Rajiv Maragh

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.”

Green Lantern Stables’ Karelian will attempt to become the third repeat winner of the $100,000-added  River City Handicap (Grade III) when he faces nine rivals in Friday’s 32nd running of 1 1/8-mile test over Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course.

The River City goes as the ninth race on the 12-race Friday card that is headlined by the $400,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII). Approximate post time for the River City is 3:29 p.m. (ET).

Karelian finished in a dead heat with Demarcation to win last year’s race. Rajiv Maragh will be aboard Karelian as the 7-year-old gelding attempts to join Same Old Wish (1996-97) and Dr. Kashnikow (2001-02) as repeat River City winners.

Trained by Rusty Arnold, Karelian will carry high weight of 122 pounds and concede 1-8 pounds to his River City rivals in his third start of 2009. Karelian will break from post position nine.  The 7-year-old homebred son of Bertrando has been installed as a narrow 2-1 favorite in oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds.

After his River City triumph last November, Karelian did not race again until the Shadwell Turf Mile (GI) at Keeneland on Oct. 10 in which he was beaten a nose by Court Vision. That earned him a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI) on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita when he ran sixth behind two-time winner Goldikova, beaten only 3 ¾ lengths.

Second high weight at 121 pounds is Canadian-based Rahy’s Attorney, the 5-2 second choice in the morning line odds for the River City.

Owned by Elle Boje Farm, Dean Read, Mitch Peters and Jean and Jim MacLellan, Rahy’s Attorney is the leading money earner in the field with a bankroll of $1,527,723. Trained by Ian Black, Rahy’s Attorney is a two-time Grade II winner this year and in 2008 won the Grade I Woodbine Mile. Robert Landry will ride Rahy’s Attorney and break from post position four.

The field for the River City Handicap, from the hedge out, is as follows: Banrock (K. Desormeaux, 119 pounds, 6-1), Wheels Up At Noon (C. Borel, 115, 20-1), Wicked Style (R. Albarado, 116, 5-1), Rahy’s Attorney (R. Landry, 121, 5-2), Simmard (S. Bridgmohan, 115, 15-1), Rahystrada (L. Goncalves, 114, 30-1), Pleasant Strike (C. DeCarlo, 116, 8-1), Brave Tin Soldier (A. Garcia, 117, 8-1), Karelian (R. Maragh, 122, 2-1) and Cryptolight (P. Tolentino, 114, 50-1).

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).

Nelson McMakin’s Hot Cha Cha, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (Grade I) at Keeneland on Oct. 17, and Waratah Thoroughbreds’ Miss World, winner of the Garden City (GI) at Belmont Park on Sept. 12, top an overflow field of 17 3-year-old fillies entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 19th running of the $175,000-added Mrs. Revere (GII).

The Mrs. Revere, run at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course, will go as the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program that has a first post time of 12:40 p.m. (all times EST). Post time for the Mrs. Revere is 4:37 p.m.

Trained by Phil Sims, Hot Cha Cha took the QE II by 4 ½ lengths under James Graham, who will be aboard Saturday and break from post position seven. Prior to the Keeneland victory, Hot Cha Cha won the Grade III Pucker Up at Arlington Park.  Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia installed the daughter of Cactus Ridge was installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite for the Mrs. Revere.

Miss World, trained by Christophe Clement, finished fourth in the QE II in her first start since winning the Garden City. Rajiv Maragh has the return call on Miss World, the 4-1 second choice in the morning line who will break from position three. Both Hot Cha Cha and Miss World will carry 123 pounds and concede 4-6 pounds to their rivals.

Barbara Hunter’s Keertana, the 8-1 co-third choice and winner of the Regret (GIII) here in June, will attempt to become the first filly to win the Regret and Mrs. Revere. Trained by Tom Proctor, Keertana will break from post position 11 under 119 pounds and be ridden by Jesus Castanon.  Among the fillies Keertana defeated in the Regret was Mrs. Revere rival Hot Cha Cha, who ran a close third that day.

