Team Valor

Sagamore Farm’s Humble and Hungry swept to the lead in midstretch and cruised to a 1 1/4-length victory over Wilkinson to win the eighth running of the $111,200 Commonwealth Turf (Grade III) for 3-year-olds at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Ignacio Correas IV and ridden by Jose Lezcano, Humble and Hungry was content to race in fourth place in the field of seven as Live in Joy led the field through fractions of :23.53, :48.49 and 1:14.15 over a yielding Matt Winn Turf Course.

Leaving the far turn, Lezcano swung Humble and Hungry four wide and easily moved past Live in Joy, Perregaux and Silver Medallion and was geared down by Lezcano as he cruised to the finish line.

Humble and Hungry, a Kentucky-bred son of Limehouse out of the Langfuhr mare Cukee, ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.24.  The victory was worth $67,567 and increased the winner’s bankroll to $168,727 with a record of 2-3-4 in 10 races.In his only previous start at Churchill Downs, Humble and Hungry had finished eighth behind Team Valor’s Pluck in last fall’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (GII).  Pluck had been  scheduled to run in the Commonwealth Turf, but was a late scratch from what would have been his first race since early April.

Humble and Hungry returned mutuels of $24.60, $7.20 and $3. Wilkinson, ridden by Garrett Gomez, returned $4.40 and $2.80 with Silver Medallion finishing third another half-length back under John Velazquez and paying $2.80 to show.

Completing the field in order were Perregaux, Salto (IRE), Chalice and Live in Joy.  Along with Pluck, late scratches from the Commonwealth Turf included Twinspired, Suntracer and also-eligibles Will’s Wildcat, Fleet Beat and Friends Place. 

The 28^th Breeders’ Cup World Championships begin their two-day, 15-race run Friday with six championship races. First post time for the 10-race program is 2 p.m. (ET) with the first Breeders’ Cup race, the Sentient Jet Juvenile Sprint, scheduled for 4:10 p.m.

COMMONWEALTH TURF QUOTES

Jose Lezcano, jockey of Humble and Hungry (winner) – “The horses in front of us were going at a pretty good pace for how soft the turf was today. We were able to wait and then I asked him at the quarter pole and I knew he was going to win. He really took off the final sixteenth of a mile. I think he really liked the soft going.”

Bob Feld, representative of Sagamore Farm, owner of Humble and Hungry (winner) – “He was super impressive. Rarely do you see a horse win geared down like that in a Grade III. (Jose) Lezcano suggested that we take the blinkers off and that helped and he also got the perfect trip. This is a huge move forward and could be a turning point in his career.”

Olivier Peslier, jockey of Salto-IRE (fifth as beaten 2-1 favorite) – “He started just OK and we had to stay behind horses early on. When we got to the top of the stretch, he just couldn’t accelerate.”

Team Valor International’s Pluck, winner of last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Grade II) at Churchill Downs, returns to the races at the Louisville track Thursday after a nearly seven-month layoff when he faces nine rivals in the eighth running of the $100,000-added Commonwealth Turf (GIII) for 3-year-olds.

The Commonwealth Turf, run at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course and won last year by Yankee Fourtune, will be the 11th race on Thursday’s 12-race program with an approximate post time of 5:43 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post time for the Thursday card is 12:40 p.m.

Sidelined because of bruised cannon bones after running seventh in the Transylvania (GIII) at Keeneland in April, Pluck has won three of six starts on the grass and has career earnings of $727,290. Julien Leparoux has the riding assignment on Pluck, who will break from post position two under 118 pounds for trainer Graham Motion.

Shouldering top weight of 120 pounds will be Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Live in Joy. Winner of the Capital City at Penn National in July, Live in Joy will break from the rail under Joel Rosario in his Churchill Downs debut for trainer Wayne Catalano.

The field for the Commonwealth Turf, from the inside out, is as follows: Live in Joy (Rosario, 120 pounds), Pluck (Leparoux, 118), Silver Medallion (John Velazquez, 118), Perregaux (Edgar Prado, 118), Twinspired (Paco Lopez, 118), Wilkinson (Garrett Gomez, 118), Humble and Hungry (Jose Lezcano, 118), Suntracer (Robby Albarado, 118), Chalice (Javier Castellano, 118) and Salto (IRE) (Olivier Peslier, 118). Also eligibles: Will’s Wildcat (Calvin Borel, 118), Fleet Beat (Jesus Castanon, 118) and Friends Place (Albarado, 118).

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).

Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and Team Valor International and Gary Barber’s undefeated Hull ran his winning streak to three with a four-length victory over Kensei in the 85th running of the $112,000 Derby Trial (Grade III) on opening day of the 52-day Churchill Downs Spring Meet.

Trained by Dale Romans, who posted his 20th career stakes victory at Churchill Downs, Hull swept past dueling leaders Silver City and Checklist at the head of the lane and then repulsed a late bid by Kensei, who was ridden by Robby Albarado.

Ridden by Miguel Mena, who scored his second career Churchill Downs stakes victory, Hull returned mutuels of $8.80, $5.40 and $4.40. Kensei, owned by Stonestreet Stables and Gulf Coast Racing, paid $13.80 and $7.40 in finishing 1 ¾ lengths ahead of  Starlight Partners’ Checklist, who held third over Rendezvous by a half-length under Shaun Bridgmohan, paying $9 to show.

Silver City and Checklist dueled through fractions of :21.78 and :44.29 with Hull racing three-wide just off the pace. Mena pulled even with the leading duo midway around the final turn and began opening daylight on Checklist as the field straightened for the wire.

Completing the field in order were favored Silver City, Gato Go Win, Santana Six and Tintim Por Tintim.  Time for the 7 ½ furlongs over a track rated “fast” was 1:30.21.

A Kentucky-bred son of Holy Bull out of the Chimes Band mare Band Queen, Hull’s victory was worth $67,357 and increased his career earnings to $107,800.

DERBY TRIAL STAKES QUOTES

DALE ROMANS (trainer of first-place finisher Hull) – “I loved what I saw out there today. He relaxed off the pace, and when the rider asked him to run, he really exploded. He’s as good as anybody around right now. He’s opened up in all three of his races. We entered in the Lexington but we had this race as our backup. Everything had to be perfect if he ran in that race (Lexington), because he was coming back so soon after the Turfway race (on April 2), and when he drew post 12, we didn’t hesitate to scratch him and point for this. We’ll take a look and see what happens in the Derby, who goes on from there and who doesn’t. The Preakness is a possibility for him right now.”

MIGUEL MENA (rider of first-place finisher Hull) – “It went great. There were really fast fractions, but he broke good and was in the bridle happy. I didn’t take to take him back and break his momentum.”

On handling the fast fractions and finishing:
“It’s just unbelievable. Not any horse can do it – only special horses.”

On how far Hull might be able to run:
“I breeze him in the morning and think he can run any distance.”

ROBBY ALBARADO (jockey of second-place finisher Kensei) – “I had a good trip. I was right in there behind the horse who was the eventual winner. We both kicked at the same time. He kicked away from me. The winner is a nice horse, but I like my horse, too.”

JULIEN LEPAROUX (jockey of fifth-place finisher and favored Silver City) – “He came away good and he ran hard early. He just got tired. That’s all.”