Temple Street

Hall of Fame trainer D Wayne Lukas suffered through a miserable fall here last year, failing to win a race from 34 starters.
    What a difference six months and a barn full of precocious 2-year-olds can make.
    “We are coming around,” Lukas said Saturday morning, a day after Westrock Stables, LLC’s Soundman ran the fastest 4 ½ furlongs of the meet (:51.40) in breaking his maiden by 7 ¾ lengths. “That’s three in a row I have won for them.”
    The Westrock explosion began May 14 when Decelerator, a Dehere filly, won at first asking covering five furlongs in a meet-best :57.73. Tidal Pool, a daughter of Yankee Gentleman, won in her second outing on Thursday going 4 ½ furlongs and then Soundman, a son of Songandaprayer, won in his second start on Friday.
    All three were purchased at auction in February. Decelerator cost $250,000, Soundman $240,000 and Tidal Pool $220,000.
    But that is just the tip of the iceberg for Lukas, who has 13 babies purchased last year as part of 39 bought last year by Legends Racing and divided among Lukas and fellow Hall of Famers Nick Zito and Bob Baffert.
    “All 13 Legends horses are here,” Lukas said. “And they are good, too.”
    
TEMPLE STREET MAKES THE HUGE JUMP FROM CLAIMER TO GRADE I PLACED – Little did trainer Brad Cox know what a bargain he was getting last fall when he claimed Temple Street for $15,000 out of a non-winners-of-three lifetime race for the K.C. Garrett Farm at Churchill Downs.
    “She had run a good race the time before we claimed her,” Cox said. “We thought she would like the dirt more than the Polytrack.”
    Bingo!
    Since joining the Cox barn, Temple Street has run six times with two victories, three seconds and a third, highlighted by a runner-up finish to Informed Decision in the Grade I Humana Distaff on Kentucky Derby Day.
    “She ran OK at Turfway Park, but her (Beyer) number fell off a little bit,” Cox said of Temple Street’s first start for the barn. Then the 5-year-old Street Cry mare headed to Oaklawn Park for the winter and began a partnership with jockey Jon Court.
    “The first time Jon rode her, I told him to ride the first half of the race like it’s a mile and a half turf race and the second half like it’s a 2-year-old going a quarter-mile out of the gate,” Cox said. “Jon knows her like the back of his hand. She really likes the dirt and is a come-from-behind sprinter.”
    Temple Street jumps back into graded stakes company on Monday’s Memorial Day program when she faces six rivals in the sixth running of the $100,000-added Winning Colors (Grade III) at six furlongs.
    “My worry in a small field is you won’t get a fast pace,” Cox said. “But I think there is enough speed in there with Keep the Peace and Dubai Majesty and maybe Lady Chace. I’d like to see a lot of pace, like 21 and 44. The long stretch here is perfect for her.”
 
LEPAROUX MAKING SHAMBLES OF RACE FOR LEADING RIDER – Steve Bass, agent for jockey Julien Leparoux was back in the heavy-duty donut delivery business Saturday morning, a day after Leparoux rode five winners from eight mounts on the Friday afternoon card at Churchill Downs.
    “Thirteen dozen this morning,” Bass said as he made his backstretch rounds.
    The five-win day was the third at Churchill Downs for Leparoux, who also has a six-win day and a seven-win day, the latter coming last Nov. 11. One of his winners on his seven-victory day, Yikes, accounted for his first victory Friday.
    His record-equaling seven-win day helped propel Leparoux past Hall of Famer Pat Day for most wins for a Fall Meet (63), which shattered Day’s record by eight.
    The overall record for Spring Meet wins is the 169 winners piloted by Day in an extended 93-day meet in 1983. Leparoux has 32 winners through 19 days of the 45-day meet and a 12-win lead over his closest pursuer, Miguel Mena.  He won’t come close to Day’s all-time record, but has a shot at the record of a Spring Meet of similar length.  That would be the 78 winners piloted by Day in a 47-day meet in 1999.

MILESTONE WATCH – Robby Albarado was blanked on five mounts Friday and remains at 3,996 career wins entering Saturday’s card. Albarado has 10 mounts Saturday and seven on Sunday.  He will ride at Lone Star Park on Monday.
    Trainer Ken McPeek, with 999 career wins, has one runner entered today, Millennium Lakes in the 11th. Should the milestone victory elude McPeek today, he has one Churchill Downs entrant on Sunday – Cobbler’s Reef in the seventh – and two on Monday: Rocket Zee in the fifth and Old Man Buck in the eighth.
Trainer Bill Connelly, with 998 career wins, has one runner entered at Churchill Downs today, It’s a Rap in the third. Connelly’s next Churchill Downs entrant is Button Dancer in the third race on Monday.

BARN TALK – Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird galloped two miles before the renovation break under exercise rider Charlie Figueroa on Saturday morning. Trainer Chip Woolley plans to work Mine That Bird on Monday. Kentucky Oaks and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra galloped before the renovation break under exercise rider Dominic Terry. Rachel Alexandra is scheduled to work Monday.
 Clarence Scharbauer Jr.’s  Indygo Mountain, who stamped himself as a possible Kentucky Derby contender with an impressive maiden score here last Nov. 19,  is back in training after being sidelined since February with a chip in his knee. “He just came back in training last week,” said Dennis “Peaches” Geier, assistant to trainer Bret Calhoun. “We are going to take our time with him and it will be a while (before he works).”
A happy birthday on Saturday to trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi. Pitts-Blasi plans to work Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (Grade I) winner Einstein a half-mile on Sunday morning, the first of three scheduled works leading up to the $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I) on June 13.
    Nominations close today for the 33rd running of the $100,000-added Early Times Mint Julep (Grade III) to be run on June 6. The race is for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/16th miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course. Champion Dreaming of Anna won last year’s renewal of the race.

