Helen Pitts-Blasi

BLOCK HOPES TO COMPLETE FALLS CITY-CLARK DOUBLE WITH GIANT OAK – The most recent time a trainer has swept the Falls City Handicap (Grade II) and the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI) the same year was in 2005 when Todd Pletcher won the former with Indian Vale and the latter with Magna Graduate.

Dundalk 5, LLC’s Dundalk Dust put Chris Block in position to match the feat with her three-length victory in Thursday’s Falls City under Shaun Bridgmohan. This afternoon, Block bid for the Clark when he sends out Giant Oak for the Virginia H. Tarra Trust.

The Falls City was the first graded stakes try against older fillies and mares for Dundalk Dust and Block’s expectations were not extremely high.

“I was hoping she would run one, two or three in a Grade II, take another step forward and increase her value,” Block said. “She did all of that. She will head to Ocala for the winter and we will plan for next spring.”

Dundalk Dust now has won on grass, Polytrack and dirt.

“She appears to be useful on all three surfaces, but she seems to be better on dirt … or mud,” Block said.

Meanwhile, Giant Oak enters today’s 136th running of the $500,000-added Clark Handicap off a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (GIII) here on Nov. 5.

“The plan was to wheel him back in the Clark if he came out of the Breeders’ Cup good, which he did,” Block said. “I expect he will run a very good race, which he seems to do here at Churchill Downs.”

The Clark will be Giant Oak’s 21st consecutive stakes start, 18 of those in graded races. Only Brass Hat, making his 24th consecutive stakes start, has a longer streak among Clark entrants.

Giant Oak has yet to break through with a graded stakes victory even though he has five runner-up finishes and two third-place showings. In races at Churchill Downs prior to the Breeders’ Cup, Giant Oak had finished second in the 2008 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) beaten a neck, fourth in last year’s Clark, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Blame and fourth in this year’s Stephen Foster (GI), 4 ½ lengths behind Blame.

Despite the close calls, Block remains a big booster of Giant Oak.

“Maybe for some other people not close to the horse, he might be a disappointment, but not to me,” Block said. “He always runs to the best of his ability. In the races he has run, he has to give up ground to make his run. It is tough to do that running against that kind of company. He can’t be stuck inside and in traffic because he can’t quicken fast enough.”

Bridgmohan, who rode Dundalk Dust to victory Thursday, has the call on Giant Oak this afternoon. Bridgmohan also teamed with Block to win the Cardinal Handicap (GIII) on Nov. 7 with Askbut I Won’ttell.

The last rider to complete a Falls City-Clark double in the same year was John Velazquez in 2005 on the above-mentioned Pletcher-trained duo.

ONE DAN DOWN, ONE TO GO FOR LOPRESTI – Trainer Charles Lopresti will be going for a double of his own also in the Clark Handicap when he sends out morning line favorite Successful Dan for owner Morton Fink.

On Thursday, Successful Dan’s younger half-brother, Wise Dan won an optional claiming test as the 7-10 favorite over a sealed sloppy track.

“He had won on an off track there on Derby Day, but I think the track yesterday was worse than on Derby Day and I was a little bit worried,” Lopresti said Friday morning from Keeneland. “He got around there safe and I don’t think two turns is going to be a problem with him. He is going to get the winter off like all of my horses.”

A 3-year-old gelded son of Wiseman’s Ferry, Wise Dan had finished sixth, beaten only 2 ¼ lengths in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) in his previous start and prior to that had won the Phoenix (GIII) at Keeneland.

Lopresti is hoping for a better track this afternoon for the 4-year-old Successful Dan, even though Wise Dan is now two-for-two on off tracks.

“They are two different horses,” Lopresti said. “I worry about (Successful Dan) because he has never run on an off track. Plus, he was off 14 months with a suspensory, so the track will have to be awfully good this afternoon to run.”

RIDEOFTHECHAPTER COULD GIVE TRAINER EARLY BABY GIFT – So, what to get a first-time mother with a baby girl on the way in about three weeks?

How about a Grade II stakes victory?

“That would be a good gift,” said Helen Pitts-Blasi, who will send out Old School Racing’s Prideofthechapter in Saturday’s 84th running of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.

Idle since winning an allowance race at Hoosier Park on Aug. 26, Prideofthechapter will break from the rail under Rosemary Homeister Jr. Prideofthechapter is listed at 20-1 on the morning line.

“We thought about running at Mountaineer, but decided not to go,” said Pitts-Blasi, wife of Churchill Downs outrider Greg Blasi. “Then we were going to run in an allowance race here but that didn’t fill.”

A son of Strong Hope, Prideofthechapter shows a steady stream of works since mid-October for the Kentucky Jockey Club.

“He has been training well and we are going to take a shot,” Pitts-Blasi said. “The two turns, that’s the question for him.”

BARN TALK – Mike Rutherford and Terry Green’s High Quail, runner-up in Thursday’s Falls City Handicap, will be heading to the Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Monday according to Dennis “Peaches” Geier, assistant to trainer Bret Calhoun. “She came out of the race fine,” Geier said of the 4-year-old filly who was making her stakes debut. “She ran well and I thought for a while she was going to win. (Jockey) Garrett (Gomez) did a good job of slowing the pace down. She has run four good races for us now since we got her (this year).” …

Black Sheep Racing’s China became the first two-time winner of the meet when he won Thursday’s eighth race with Robby Albarado aboard. China’s initial victory here came on Nov. 5 in a first level allowance sprint. The second two-time winner of the meet came in the very next race when Penny Lauer’s Rigamaro was elevated to the top spot via disqualification. Rigamaro had broken her maiden here on Nov. 10. …
Julien Leparoux increased his lead to five (25-20) over Robby Albarado with three racing days left by riding two winners on Thursday. Leparoux is named on eight mounts Friday; Albarado on 10.

Steve Asmussen maintains a 13-8 edge on Todd Pletcher in the race for leading trainer and the best Pletcher can do is tie Asmussen if his last five starters win and Asmussen is blanked on his final 14 entrants of the meet. The only other trainers who could overtake Asmussen with a scalding hot final three days are Ken McPeek and Dale Romans. McPeek, who has six victories, has 10 entrants the final three days while Romans, who has four wins thus far, has 17 entrants the final three days.

NO PLANS YET FOR EINSTEIN AFTER CLARK – Trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi reported that Stronach Stable’s Einstein (Brz) came out of Friday’s third-place effort behind 3-year-olds Blame and Misremembered in the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade II) in good order.