Also listed at 8-1 is Three Chimneys Racing, LLC’s Miss Keller (IRE), a daughter of Montjeu who just missed last time out as the runner-up to Eye of Taurus in a division of Keeneland’s Valley View (GIII).  Jockey Eurico Da Silva will return to the saddle aboard Miss Keller, an Irish import who makes her third start in North America for trainer Roger Attfield, a member of Canada’s Racing Hall of Fame.

The field for the Mrs. Revere, from the hedge out (with jockey, weight and morning line odds), is as follows: C.S. Silk (F. Torres, 117 pounds, 10-1), Kiawah Cat (S. Bridgmohan, 117, 15-1), Miss World (R. Maragh, 123, 4-1), Striking Dancer (R. Albarado, 117, 12-1), Mary’s Follies (K. Desormeaux, 117, 10-1), War Kill (J. Court, 117, 20-1), Hot Cha Cha (J. Graham, 123, 3-1), Bluegrass Princess (J. Velazquez, 117, 12-1), Romacaca (E. Baird, 117, 10-1), Miss Keller (Ire) (E. Da Silva, 117, 8-1), Keertana (J. Castanon, 119, 8-1), Redreamit (C. Borel, 117, 20-1), Obsequious (W. Martinez, 117, 30-1) and Single Solution (E. Perez, 117, 30-1). The also eligibles are Aaroness (S. Bridgmohan, 117, 30-1), Alice’s Smart (L. Goncalves, 117, 30-1) and Bum Bum (Fr) (C. Borel, 117, 30-1).

Jerry Romans’ Sassy Image weaved her way between horses in the stretch and then drew away to win the 41st running of the $115,900 Pocahontas (GIII) for 2-year-old fillies by two lengths over Decelerator on the opening day of Churchill Downs’ 21-day Fall Meet.

Sassy Image was ridden by Robby Albarado, who posted his fourth victory of the afternoon on the “Stars of Tomorrow I” card that featured racing exclusively for 2-year-olds. Dale Romans, who won the Pocahontas last year with Sara Louise, trains Sassy Image.

Albarado gave Sassy Image a ground-saving trip down the backstretch as Tiz Miz Sue and Vivid Colors dueled through fractions of :22.46 and :45.66. The field began to bunch up as the leaders hit the quarter pole in 1:11.62 and Albarado began to look for an opening with Sassy Image.

He found it at the eighth pole as he moved between Vivid Colors and All Due Respect and spurted clear with plenty left to hold a late challenge by Decelerator, who had won the Debutante (GIII) here in June.

Sassy Image, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Broken Vow, covered the mile on a “fast” main track in 1:38.63. The victory was worth $66,828 for Sassy Image to boost her career earnings to $147,512 with a record of 6-2-1-1.

Sassy Image returned mutuels of $6.20, $3.40 and $2.80. Decelerator, ridden by Rajiv Maragh, returned $7.20 and $6 in finishing a head in front of All Due Respect who paid $8.80 to show under Brian Hernandez Jr.

POST-RACE QUOTES – THE POCAHONTAS

DALE ROMANS, trainer of SASSY IMAGE, winner: “It’s great to be back on the real stuff and it’s great to be back at Churchill Downs. I think she’ll run all day. She outlasted ‘em and had the most stamina today and I just think she’ll run even further.

“You just don’t know [what will happen] when you turn for home and you’re down on the inside all boxed up like that. Are they going to get through? I just thought if [jockey Robby Albarado] found a seam that she would kick through and she did.”

Q: How nice is it to see her overcome adversity at such a young age? “It shows a lot. She’s got a bright future and she’s got a lot of room to improve.

Q: What’s next? “We’ll be here [for the Grade II, $150,000-added Golden Rod for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles] on closing day [Saturday, Nov. 28].”