WORK TAB (Track: FAST)  – Derby Trial (Grade III) winner Hull worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 for trainer Dale Romans in preparation for Woody Stephens (GII) on June 6 at Belmont Park. The move by the undefeated Hull was the second best of 19 at the distance over a fast track. Rainbow Miss winner Affirmed Truth, prepping for the May 30 Dogwood (GIII), worked five furlongs in 1:02.60, ninth best of 19, for trainer Tim Ice.

GENERAL ELECTRIC PARTNERS WITH CHURCHILL FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND GIVEAWAY – Churchill Downs has partnered with General Electric to giveaway GE stainless steel products in an on-track sweepstakes offer over the three-day Memorial Day weekend  A prize drawing will be held each day after the seventh race and one daily winner will take home their choice of a new refrigerator, range, dishwasher or microwave oven, courtesy of GE. Registration for the drawings will take place at a tent in the paddock area, where the first 5,000 entrants each day will receive a free koozie.
Sunday, May 24 is “GE Day at the Races” at Churchill Downs. Employees of General Electric who show their employee ID badge at Gate 10 will receive complimentary admission for themselves and their guests, as well as reserved seating in either Sections 115-116 or Millionaires’ Row 6.

JUNIOR JOCKEY CLUB ACTIVITIES FOR MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY – Churchill Downs’ Junior Jockey Club for children 3-10 will be open for all three days of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Special activities between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (all times EDT) include decorating “Triple Crowns” on Saturday and Sunday, and outdoor games on Monday. The Junior Jockey Club is 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 each day for photographs between 2-2:30 p.m.

NO LIVE RACING TUESDAY-THURSDAY, FREE ADMISSION TO THURSDAY SIMULCASTS – Following Monday’s special Memorial Day racing program, Churchill Downs will be dark on Tuesday, May 26; Wednesday, May 27; and Thursday, May 28. There will be no on-site simulcast wagering May 26-27. Churchill Downs will be open for simulcast wagering May 28 and will offer free general admission for patrons to place wagers on outlets around the country in the ITW area on the second floor of the clubhouse.

Augustin Stable’s Informed Decision caught pacesetting Dubai Majesty in deep stretch and then held off 32-1 shot Temple Street by three-quarters of a length to win the 23rd running of the $335,400 Humana Distaff (Grade I) for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Julien Leparoux and trained by Jonathan Sheppard, Informed Decision ran the seven furlongs on a “sloppy” main track in 1:23.69.

Dubai Majesty, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, shot to the lead out of the gate and raced on an unopposed lead through fractions of :22.38 and :44.86. Dubai Majesty opened a daylight light leaving the far turn and was still comfortably in front at the eighth pole in 1:09.84 as Leparoux began to weave through traffic on Informed Decision.

Informed Decision, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, put her head in front with about 40 yards to go as Dubai Majesty grudgingly gave way to eventually finish in a dead heat for third another half-length back with Modification, ridden by Ramon Dominguez.

Informed Decision returned $8.40, $4.80 and $3.40. Temple Street, ridden by Jon Court, provided payoffs of $24 and $10. Dubai Majesty paid $4.20 to show and Modification $5.80.

The victory, the seventh in nine career starts, was worth $199,630 to increase Informed Decision’s earnings to $722,217.

HUMANA DISTAFF QUOTES

JULIEN LEPAROUX (rider of winner Informed Decision) – “At the quarter pole I said, there is no way she (Dubai Majesty) is going to come back. They were ahead and they kind of had the jump on me. I almost had to stop her and I thought there is no way she’s going to get back in there. She actually did. At the eighth pole she really kicked in for me. She’s amazing. She’s a very nice filly. She’s obviously a multiple Grade I winner and she deserves it.”

JONATHAN SHEPPARD (trainer of winner Informed Decision) – “I was a little concerned. It didn’t look like she was running very well on the turn. I started to lose confidence in her, but once he (jockey Julien Leparoux) eased out and finally got in the clear, she started to run. I started to feel better about our chances.

“I was (concerned about the wet track) because she had never run on it. But she’s such an aggressive, forward acting filly, I thought she might handle it. If we were going to find out if she could handle it, this was a good race to find out. I wouldn’t have her if the track wasn’t safe.

“I’ve got a couple of races picked out, but we’ll take some time to think about it. I think she can run longer, but she’s so good at this distance, I’m not sure I want to change anything.”

JON COURT (rider of second-place finisher Temple Street) – “I had to come out to go around; lost some ground. But I’ve come out and gone around with her before and won. Not today. We were second best.”

KENT DESORMEAUX (rider of third-place finisher Dubai Majesty) – “I tried to give her every chance to win. She’s got a heart of gold and she tried as hard as she could. We just couldn’t get there.”

GARRETT GOMEZ (rider of sixth-place finisher and favored Game Face) – “They were flying up front and I knew it. I was just trying to keep my filly in a position she was comfortable in. We got outrun there at the end.”