“He’s real good this morning. He ran great yesterday,” Pitts-Blasi said of Einstein, who overcame an outside post in the field of 14 3-year-olds and up to fall only two necks short of grabbing his third graded stakes victory of the year.

The 7-year-old son of 1985 Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck added $41,914 to his bankroll Friday to boost his career earnings to $2,945,238 and improved his 2009 record to 2-1-3 in eight races.

Whether the Clark was Einstein’s farewell, Pitts-Blasi could not say.

“I haven’t talked with Mr. (Frank) Stronach,” Pitts-Blasi said. “I have no clue what they are going to do with him.”
    The strong Clark showing could bolster Einstein’s chances for an Eclipse Award in the wide-open division of champion older male.

“It is a tough question,” Pitts-Blasi said. “He certainly deserves to be in the running, because other than the Breeders’ Cup he showed up whenever he ran.”

Einstein won the Santa Anita Handicap (GI) on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface and took the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) for a second consecutive year on grass at Churchill Downs.  Pitts-Blasi’s veteran star was also second by a neck on synthetic Polytrack in the Pacific Classic (GI) at Del Mar and also ran third in his other two traditional dirt races, the Donn Handicap (GI) at Gulfstream Park and the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) at Churchill Downs.

KARELIAN’S RIVER CITY RUN REMAINS A MYSTERY – Any chance that Green Lantern Stable’s Karelian would become a repeat winner of Friday’s River City Handicap (GIII) went out the window on the backstretch when the 7-year-old gelding headed toward the outside rail under Rajiv Maragh.

Even though Maragh got Karelian straightened out and back in contention, the best Karelian could do was finish eighth in the field of 10 as the 8-5 favorite.  The loss by Karelian was the first for the 7-year-old Bertrando gelding in four races on Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course.

“I don’t know why he did it,” said Jack Bohannan, assistant to trainer Rusty Arnold. “He seems OK this morning. There is nothing wrong with him physically and the equipment was fine. We went over him after the race and again this morning and he’s fine.

“He had done it in the morning before a couple of times in the three or four years Rusty has had him, but he never had done it in a race. It was very odd. I never have seen anything like it. I thought he had pulled up and then here he comes again.”

Bohannan said that Karelian, owned by Green Lantern Stables, would probably be turned out for a while and then join the barn in Florida.

Arnold’s other River City entrant, Ashbrook Farm’s Wicked Style, finished fourth behind 56-1 longshot Rahystrada.

“We were a little disappointed in him,” Bohannan said. “He had trained so well, but he just didn’t finish.”    
    
WIGGINS CLOSES CAREER IN GRAND STYLE – “What a way to finish,” trainer Hal Wiggins said Saturday morning.

No kidding.

With his final starter as a trainer, Wiggins watched as Robert V. Hovelson’s High Spirit closed from far back to win Friday’s 10th race by a nose and pay $55.60 to win under Terry Thompson.

“I didn’t bet a dollar on him,” Wiggins said. “I had a hundred dollar bill in my pocket and I was planning to break it and bet $5 across on him, but I got to talking with a lot of people and never did it.”

What made the win all the more unreal for the 34-year training veteran were the circumstances surrounding the race.

“If it hadn’t been the end of the meet, we probably wouldn’t have run,” Wiggins said. “I had to change riders because Calvin (Borel) was riding for his brother in the race. He was shortening up (from a mile to seven furlongs) and jumping up in class. He was a legit 26-1 shot.

“When I put the saddle on him, I started to think about it being the last one a bit and I spent a little extra time in the stall.”

More than 12 lengths back after a half-mile, Thompson swung High Spirit wide at the head of the lane and began to mow down the field. At the eighth pole, racing in the middle of track, High Spirit was still four lengths off the lead and still managed to win.

“After I took the saddle off, Calvin was waiting for me by the scale and he gave me a big hug,” Wiggins said. “He had won a race for me on Lady Durlyn on Thursday. We go a long way back together. I found an old picture the other day from 1983 at Delta Downs with the two of us the first year he rode.”

So Friday capped a Hollywood ending for Wiggins, almost.

“If Hollywood had written the script, I would still have Rachel,” said Wiggins, who turns 67 on Monday.

Rachel, of course, is Rachel Alexandra, the brilliant 3-year-old filly who Wiggins saddled for owner-breeder Dolphus Morrison and partner Mike Lauffer for a record-smashing 20 ¼-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks (GI) this spring.

Wiggins said that Friday’s victory and Rachel Alexandra’s Oaks triumph would rank high in the top five moments in his career. The day Rachel Alexandra was sold would be at the opposite end of the spectrum.

“It was a low point, no question,” Wiggins said of the morning Rachel Alexandra left his barn for the short journey to new trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn in early May. “But I don’t blame the owner for selling. To hit a home run like that with the size of operation that I have, that doesn’t come around often.

“I sure didn’t foresee a year like this. I thought we would have traveled around the country with her and eventually maybe tried the males once.”

Wiggins, who will stay at Churchill Downs until Tuesday to oversee a couple of works before turning the barn over to his son Lon, retires with a total of 872 victories in a career that began in 1976 and produced its first winner at Evangeline Downs on July 2, 1977. His horses earned a total of $20,218,625 in purses.

“It’s been a great ride and I’ve met a lot of great people,” said Wiggins, who will join his wife Renee in Houston. “I am still going to go to sales and still be involved in it. I love the game so much, I don’t want to quit cold turkey.”

BARN TALK – The day after Amerman Racing Stable’s Demarcation ran eighth in the Clark Handicap instead of going for a repeat bid in the River City Handicap, trainer Paul McGee was asked if he had any regrets about the choice of race. After a long pause, McGee said, “Yeah. A 50-1 shot wins … you just never know.” McGee ran David Holloway’s Dubious Miss in the Clark and he finished sixth. “Both of them are good this morning and they will go to the Fair Grounds for the winter.” …

Also headed to New Orleans was West Point Thoroughbreds’ Clark favorite Macho Again, the winner of the Stephen Foster Handicap who finished ninth. Trainer Dallas Stewart left for the Fair Grounds early Saturday with Macho Again scheduled to follow later in the day. …

Calvin Borel was blanked on nine mounts Friday and remains four victories behind Julien Leparoux (27-23) in the race for leading rider. Borel has 12 mounts on today’s card that Leparoux will not ride because he is in Japan. Shaun Bridgmohan is third in the standings with 17 victories, but his meet is over as he is riding Kodiak Kowboy for trainer Steve Asmussen in the Cigar Mile (GI) at Aqueduct today.…

Dale Romans picked up his 14th winner of the meet Friday to narrow the gap on Asmussen to three in the race for leading trainer. Romans has 10 horses entered today; Asmussen seven. …

Ken and Sarah Ramsey have wrapped up their record 16th leading owner title. The Ramseys have had nine winners this meet and have an unsurmountable advantage over Brereton Jones and the Heiligbrodt Racing Stable, which have five victories each. The title was the fourth consecutive for the Ramseys, who own eight Spring and eight Fall titles, both seasonal records.

Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s Blame outdueled fellow 3-year-old Misremembered by a neck in a heated stretch run and fended off a late charge from Einstein (BRZ) to win Friday’s 135th running of the $460,600 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade II) at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Jamie Theriot for trainer Al Stall Jr., Blame covered the 1 1/8 miles over a fast main track in 1:49.39 in winning for the fifth time in eight starts. Blame carried 118 pounds, five fewer than race high weight Einstein.

Longshot Anarko (CHI) led the field of 14 through early fractions of :23.69, :47.60 and 1:12.16 with Etched, Kiss the Kid and Timber Reserve in closest pursuit. Victor Espinoza had Misremembered in the clear in fifth and made a move toward the lead leaving the far turn with Anak Nakal and Joe Bravo to his outside.

Theriot followed those two and was five-wide at the top of the stretch. Misremembered dove to the rail with Anak Nakal and Blame to his outside. Anak Nakal backed out of the duel at the sixteenth pole only to have Einstein appear on the scene and have his late charge fall a neck short of Misremembered.

It was three-quarters of a  length back to Giant Oak, who was followed in order by Anak Nakal, Dubious Miss, Bullsbay, Demarcation, favored Macho Again, Kiss the Kid, You and I Forever, Anarko, Etched and Timber Reserve.

Blame returned $10.80, $6 and $4.20 as the second choice. Misremembered paid $10.20 and $6.40 with Einstein, ridden by Rajiv Maragh, paying $4.60 to show.

The victory was worth $259,872 and increased Blame’s career bankroll to $616,747. It was the second consecutive Grade II victory for Blame, a homebred son of Arch, who took the Fayette at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

The 21-day Fall Meet concludes Saturday with the 12-race “Stars of Tomorrow II” card exclusively for 2-year-olds. The program begins at 11:30 a.m. (all times ET) and will be highlighted by the 66th running of the Golden Rod (GII) for fillies that goes as the ninth race at approximately 3:28 p.m. and the 83rd running of the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) that goes as the 11th race at approximately 4:27 p.m.

AL STALL JR., trainer of BLAME, winner: “What you see on paper is about what we see on a day-to-day basis. He just continues to get better and better. He’s a wonderful looking horse with a tremendous pedigree. We’ve just spaced his races and taken our time with him and pointed to the end of the year and a 4-year-old type of campaign. He’s shown up every time.”

Q: Your thoughts on Blame’s determination in the stretch?" Jamie (Theriot) said he was waiting all the way. Once he gets to the front, he kind of throws his ears up and says ‘OK, what’s next?’ He was on the deceleration a little bit on the way down the lane. But he finally dug in when [Bob] Baffert’s horse (Misremembered) came back at him.”

Q: Any thoughts on what might be next? “He’ll winter at Fair Grounds and the Breeders’ Cup is here next year. He could do a number of things. He’s done everything; he’s won on [synthetic surfaces] and he’s run well on the dirt. It’ll be fun talking about it.”

Q: How big was this effort today? “You’re asking a lot for a young horse against the elders. We think he’s a wonderful horse. We’ve always thought he’d be a better 4-year-old. To get this out of the way and run the way he did, to the way he idled once he made the lead – he looked like he had more in the tank – we’re very excited. He’s done everything we’ve ever asked of him . . . and then some!”

Q: What was your confidence level coming into this race? “We were pretty confident in this horse. He’s a fresh horse and, knock on wood, he’s very sound. He had a minor setback where we missed seven months but that was strictly a foot issue and nothing boney. So, I thought we had the right horse in the right spot but it’s racing.”

JAMIE THERIOT, jockey of BLAME, winner: “He took me to the lead well within himself. Once he gets in front he starts to look around and loses a little bit of interest. I felt the horse on the inside start coming to me, and my horse started to dig in when he felt the pressure. He kept giving me more. We could have went around again and the outcome wouldn’t have changed. That’s how he does it. This was a very good field of horses he beat today. You will probably be seeing a lot of him as a 4-year-old.”

Q: How does it feel to win the Clark Handicap with your first mount? “This is a great accomplishment for me. I have been here for three years and this is my first mount in the Clark Handicap. It feels great to be able to get the job done for these connections.”

BOB BAFFERT, trainer of MISREMEMBERED, second: “He ran a good race.  He was there – he just came up short and got beat by a nice horse.  We’re just mad that we didn’t bet that good 3-year-old exacta there.”
Q: How good can Misremembered be? “He’s very immature still.  He’s just filling out still.  So I wanted a chance here on the dirt with him.  We’re going to freshen him up and run him in that series of 4-year-old races, the San-this-and-that.”

Q: It looks like 2010 will be a good year to know that your horse likes Churchill Downs, with the Stephen Foster and the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the schedule … “It’s good to know that they like Churchill, but I’m stuck in second here.  I don’t know why I can’t win these big ones anymore.  But I didn’t get beat by Calvin Borel, so I don’t feel as bad.”

VICTOR ESPINOZA, jockey on MISREMEMBERED, second: “He ran great.  He’d been doing so well since his last race that I expected him to run big.”
Q: How did you get to the rail with him from the 12-hole? “I tried to save as much ground as I could.  The winner kind of moved a little earlier than I wanted, but I had to go.  He ran great – he’s a nice horse.”

Q: Did you think you had a chance to catch the winner? “You know what, for a minute I thought he was going to come back to us, but he ran his race.”

HELEN PITTS-BLASI, trainer of EINSTEIN, third: “He ran fantastic.  The way it panned out turning for home they kind of stacked up on him, but when he did get through he gave it his all, as usual.  He ran his heart out today.  I can’t complain. Rajiv (Maragh) rode a great race.  He didn’t win, but it was good.
    “It’s good when he can get that jump on them turning for home, but Rajiv said they just stacked up and that was kind of the way it played out.”

