saratoga.
    “He’s got a lot of talent,” Wilkes said.  “The win was good just to prove that we were doing the right thing with him in taking him back short.”
    With Capt Candyman Can’s focus back on one-turn distances, the Matt Winn – which is being run for the second time at seven furlongs – was a natural spot for Wilkes’ young star.
    “I don’t have to ship him, that’s the good thing about it,” Wilkes said.  “We’re in our own backyard, he likes this track and it’s worked out perfect.”
    Capt. Candyman Can tuned up for the Matt Winn with a sharp five-furlong work in 1:00.60 on Monday, the second-fastest of 19 works at the distance that day.  The steady gelding brings a record of 4-0-1 in seven races and earnings of $344,145 into Saturday’s Matt Winn.

VETERAN SILVERFOOT GEARS UP FOR ANOTHER CAMPAIGN – When the $100,000-added Louisville Handicap (GIII) is run over the Memorial Day holiday weekend at Churchill Downs, do not expect the veteran Silverfoot to be among those who enter the starting gate for the 1 ½-mile turf test.
    But just because Chrysalis Stables LLC’s gray – now nearly white – campaigner will not be competing in his favorite race should not be interpreted as a sign that the now 9-year-old son of With Approval will not be chasing lofty goals this year.
    Silverfoot, winner of three consecutive runnings of the Louisville Handicap from 2004-06 and fifth behind the victorious Lattice a year ago, is just gearing up for a campaign that will span the final six months of 2009.  He worked a solid six furlongs around the dogs on the Matt Winn Turf Course on Tuesday in 1:16.80, and trainer Dallas Stewart likes what he sees in the old boy.
    “He’s doing great,” Stewart said. “He’s nine years old.  We’re just going to give him steady workouts for the rest of the month and sometime in mid-June he’ll be ready.”
    Silverfoot managed only one win in 10 starts in 2008, but that was a victory in the $175,000 Stars and Stripes (GIII) at Arlington Park.  He finished a good fourth to the front-running Spirit One in the Arlington Million (GI) and was beaten just 2 ½ lengths by the winner in that important race.
    “He ran really well in the Stars and Stripes, and had a bad trip in the Arlington Million,” Stewart said.  “So that’s kind of the schedule we’re looking at, hoping we’ll have him back on target for that this year.”
    After those good efforts at Arlington Park in 2008, Silverfoot ended his season with a fourth-place run as the favorite in the Kentucky Cup Turf (GIII) at the all-turf Kentucky Downs and a fifth-place finish behind Always First in Keeneland’s Elkhorn (GIII).
    “We give him a break every year – every year he gets a couple of months off,” Stewart said.  “After the Kentucky Cup and the Keeneland race, we just turned him out.  But he’s sound.”
    Silverfoot has a career record of 10-1-2 in 34 races and has earned $909,515.  He has won five of seven races over the Churchill Downs turf.

Zayat Stables' Thorn Song and Patricia Cunningham and Melissa Green, Lessee's Einstein, the one-two finishers in Friday's $200,000-added Firecracker Handicap (GII), were reported to be doing well Saturday morning by their connections.

"He came out of the race good," trainer Dale Romans said of Thorn Song, who gave Romans his third stakes victory of the meet, a total matched only by Steve Asmussen.

Romans will go for his fourth stakes win on Sunday when he sends out Jacks or Better Farm's Bayou's Lassie in the Locust Grove Handicap (GIII). Bayou's Lassie gave Romans one of his earlier stakes victories when she took the Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (GIII) on Derby Day.

Romans stands fifth in the trainer standings with 17 wins, far below his average since 2000 of 29 during the Spring Meet. However, he has more seconds (27) and thirds (24) than any trainer at the meet.

"It hasn't been all that bad," said Romans, whose lowest spring total this decade was 18 wins in 2000. "We have won three stakes and the money's been good."

Trainer Helen Pitts said that Einstein was "ticked off that he lost. He hates to get beat."

Einstein is being pointed to the Aug. 9 Arlington Million (GI) at a mile and a quarter. The Firecracker was run at a mile and Thorn Song took the field wire to wire.