JERRY ROMANS, owner of SASSY IMAGE, winner: “When she got through on the rail, that was the only anxious moment. Turning for home it didn’t look like it was going to open up. Robby [Albarado] said she felt like a different horse back here on her home track. Once she got head and head, I felt pretty good.
Q: How many horses do you have with your brother Dale? “I’ve got five horses with Dale and she’s by far the best. She’s the best one I’ve ever had. These are once-in-a-lifetime types of horses, for me anyway and not necessarily for Dale training-wise but for us to own.”

Q: The age difference between you and Dale? “I’m 17 months older than Dale.”

ROBBY ALBARADO, jockey of SASSY IMAGE, winner: “The filly (Sassy Image) ran great. [Trainer] Dale [Romans] gave me some instruction to keep her a little bit closer today, so I jumped her out a little earlier and got some forward position going down the backside. I was always very comfortable during the race and just had to find a place to get through. She found the spot up the rail and just went on without me really asking anything of her."

Q: On four wins through the first eight races: “This is just the way that I wanted to start my meet.  I wanted to get off to a hot start and try and keep it going.”

RAJIV MARAGH, rider of DECELERATOR, second: “She ran pretty well. She was game. She fought hard to finish second. ‘As seen on TV’ – it was the same way it felt out there. Maybe if I’d had an inside post it would have made a difference between winning and losing, because she did have a wider trip than the eventual winner. The winner was able to stay down along the rail while I was four wide. But she ran good.”

D. WAYNE LUKAS, trainer of DECELERATOR, second: “I thought she ran well. She got a little wide on the turn, but that other filly is nice filly, so I was pleased with the effort.”

Q: Was there any specific problem in her three off-the-board finishes coming into this race? “I don’t know. We had an active spring and she probably needed a little less action. Then I gave her a little break and came back with her, and now she’s good again. She appears to really like this track.”

Westrock Stables’ Decelerator, winner of the Debutante (Grade III) here in June, bids for a second graded stakes victory on Sunday as she takes on a dozen 2-year-old fillies in the 41st running of the $100,000-added Pocahontas (Grade III) at a mile on the main track at Churchill Downs.

The Pocahontas shares the marquee with $100,000-added Iroquois (GIII), a mile race for 2-year-old colts and geldings, on the “Stars of Tomorrow I” program that opens Churchill Downs’ 21-day Fall Meet, which will run through Saturday Nov. 28. First post time for Sunday’s 11-race card, of the first of two programs during the meet devoted exclusively to races for juvenile runners, is 12:40 p.m. (all times EST).  The Pocahontas is scheduled as the eighth race with a 4:05 p.m. post time.

The second “Stars of Tomorrow” program is set for the meet’s closing day.

Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won the Pocahontas three times, Decelerator is 2-for-2 at Churchill Downs but enters the Pocahontas off a seventh-place finish in the two-turn Darley Alcibiades (GI) over the synthetic Polytrack surface at Keeneland on Oct. 9. Despite that perfect local record and her status as the only graded stakes winner in the Pocahontas, Decelerator is a 10-1 risk in oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds for the race. New York-based Rajiv Maragh has the mount on Decelerator, who will break from post position eight and carry top weight of 123 pounds.

Louisville-born trainer Dale Romans, who edged past the Hall of Famer Lukas in the Spring Meet and now ranks second in all-time wins at Churchill Downs, will bid for his second consecutive Pocahontas victory when he sends Jerry Romans’ Sassy Image into Sunday’s race. Romans saddled Sara Louise, who is scheduled to run in next Friday’s Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (GI) at Oak Tree at Santa Anita, to defeat Rachel Alexandra in the 2008 Pocahontas.  Rachel Alexanadra has not lost a race since.

A maiden winner at Churchill Downs in June and runner-up in the Grade II Adirondack at Saratoga in August, Sassy Image comes into the Pocahontas off an eighth-place finish in the Alcibiades, 1 ¼ lengths behind Decelerator. Robby Albarado has the mount on Sassy Image, who is the 9-2 morning line favorite for the Pocahontas and will carry 117 pounds when she breaks from post position three.