Will this be the last roundup for him? “I don’t know.  We’ll have to see what Mr. (Frank) Stronach says.”

RAJIV MARAGH, rider on EINSTEIN, third: “The only way I would have been able to go outside earlier was to go early at the half-mile and he would have been six-wide.  I was never going to do that, but I didn’t think we could win if I did that.  So I just waited patiently for it to open up, and when it did he shot through there and put it all out.  But the other horse (Blame) got a little jump."

Q: You had a lot to do from that outside post… “We got a great trip going into the first turn and I was able to drop over into a nice spot.  The race was really unfolding nicely except for the horses stacking up a little bit in front of me.  Other than that, he finished up real well.”

CHRIS BLOCK, trainer of GIANT OAK, fourth: “We knew this race was going to be an acid test, and we’re real pleased.  The only real excuse I can give him is the start.  He kind of hopped out of there and probably cost himself a couple of lengths and a little bit more forward positioning.  Other than that, he was following Blame all the way around the far turn there and when they came off the turn he had dead aim on any of those in front of him. Shaun (Bridgmohan) said, ‘I thought I had ‘em turning for home.’  But I said, ‘You know Shaun, it wasn’t like you’re running against some second-rate group – you were trying to run down some really good horses.’ So I’ve just got to say we got outrun from the head of the lane to the wire, but we’re real pleased with where he finished.  We really are.”

Q: With some big races at Churchill Downs next year, including the Grade I Stephen Foster and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, it’s a good year to have an improving horse that you know likes the dirt at Churchill Downs …“That’s why we’re here, to be honest with you.  I told the owner the Clark was going to be tough, but we need to find out where we stand with this guy in the future because Churchill offers some nice races here and we really need to think about running him in the Clark and seeing where we stand afterward. So we’re really tickled with the way he went.”

SHAUN BRIDGMOHAN, rider of GIANT OAK, fourth: “He hopped a little bit leaving the starting gate and that prevented him from getting a closer position, but I think he ran pretty good.  At the top of the stretch I thought I really had a good shot at getting ‘em.  I followed the winner and angled out and he finished up pretty well.
    “I think his future is still ahead of him.  I think with time and maturity he’s going to be a nice little horse.  He stepped up to the plate and ran with older horses today, so I think he’s got a good future.”

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.”       

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.

EINSTEIN WORKS HALF-MILE IN FINAL FOSTER TUNEUP – With trainer Helen Pitts aboard, Midnight Cry Stable’s Einstein (BRZ) worked a half-mile in :50.20 over a fast track early Sunday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for Saturday’s $600,000-added Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I). The move was the 34th fastest of 63 at the distance.
    “That was called sit still and don’t move,” Pitts said, giving a thumbs up to the move as Einstein returned to the barn. “He worked good today and galloped out good and strong.”
    The work was the third for Einstein since he won the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (Grade I) for a second consecutive year on May 2. Prior to that win, Einstein won the Santa Anita Handicap (GI) on the California track’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface.
    A Grade I victory on dirt is about the only thing missing on Einstein’s resume that shows a career record of 25-11-3-2 for earnings of $2,609,904. Only Lava Man has won Grade Is on three surfaces, but he did not do it in consecutive races.
    “It would be special if he could do that,” Pitts said of Einstein, who finished second to Horse of the Year Curlin in last summer’s Foster and won the Grade II Clark Handicap on the dirt here last fall. “He just loves the game. He’s fun. He gives you 110 percent every time.
    “I don’t worry about him on the dirt, but I know it is his least favorite surface. But he doesn’t care. I just want the best for him because he tries so hard.”
    Einstein was assigned top weight of 124 pounds for the Clark and will be asked to concede up to 11 pounds to the seven foes likely to line up against him. Entries close Wednesday.

ACOMA, PURE CLAN EXIT EARLY TIMES MINT JULEP IN DUEL IN GOOD ORDER – The connections of the 1-2 Early Times Mint Julep (Grade III) finishers Acoma and Pure Clan reported their charges came out of Saturday’s race, which Acoma won by a neck, in good order.
    Trainer David Carroll said that Acoma, now 6-for-6 in the state of Kentucky, “beat some nice fillies yesterday for a Grade III. Corey (Lanerie) rode her great. She got the jump on Pure Clan and I am sure her people are happy with her race with it being the first one back (in nearly eight months).”
    Carroll, who likes to space Acoma’s races, said the Beverly D (GI). at 1 3/16 miles on Aug. 8 at Arlington Park may be next for the 4-year-old Empire Maker filly.
    “She has won the Grade IIs and Grade IIIs and she deserves a chance at Grade I,” Carroll said. “We’ll see what (co-owner) Helen (Alexander) wants to do.”
    Acoma is now 3-for-3 on the grass, and she could stay on that surface for a while.
    “I think she is better on the grass,” Carroll said, “But it wouldn’t hurt us if a race comes off the grass to the dirt.”
     Betsy Couch, assistant to trainer Bob Holthus, said that Lewis Lakin’s Pure Clan “ate up last night” and remains on track for the Grade III Modesty at Arlington Park on July 11 at 1 3/16th miles and then the Beverly D.
    “She can be a little quirky,” Couch said, “but I thought she did great in the paddock yesterday and Shaun (Bridgmohan) did a good job on her for being on her for the first time.”
    Couch also said that Lakin’s fourth-place finisher, Day of Victory, came out of the race well and would be pointed to the June 27 Iowa Distaff at Prairie Meadows.

MILLER POINTS PAIR TO SATURDAY’S REGRET – Trainer Darrin Miller said Sunday morning that Silverton Hill’s Excelente (IRE) is headed toward Saturday’s 40th running of the $150,000-added Regret (Grade III) for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.
“We are leaning that way,” Miller said after Excelente worked a half-mile in :53 on the main track Sunday morning. “Oculuna is going to go in there, too.”
     Excelente, who began her racing career in Ireland, ran fourth in the May 1 Edgewood in her U.S. debut. She followed that effort runner-up finish to Consequence in  the American 1,000 Guineas at Arlington Park on May 23.
    Miller has another Silverton Hill European import getting ready to return to the races in Driving Snow, a British-bred son of the Irish sire Verglas,
    “He worked the other day for the first time,” Miller said of a :38.60, three-furlong move on Monday. “He got a shin on me in Florida this winter. I’d like to get him to the races in July and I was looking at maybe the Secretariat (on Aug. 8), but that is kind of creeping up on us.”
    Driving Snow finished second in his U.S. debut last fall at Keeneland in the Grade III Bourbon Stakes.  He rallied from 11th to lose by only a head to Bittel Road.