"The scratches (of Inca King and A.P. Xcellent) killed us," Pitts said. "But he ran good and got a piece of it. We've got five weeks now (until the Million) and he comes back at a distance he likes."

MILESTONES MAY AWAIT LUKAS, BOREL ON SATURDAY - Hall of Fame trainer and four-time Kentucky Derby (GI) winner D. Wayne Lukas, bearing down on career victory 4,500, has three horses entered on Saturday's card.. Should Lukas not hit the milestone on Saturday, he will have four more chances on Sunday.

Sixth all-time in victories among North American trainers, Lukas' career total stood at 4,498 victories heading into Saturday's races at Churchill Downs.

Jockey Calvin Borel boosted his career win total to 4,496 on Friday's Independence Day card by riding two winners. Borel is named on nine mounts Saturday as he attempts to become the 34th North American rider to reach 4,500 victories.

Carl Pollard's Minewander finished eighth in Friday's eighth race, denying trainer David Vance the opportunity to become the 22nd North American trainer to reach 3,000 victories. Vance has no horses entered Saturday, but two on Sunday.

Vance's Sunday runners are Citizen John in the fourth and Northeast Harbor in the seventh. Both are owned by Pollard, with whom Vance teamed to score the biggest victory of his career: the 2000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) with Caressing at Churchill Downs. The duo also teamed to win Churchill Downs' Humana Distaff (GI) in 2005 with My Trusty Cat.

WHIRLIE BERTIE READY TO MAKE THE NEXT STEP - Richard, Bertram and Elaine Klein's Whirlie Bertie ran her win streak to three - all during the Churchill Downs Spring Meet - with a 1 ¾-length victory in Friday's eighth race. The victory has the Kleins and trainer Steve Margolis eagerly looking ahead.

"This is a nice filly," Margolis said. "We are thinking about the Monmouth Oaks (a Grade III event on Aug. 9) or maybe the Alabama (at Saratoga on Aug. 16). One is five weeks and one is six."

Whirlie Bertie got in to Friday's non-winners of three lifetime allowance test when the mile and a sixteenth race was moved to the main track.

"If she had not run yesterday, we had nominated her to the Serena's Song, a small stake at Monmouth on July 13," Margolis said.

In winning her first two starts at Churchill Downs, Whirlie Bertie had scored in wire-to-wire fashion. On Friday, she stalked the pace under Shaun Bridgmohan and then repulsed several challenges in the stretch.

"She got a little hot in the paddock, but once we put the saddle on her, she was OK," Margolis said. "The thing I liked was how she responded when challenged. In her other two races, she won as she pleased, but yesterday Shaun put her in a good spot and when Neil's horse (Highest Class trained by Neil Howard) came to her, she took off again.

"Her dam (Grade II winner De Bertie) was a dead closer and Bert thought she would be like that. But she has tactical speed ... that's the Stormin Fever ... and that's a big advantage."

A run at the Alabama would offer the Kleins a chance at some Saratoga redemption. In 2002, their Allamerican Bertie set the pace in the mile and a quarter event before being collared in deep stretch by Kentucky Oaks (GI) winner and eventual 3-year-old filly champion Farda Amiga, who won by three-quarters of a length.

ALBARADO, AMOSS OPEN BREATHING ROOM IN RACES FOR TOP RIDER, TRAINER - Jockey Robby Albarado opened a little breathing room in his quest for his first riding title at Churchill Downs with a victory aboard Forest Command in Friday's ninth race.

Albarado's nearest competitor, Miguel Mena, was blanked on Friday's card and enters Saturday's 11-race program trailing Albarado 68-63. Both riders have 10 mounts each on Saturday's card, while on Sunday, Mena has 10 mounts to Albarado's seven.

Albarado, a finalist for the 2007 Eclipse Award for America's top jockey, has perennially been one of Churchill Downs' top jockeys since his arrival at the historic track in 1996, but has never won riding crown under the Twin Spires.