Other stakes winners in the field include Robert DeWitt and Catherine Kenneally’s All About Anna (15-1), who took the Bassinet at River Downs; Summerplace Farm’s Running Bride (6-1), an undefeated Indiana-bred who won the restricted City of Anderson and Miss Indiana stakes at Hoosier Park; and Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s Vertical Vision (6-1), winner of two stakes races at Iowa’s Prairie Meadows this summer.

The field for the Pocahontas, from the rail out (with jockey, assigned weight and morning line odds), is as follows: Biorra (I. Ocampo, 117 pounds, 30-1), All Due Respect (B. Hernandez Jr., 117, 20-1), Sassy Image, Tiz Miz Sue (J. Castanon, 117, 5-1), Happy Week (E. Prado, 117, 6-1), Running Bride (J. Leparoux, 121), Jody Slew (L. Goncalves, 119, 30-1), Decelerator, Snap Happy (C. Borel, 119, 20-1), Vertical Vision (S. Bridgmohan, 121), Vivid Colors (K. Desormeaux, 117, 5-1), All About Anna (C. Lanerie, 121) and Tidal Pool (J. Theriot, 119, 12-1).  

Robert Baker and William Mack’s Dublin, winner of prestigious Grade I Hopeful at Saratoga, tops a field of a dozen 2-year-olds entered for the 28th running of Churchill Downs’ $100,000 Iroquois (Grade III) at one mile on the main track on Sunday’s “Stars of Tomorrow I” program that raises the curtain on the historic track’s 21-day Fall Meet.

The Iroquois and the $100,000-added Pocahontas (GIII), a mile race for 2-year-old fillies, share the marquee on the opener of the meet that runs through Nov. 28. First post time for Sunday’s 11-race card is 12:40 p.m. (all times EST) with the Iroquois going as the 10th race with a 5:02 p.m. post time.

Sunday’s program is the first of two Fall Meet “Stars of Tomorrow” cards entirely devoted to rising 2-year-old stars who have aspirations to compete in next year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and Kentucky Oaks (GI).  Over the previous four years “Stars of Tomorrow” races have served as launching pads for 15 Grade I winners, including millionaires Rachel Alexandra, Lawyer Ron, Macho Again, Pure Clan, Court Vision, Swift Temper and Any Given Saturday.

Dublin, who runs for the stable of four-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas, was supplemented at a cost of $5,000 to run in the Iroquois. Dublin was fifth as the odds-on favorite last time out in the Champagne (GI) at Belmont Park on Oct. 10 and the son of Afleet Alex is the 4-1 favorite for the Iroquois in oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds.  He will be ridden for the first time by Rajiv Maragh and the colt will break from post position six under top weight of 123 pounds.

Other stakes winners in the field are Burning Sands Stable’s unbeaten Comedero, winner of the restricted Razorback Futurity at Louisiana Downs; A.C. and Clare Asbury’s Gleam of Hope, winner of the off-the-turf Cradle at River Downs; Vision Racing’s Three Day Rush, who won Monmouth Park’s restricted NATC Futurity; and Triple AAA Ranch’s Uh Oh Bango, a 10 ½-length winner of the Prairie Meadows Freshman

Capt. Candyman Can, who will be running in next weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, won last year’s Iroquois.

The field for the Iroquois, from the rail out (with jockey and morning line odds), is as follows: Raging Wit (J. Leparoux, 117 pounds, 12-1), Call Shot (R. Albarado, 117, 6-1), Oh Charlie Boy (M. Mena, 117, 30-1), Three Day Rush (E. Prado, 121, 8-1), Brassy Boy (C. Borel, 117, 30-1), Dublin, Uh Oh Bango (G. Corbett, 121, 5-1), Soaring Empire (E. Castro, 117, 15-1), Fist of Rage (K. Desormeaux, 117, 20-1), Thiskyhasnolimit (S. Bridgmohan 117, 6-1), Gleam of Hope (C. Lanerie, 121, 5-1) and Comedero (J. Theriot, 121, 6-1).