MILESTONE WATCH – Trainer Bill Connelly has two chances Sunday to reach the 1,000 career victory mark. Connelly, with 998 victories, will send out Talkin Indian in the seventh at Churchill Downs and Bred to Win in the second at Presque Isle Downs.

BARN TALK – Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who finished third in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, is scheduled to fly back to Louisville from New York at 9:30 a.m. Monday and return to Barn 42 at Churchill Downs.
    Darley Stable’s Florentino (JPN), scratched out of Friday’s Hill Prince (Grade III) when it was rained off the turf at Belmont Park, is headed to Louisville for Saturday’s Jefferson Cup (Grade II) according to Churchill Downs racing officials. Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Florentino is expected to arrive Wednesday or Thursday with stablemate Asiatic Boy (ARG) who is coming in for the Stephen Foster.

WORK TAB – David Holloway’s Dubious Miss, working toward a probable run in Saturday’s Stephen Foster worked five furlongs over a fast track in 1:03.60. It was the 20th fastest move of 24 at the distance. Working a bullet for the distance was James Spence’s Flying Pegasus, who was timed in 1:00.20. Posting the bullet for a half-mile was multi-stakes winner Selva, whose :47 clocking was the best of 63 works at the distance. Showing up on the work tab for the first time since May 18, 2008, at Saratoga was Team Valor International’s King of the Roxy, who breezed three furlongs in :39.20. Last seen running sixth in the Grade I Carter Handicap at Aqueduct last April, King of the Roxy won the Belmont Futurity (GII) at age 2 in 2006 and the following spring won the Grade II Hutcheson and ran second in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. He returned to the Todd Pletcher barn last month.

EINSTEIN ASSIGNED 124 POUNDS FOR FOSTER; MISS ISELLA TOPS FLEUR DE LIS WEIGHTS – Midnight Cry Stable’s Einstein (BRZ) was assigned top weight of 124 pounds by Churchill Downs Racing Secretary Ben Huffman for next Saturday’s 28th running of the $600,000-added Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I) for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the main track.
Trained by Helen Pitts-Blasi, Einstein ran second in last year’s Stephen Foster behind Horse of the Year Curlin.  The 7-year-old son of 1985 Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Spend A Buck is scheduled to work a half-mile Sunday morning.  A winner of 11 of 25 races with earnings of $2,609,904, Einstein will be shooting for a third consecutive Grade I victory and his first win at that level on traditional dirt.
A win in the Stephen Foster would allow Einstein to join Lava Man as the only horses to win Grade I races on dirt, grass and synthetic courses.  The two-time winner of Churchill Downs’ Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) on turf and the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap (GI) on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita, Einstein won the $500,000 Clark Handicap (GII) last fall on the man track at Churchill Downs.
The next high weight was assigned to Asiatic Boy with 122 pounds. The 6-year-old is coming off a 12th-place finish to Well Armed in the $6 million Dubai World Cup (GI) and the Foster will mark both his U.S. bow and debut for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.  Previously trained by South African Mike de Kock, he has a record of 7-3-2 in 15 races and earnings of $3,068.090.  He was second to Curlin in last year’s Dubai World Cup and won the $2 million UAE Derby as a 4-year-old in 2007.
Other probable starters and their weight assignments include 2008 Meadowlands Cup (GII) winner Arson Squad (118); Finallymadeit, winner of Calder’s Memorial Day Handicap (GIII) and Gulfstream Park’s Skip Away (GIII) (118); Researcher (118), winner of the Queens County (GIII) at Aqueduct and the recent $500,000 Charles Town Classic;  Alysheba (GIII) winner Bullsbay (117), Macho Again (117), runner-up to Big Brown in the 2008 Preakness (GI) and winner of the 2009  New Orleans Handicap (GII).
Domino Stud of Lexington’s Miss Isella, winner of the Louisville Distaff (Grade II) on the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (GI) undercard, was assigned top weight of 122 pounds for the 35th running of the $200,000-added Fleur De Lis Handicap (Grade II) for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/8 miles on the main track.
Trained by Ian Wilkes, Miss Isella has won four of six starts at Churchill Downs, including the Grade II Falls City Handicap last fall.  The daugheter of 1997 Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm has a record of 4-1-0 in six races under the Twin Spires and has earned $436,733.  Of that total, $400,968 has been earned at Churchill Downs.
Second high weight for the Fleur De Lis is the Eric Guillot-trained Santa Teresita, winner of Santa Anita’s Santa Maria (GI) with 121 pounds. Other probable starters and their weight assignments are Sixty Saile (GIII) and Gardenia (GIII) winner Swift Temper (117); Arlington Matron (GIII) runner-up Kiss With a Twist (115); Unforgotten (115), the runner-up in Churchill Downs Chilukki (GII) and Pimlico’s DuPont Distaff (GII); and Distinctive Dixie (114), runner-up in Oaklawn’s Bayakoa. Considered as possible for the race are Maryland-based multiple stakes winner All Smiles (115) and Humana Distaff (GI) runner-up Temple Street (113).

COURT RELISHES RETURN TO THE BLUE GRASS – A familiar scene from the Spring Meet played out after Friday’s sixth race, where jockey Jon Court’s mega-watt smile illuminated the winner’s circle as a fat, double-figure payoff lit up the tote board.
    Hidden Bay gave Court his 14th winner of the meet and returned $35.20. The average payoff for Court’s winners is $25.10, which nearly triple the average return for a winners ridden by the meet-leading Julien Leparoux and almost double the return on Calvin Borel’s winners, which include the $103.20 Derby mutuel on Mine That Bird.
    “People are hollering back ‘welcome home’ and it just doesn’t get any sweeter than that,” said Court, who last rode regularly at Churchill Downs in the 2003 Fall Meet. “I was just thinking that maybe about this time next year it will wear off, but I hope the rejuvenation doesn’t.”
When Court, 48, left for Southern California to ride regularly five years ago, he held on to his house in Shelbyville. Now, that house is home again.
“I am far more delighted about being back in Kentucky than I thought I would be,” said Court, the 18th-leading rider all time at Churchill Downs with 323 victories. “Second of all, I thought I would miss California a bit, but the warm homecoming has been so overwhelming that I have no longings to go back to California.”
Court feels the return to Kentucky may prolong his career.
“I have found that at my age I get an agent (Tony King) that puts you on the card and your career has some longevity that a year ago you didn’t think was possible,” Court said. “I had people ask last year what I would do after I was done riding.
“At that point, I had no plans on quitting, but apparently the way my career was  moving -- it had slowed down quite a bit – people were thinking I was taking that as an option. I know that is down the road. I just hope it is further down the road.”
Another plus for Court is the fact that his son Justin is here and works as an exercise rider.
“That has been a pleasure to have my oldest son on the track,” Court said. “he is always a joy to be around.”