Tom Amoss increased his lead over Steve Asmussen to 32-29 in the race for leading trainer with the victory by Cactus Conie in Friday's third race. However, it may not have been the knockout punch Amoss was seeking from his four Friday entrants on a day when Asmussen and Ken McPeek (with 26 wins) had only one starter each.

Asmussen has seven entrants and McPeek six on Saturday's card; Amoss has two. On Sunday's closing 11-race program, Asmussen has seven entrants; Amoss and McPeek three each.

BARN TALK - Trainer Dallas Stewart was all smiles Saturday morning after Silverfoot's victory in the Grade III Stars and Stripes on Friday at Arlington Park. The victory snapped a 10-race losing streak for the 8-year-old gelding that dated back to the 2006 Louisville Handicap, which he won for the third time. "The White Horse!," Stewart exclaimed. "He has been training like a winner all along and doing the right things. He had just been a victim of paceless races with :51 and :52 halves." On Friday Silverfoot, owned by Chrysalis Stables, got a :49.40 half-mile pace and rallied to score a two-length victory. ... Running last in the Stars and Stripes as the favorite was Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm's Lattice, trained by Al Stall Jr. "He vanned all night back to Keeneland and we'll go over and check him out," Stall said. "Julien (jockey Julien Leparoux) said he didn't have any horse." ... Bill Troilo's victory in Friday's nightcap aboard Who Done That gave the 47-year-old native of Philadelphia his 255th career win at Churchill Downs. That ties him with Craig Perret for 19th all time. Lurking right behind with 252 victories at Churchill Downs is Julien Leparoux, who is riding Pure Clan for trainer Bob Holthus in Saturday's American Oaks Invitational (GI) at Hollywood Park. Leparoux is scheduled back for closing day on Sunday when he is named on nine mounts on the 11-race card. ... Kent Desormeaux's victory aboard Thorn Song in the Firecracker Handicap was his 15th stakes victory at Churchill Downs, a total that includes three Kentucky Derby victories (Real Quiet, 1998; Fusaichi Pegasus, 2000; Big Brown, 2008). It also was the 4,496th victory of his Hall of Fame career. A total of 22 North American riders have reached the 5,000-win plateau.

WORK TAB - Zayat Stables' Eaton's Gift, winner of the Grade II Swale Stakes this winter, worked a half-mile over a "good" track in :49.20 for trainer Dale Romans. ... Racecar Rhapsody, fourth in the Preakness (GI) in his most recent start, worked five furlongs in 1:03 for trainer Ken McPeek. Other 3-year-olds working for McPeek were Miller Cradle winner Old Man Buck and Colonial Turf Cup (GIII) runner-up Nistle's Crunch, who both worked six furlongs in 1:13.20.

 

2008 SPRING MEET LEADERS

Through Friday, July 4

 

Jockeys Starts 1-2-3

Robby Albarado 271 68-43-37

Miguel Mena 346 63-48-49

Julien Leparoux 298 54-55-49

Jamie Theriot 275 48-37-38

Calvin Borel 285 47-42-38

Shaun Bridgmohan 215 43-40-28

Jesus Castanon 260 28-28-31

Corey Lanerie 220 19-31-29

Brian Hernandez Jr. 193 17-29-20

John McKee 150 14-21-20

Trainers

Tom Amoss 82 32-15-13

Steve Asmussen 133 29-24-19

Ken McPeek 79 26-13-10

Mike Maker 66 20-13-9

Dale Romans 143 17-27-24

Ian Wilkes 52 16-13-7

Eddie Kenneally 63 12-10-10

Paul J. McGee 52 12-8-6

Cody Autrey 56 10-9-11

Greg Foley 66 10-9-9

D. Wayne Lukas 60 10-2-5

Four (4) trainers tied at nine (9) wins

Owners

Ken and Sarah Ramsey 67 19-10-13

Maggi Moss 32 13-7-5

Zayat Stables, LLC 53 9-12-11

Richard, Elaine & Bert Klein 38 8-7-7

Jay Em Ess Stable 23 6-4-2

Heflin & Driver Racing 29 5-5-6

Heiligbrodt Racing Stable 17 5-1-0

Six (6) owners tied at four (4) wins