FINAL LIGHTS ARRIVE FOR NIGHTS NEXT WEEK – “Downs After Dark” night racing debuts June 19 and its final sets of temporary lights arrive next week.
    “They will be installing one set of lights at the top of the stretch and two near the track kitchen on June 10 and 11,” said David Sweazy, Churchill Downs’ vice president, Operations. “There will be eight mobile trailers for the infield that will go up between June 10 and 13.”
    Training hours on Monday and Tuesday, June 15 and 16, will begin at 5 a.m. to give trainers an opportunity to have their horses on track under the lights.
    Two more Downs After Dark programs are scheduled for June 26 and July 2 with the first post time for each card being 6 p.m.

RAMSEYS IN COMMAND OF OWNERS RACE – With 60 percent of the 45-day Spring Meet in the books, the husband-wife team of Ken and Sarah Ramsey appear to be well on their way to a 15th owner’s title at Churchill Downs.
The victory by Pauillac in Friday’s fifth race gave the Ramseys 12 winners for the meet, six more than their closest pursuer, Maggi Moss.
The Ramseys, who have won the past three meet titles at Churchill Downs, had 20 winners during last spring’s 52-day meet.
Steve Asmussen, who has won five training titles at Churchill Downs, leads Mike Maker 16-12 in the chase for leading trainer.
In the race for leading rider, four-time meet leader Julien Leparoux has a 43-35 lead over Calvin Borel. Both jockeys are riding at Belmont Park on Saturday and have mounts in the Belmont Stakes (Grade I): Leparoux on Flying Private and Borel on Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

MILESTONE WATCH – Calvin Borel will be back at Churchill Downs on Sunday, with mounts in nine of the 10 races. Borel has 920 career victories at Churchill Downs and needs six wins to surpass Don Brumfield for second place all time at the track. Pat Day is No. 1 all time with 2,482 victories.
David Vance has one starter in at Churchill Downs on Saturday – Westline in the eighth -- in his bid to become the 11th trainer with 300 victories beneath the Twins Spires.

BARN TALK – The disqualification of Calimonco for interference in the stretch of Friday’s 11th race that elevated Victory Notion to the win was only the second DQ of the meet for first place. The other previous win DQ came on May 7 in the seventh race when Cross Village was disqualified and placed third for interference in the stretch.

WORK TAB – Three possible candidates for next Saturday’s Fleur De Lis worked over a fast track Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. Likely starter Unforgotten worked a half-mile in :49.80, the 41st fastest of 70 at the distance. Also working were possible starters Temple Street, who worked a half in :47.40 under jockey Jon Court for the second fastest move at the distance of the morning, and French Kiss, who worked seven furlongs in 1:27.60 under jockey Joe Johnson. Probable Regret starter The Best Day Ever worked five furlongs in 1:03.20, the 20th fastest of 33 at the distance. Posting half-mile works were Matt Winn runner-up Cash Refund (:49.20, 30th fastest) and seventh- place Preakness finisher Terrain (:49.60, 36th fastest), who runs next in the Iowa Derby.

WITH 4,000 VICTORIES, ALBARADO AIMS FOR NEXT MILESTONE – With one milestone behind him, jockey Robby Albarado took time out the other morning to reflect on some of the magic moments en route to 4,000 career victories, mark he achieved at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
    “Obviously, the very first one I won in 1990,” Albarado said of One Little Point at Evangeline Downs on June 29 as he began to click off a top five.
    “The other four would have to be with Curlin and Mineshaft. Those were great moments there and getting my first Grade I was pretty special with Joyeux Danseur here in the (1998)  Early Times (now Woodford Reserve) Turf Classic.”
    Albarado got his milestone victory in Saturday’s ninth race aboard Keertana. Earlier in the day in the third race at Philadelphia Park, Jose Luis Flores got his 4,000th victory, which made Albarado the 57th North American rider to reach that plateau.
    Albarado, who turns 36 in September, was asked what the first race would be that he would pop into a VCR many years down the road of Robby’s greatest hits to share with the grandkids.
    “The first race in the VCR probably would have to be Preakness,” Albarado said of Curlin’s victory over Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. “My first Triple Crown win was pretty special there. It was a proud moment in my career.”
    There are 24 North American riders with more than 5,000 victories with another 16 active riders, including Albarado, in the 4,000 club in pursuit of the next milestone.
    Albarado was asked what he would like to add to his list of memorable victories when No. 5,000 rolled around.
    “Oh, that’s easy. The Derby, of course,” Albarado said. “Hopefully between now and the next thousand if I get there, I’ll have at least one Derby. That would be special.”

EINSTEIN HEADS LIST OF 20 NOMINATIONS FOR STEPHEN FOSTER HANDICAP – Midnight Cry Stable’s Einstein, runner-up to “Horse of the Year” Curlin in last year’s renewal of the Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I), tops a list of 20 nominees for this year’s renewal, which will be run Saturday, June 13.
    Weights for the $600,000 Stephen Foster, to be run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, will be announced Saturday.
    Einstein will be seeking to join Lava Man as the only horse to win Grade I races on dirt, grass and synthetic surfaces. Unlike Lava Man, Einstein will attempt to create his own triple in consecutive races.
    Trained by Helen Pitts-Blasi, Einstein won the Santa Anita Handicap on Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface on March 7 and the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 2 in his two most recent starts.
    Einstein is one six horses considered as probable for the Stephen Foster by Churchill Downs stakes coordinator Allison De Luca. Other probables include Arson Squad, winner of last fall’s Meadowlands Cup (Grade II), Bullsbay, winner of the May 1 Alysheba (Grade III) here, 2009 New Orleans Handicap (Grade II) winner Macho Again, Charles Town Classic winner Researcher, multi-South Florida graded-stakes winner Finallymadeit and Dubious Miss. Considered as “possible” is $3 million earner Asiatic Boy, who has not run since he finished 12th to Well Armed in the $6 million Dubai World Cup on March 28.

BIG NAMES DOT REUNION DAY NOMINATIONS – Dual Grade II Churchill Downs stakes winner Miss Isella, Coolmore Lexington (Grade II) winner Advice and the promising Warrior’s Reward highlight the list of nominees considered as “probable” to participate on the June 13 Reunion Day Featuring the Stephen Foster Handicap card.
    Two Grade II and two Grade III stakes will serve as the appetizers leading up to the 28th running of the Stephen Foster.
    Miss Isella, winner of the Louisville Distaff in her most recent start on May 1, tops a list of five probables and two possibles for the 35th running of the $200,000-added Fleur de Lis Handicap (Grade II), a1 1/8th-mile main track test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. Weights for the race will be announced Saturday.
    In addition to Miss Isella, other probables for the race according to stakes coordinator Allison De Luca are Distinctive Dixie, Kiss With a Twist, Santa Teresita, Swift Temper and Unforgotten. Considered as possible are All Smiles and Temple Street.
    Advice, who followed up his Coolmore Lexington victory with a 13th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), is poised to make his grass debut in the 34th running of the $150,000-added Jefferson Cup (Grade II) at 1 1/8 miles. Other probables include El Crespo, Jake Wil Gallop and No Inflation.
    Warrior’s Reward, a stylish allowance winner here on May 1, is one of five probables for the 12th running of the $100,000-added Northern Dancer (Grade III) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16th miles on the main track.
    Other Northern Dancer probables include Gresham, Omniscient, Parade Clown and Successful Dan.
    Five 3-year-old fillies are considered as probable starters for the 40th running of the $150,000 Regret (Grade III) at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. The quintet includes Banker’s Choice, Oculuna, Prytania, Super Poni and The Best Day Ever with Keertana, who gave jockey Robby Albarado his 4,000th victory last Saturday, considered as a possible starter.
    Entries for all five stakes on the Reunion Day card will be drawn Wednesday.

AMOSS JOINS BYRNE FOR SATURDAY’S ‘GET IN THE GAME’ SEMINAR – Trainer and television racing analyst Tom Amoss will discuss the Belmont Stakes and more when he joins Churchill Downs’ Jill Byrne for her weekly “Get in the Game” handicapping seminar on Saturday, June 6.
    Amoss, a New Orleans native who is a two-time leading trainer at Churchill Downs, also serves as a racing analyst for TVG and will offer his perspective on Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird’s bid for the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
    Byrne’s recent guests in the seminar have included two-time Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel and Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr., trainer of Mine That Bird.

MILESTONE WATCH – David Vance, one of 22 North American trainers with more than 3,000 career victories (3,011), will try to become the 11th conditioner at Churchill Downs to have 300 victories beneath the Twins Spires in Thursday’s third race.
Vance, who has 299 wins here, sends out Chief Waterbury in the third. Vance has two horses entered on Friday’s 11-race card: My Little Connor in the second and Closetoaten in the ninth.
    Trainer Bill Connelly, two wins shy of 1,000 for his career, sends out Sweetasnails in Thursday’s ninth race. On Friday, Connelly’s Sinus Rhythm is on the also-eligible list in the 10th race.

BARN TALK – Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I) winner General Quarters, who ran 10th in the Kentucky Derby and ninth in the Preakness Stakes (Grade I) will be out until late fall after having a small chip removed from his right front knee.
    “He is doing well,” owner-trainer Tom McCarthy said. “I’d like to have him ready for the Clark Handicap if possible.
    “After the Derby we noticed a little filling, but there was no heat or discomfort. It was not a major thing. After the Preakness, I took him to Rood & Riddle in Lexington and had it x-rayed. There was not much there but we went ahead and took it out.”
    McCarthy has an idea of when the injury may have occurred in the Derby.
    “We went back and looked at pictures of the race, and there was one in which he had three feet up and the right front was on the ground,” McCarthy said. “He got bumped at that time and he might have twisted it then.” …
    Training hours will be adjusted the mornings of Monday, June 15 and Tuesday June 16 to begin at 5 a.m. to give trainers an opportunity to train under the lights in advance of the debut of night racing at Churchill Downs on Friday, June 19.        

WORK TAB (Track: Good, then MUDDY) – Trainer Ian Wilkes sent out two of his aces for the June 13 Reunion Day card for five-furlong works over a “muddy” Churchill Downs main track. Northern Dancer candidate Warrior’s Reward covered the distance in 1:01.60, the fastest of eight at the distance. Likely Fleur De Lis favorite Miss Isella covered the distance in 1:02.60.

OWNERS DROP IN TO CHECK OUT MINE THAT BIRD – Mine That Bird’s entourage grew a bit Sunday morning as Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach, the New Mexico-based co-owners of the Kentucky Derby (Grade I) winner, made a quick stop in Louisville en route to New York for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes (GI).
“We’re leaving later today for New York so we can get settled in and ready for everything,” said Allen, who never has been to Belmont Park where Mine That Bird will try to take down the 1 ½-mile final jewel of the Triple Crown.
Sunday marked the first time Allen had seen Mine That Bird since the gelding’s runner-up finish to Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes (Grade I) on May 16.
“It looks like he has put on a little weight,” said Allen, whose first Belmont Stakes recollection was Secretariat’s 31-length romp in 1973 when he was 15 and grooming horses at Santa Fe. “For as hard as he has run and the shipping, I am real happy with the way he looks.”
With regular exercise rider Charlie Figueroa up, Allen led Mine That Bird to the track around 7:30 a.m. Figueroa backtracked Mine That Bird to the paddock runway and then galloped 1 ½ miles.
“He was a little more into the bit today,” trainer Chip Woolley said. “That should set him up for his breeze tomorrow. He’ll work a half-mile and gallop an eighth past the wire with Calvin (Borel) on him right after the break..”
Woolley leaves for New York early Tuesday morning and Mine That Bird flies out the next day.
Also scheduled to work Monday is Rachel Alexandra, who went twice around the main track early Sunday morning with exercise rider Dominic Terry up.
 
BOLD START HAS RESTFUL MORNING DAY AFTER ARISTIDES WIN – Lawrence Carroll’s Bold Start had an easy morning at Barn 6 after his 2 ¾-length victory over Semaphore Man in Saturday’s Grade III Aristides.
    “I don’t know what it is, but he loves this track,” said Billy Wright, assistant to trainer Ken McPeek. “I told Paul McGee (who saddled Success Success in the Aristides) that they’d have to run 1:09 to beat him and he won in 1:09 flat.”
    The 5-year-old son Jump Start has posted a main track record of 4-2-2 in nine races with earnings of $202,902. Bold Start’s only off-the-board finish came in his racing debut when he ran fifth on June 4, 2006. For good measure, Bold Start won both of his starts over the Matt Winn Turf Course.
    Bold Start isn’t the only family member to run well at Churchill Downs. His half-sister, Lady On Holiday, never lost beneath the Twin Spires in three starts with two wins coming on the main track and one on the turf.
Lady On Holiday fractured a sesamoid this winter at Gulfstream Park and was retired and bred to Jump Start, which will make the resulting foal a three-quarters sibling to Bold Start.

APPRENTICE REYES ROLLING IN FIRST SEASON AT CHURCHILL DOWNS – Christian Santiago Reyes did not waste any time in finding the winner’s circle when he began his riding career in April at Gulfstream Park. The 19-year-old native of Puerto Rico won on his second mount on April 12.
    Instead of staying in Florida, Reyes came north to Kentucky where he rode in two races at Keeneland.  When the Lexington track wrapped up its meet, he traveled to Churchill Downs where Reyes has won 10 races from 73 mounts.
    “Wesley Ward asked me to come up here and I will go anywhere with him,” said Reyes, whose first win came for Ward at Gulfstream Park.
    Before coming to the United States in January, Reyes attended the jockey school in Puerto Rico for two years.
 Reyes, who has ridden mainly for Ward and Joe Woodard, admits to being surprised by his early success here and has paid particular attention to the riding styles of Calvin Borel, Jesus Castanon and Miguel Mena.
    Has he adapted the Borel knack for riding the rail?
    “Not yet,” Reyes said with a laugh. “Not yet.”
    After the Churchill Downs meet closes on July 5, Reyes does not have a specific track to move his tack to but he has an idea.
    “Wherever Wesley Ward goes, I will go,” Reyes said.

PURE CLAN ASSIGNED TOP WEIGHT FOR EARLY TIMES MINT JULEP – IEAH Stable, Lewis Lakin and Pegasus Holding Group Stables’ Pure Clan has been assigned top weight of 122 pounds by racing secretary Ben Huffman for Saturday’s 33rd running of the $100,000-added Early Times Mint Julep Handicap (GIII) at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.
    Trained by Bob Holthus, Pure Clan has won four of six career starts on grass and
her only start over the local turf course was a victory in last year’s Regret (GIII).
    Second high weight is Helen Alexander and Helen Groves’ Acoma, who was assigned 120 pounds. Trained by David Carroll, Acoma also is 1-for-1 on the Churchill Downs lawn by virtue of her victory in the Grade II Mrs. Revere last fall.
    Darley Stable’s Tizaqueena, winner of the May 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (Grade II), was assigned 119 pounds.
    The three top weights are considered as “probable” for the Mint Julep by Huffman, along with Closeout (116), Communique (116) and Absolutely Cindy (113).
Entries will be drawn Wednesday.

MILESTONE WATCH – Trainer David Vance came up just short in his bid to become the 11th Churchill Downs trainer with 300 victories when Kiss Mine was overhauled late in Saturday’s ninth race by Keertana and Robby Albarado.  The race provided Albarado with his 4,000th career victory. Vance has no horses entered Sunday.
Trainer Bill Connelly remained two victories shy of the 1,000-win career plateau Saturday night at Indiana Downs as his two runners finished third and fourth. Connelly has no horses entered at Churchill Downs on Sunday, but has one entrant Monday night at Indiana Downs: Megalos in the first race.

BARN TALK – Calvin Borel rode two winners on Saturday’s card to boost his career total at Churchill Downs to 919. Borel, who is named to ride in all 10 races Sunday, needs six victories to tie Don Brumfield for second place all time at Churchill Downs. Pat Day, with 2,482 wins, is the all-time Churchill Downs leader.
    Borel’s agent, Jerry Hissam, said that Borel has secured the mount on Rutledge Farm’s Researcher for the Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade I) on June 13. A winner of 10 of 17 career starts, Researcher won the $500,000 Charles Town Classic on April 18 in his most recent start for trainer Jeff Runco.
Shaun Bridgmohan will have the mount on Pure Clan in Saturday’s Early Times Mint Julep. Regular rider Julien Leparoux will be riding Flying Private for trainer D. Wayne Lukas that afternoon in the Belmont Stakes (Grade I).
Jon Court also added two victories to his Spring Meet total on Saturday, scoring with T.C. Champ ($52.80) in the fourth and Finish in Style ($19.20) in the sixth. The average win payoff for Court’s 13 victories is $24.40, the highest for any rider with three or more victories.
    Tara Murty, an assistant to  trainer Nick Zito, was back at work at Barn 36 on Sunday morning after being injured in a traffic accident last Monday morning. Murty had sustained numerous injuries in the collision at Fourth and Central near the track.

WORK TAB (Track: FAST) – Midnight Cry Stable’s Einstein, two-time winner of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI), continued his preparation for the $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) on the main track on June 13 by working five furlongs in 1:00.40 with trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi up.
    The move, accomplished early during training hours Sunday, was the fastest of 30 at the distance.
    “He went great.” Pitts-Blasi said, adding that she would likely handle Einstein’s scheduled half-mile breeze next Sunday.
    Einstein was runner-up to two-time “Horse of the Year” Curlin in last year’s Foster, then won the Clark Handicap (GII) on the main track in the Fall Meet.
    Also working Sunday morning was James Spence’s Flying Pegasus, runner-up to Belmont Stakes contender Charitable Man in last year’s Grade II Futurity at Belmont. Trained by Ralph Nicks, Flying Pegasus worked a half-mile in :49.40, the 20th fastest of 54 at the distance.  
    James Spence’s homebred son of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus has not raced since a sixth-place finish behind Friesan Fire in the Louisiana Derby (GII).  He was second to that rival in his 2009 debut in the Risen Star (GIII) at Fair Grounds.