Riley Tucker

A strong field of eight accomplished sprinters headed by Grade I stakes winners Capt Candyman Can and Here Comes Ben and defending winner Riley Tucker has been entered to compete in Saturday’s 23^rd running of the $100,000-added Aristides (Grade III) at Churchill Downs.

            This year’s running of the Aristides looms as an important prep for important early prep for the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI), which will be run over main track at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Nov. 5.

            The six furlong race for 3-year-olds and up is one of a pair of Grade III events on Saturday’s 11-race program, which is set to begin with the first race at 12:45 p.m. (all times EDT).  The Aristides is scheduled as the tenth race with a post time of 5:29 p.m.  The co-featured $100,000-added Dogwood Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile immediately precedes the Aristides.

            Each member of the Aristides field boasts at least one victory over the main track at Churchill Downs, but Capt. Candyman Can and Here Comes Ben possess the strongest career accomplishments.

            Rosemary Rauch and David Zell’s Capt. Candyman Can, winner via disqualification of the 2009 King’s Bishop (GI) at Saratoga, did not race in 2010 because of injury, but has returned in 2011 with three strong races coming into the Aristides.  The 5-year-old Candy Ride gelding won non-graded stakes races at Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park over the winter and finished fourth, beaten just three-quarters of a length by Aikenite, in the $300,000-added Churchill Downs (GII) on Kentucky Derby Day.  It was the first time in four races at Churchill Downs, which include wins in the Iroquois (GIII) and Matt Winn, in which Capt Candyman Can had finished worse than third. 

            Calvin Borel will ride Capt. Candyman Can from post three for trainer Ian Wilkes.

            Marianne and Brandon Chase’s Here Comes Ben, winner of last year’s Forego (GI) at Saratoga, will make his second start of the year after a stellar 2010 during which he won four of six races.  His wins included the Kelly’s Landing overnight stakes at Churchill Downs before son of Street Cry finished the year with an 11^th-place finish as the favorite in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI).  Here Comes Ben finished seventh to Aikenite in the Churchill Downs in his 2011 debut.

            Julien Leparoux will ride the Charles Lopresti-trained Here Comes Ben, who breaks from the rail post in the Aristides as the veteran sprinter bids for a fourth career victory at Churchill Downs.

            Zayat Stables’ Riley Tucker, searching for his first stakes victory since his mild surprise in last year’s renewal of the Aristides, will be sandwiched between his Grade I-winning opponents on Saturday when he breaks from post two for trainer Steve Asmussen.   Kent Desormeaux will be aboard the 6-year-old son of Harlan’s Holiday who is coming off a runner-up finish to Aristides rival Cash Refund in a six-furlong allowance prep on May 15.

Eligible to improve in the Aristides in Chasing Dreams Racing’s Noble’s Promise, who finished a fast-closing fifth in Aikenite’s Churchill Downs in his first start of 2011.  The Ken McPeek-trained son of Cuvee finished fifth to Super Saver in last year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and narrowly lost the Rebel (GII) at Oaklawn Park in a runner-up finish to eventual Preakness (GI) winner and 3-year-old champion Lookin At Lucky.  Noble’s Promise, who won the Jimmy V. Stakes at Churchill Downs on Breeders’ Cup Weekend, will break from post eight with Alan Garcia aboard.

R.E.V. Racing’s Atta Boy Roy, the runner-up in the 2010 Aristides, is back for another try at Churchill Downs for trainer Valorie Lund.  Jesus Castanon will ride Atta Boy Roy, who scored the greatest victory of his career when he took the 2010 Churchill Downs over a sloppy track.  He starts from post seven.

Cash Refund, a homebred Petionville gelding who finished third in the 2010 Aristides, carries the hopes of Louisville-based owners Richard, Elaine and Bert Klein in Saturday’s renewal.  The Steve Margolis trainee notched his second career victory at Churchill Downs when he turned back Riley Tucker in the track’s May 15 allowance prep for the Aristides.  Shaun Bridgmohan will ride Cash Refund, who drew post five.

Dawn and Ike Thrash’s Hurricane Ike, winner of the 2010 The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII) at Churchill Downs, will attempt to snap a four-race losing streak when he runs in the Aristides.  Formerly trained by John Sadler, the 4-year-old son of Graeme Hall will be saddled in the Aristides by Jeff Thornbury and Robby Albarado will be the saddle as Hurricane Ike breaks from post four.

Thomas Shank and Stan Young’s Good Lord, an impressive winner of a seven-furlong allowance winner on Kentucky Derby Day, will make his stakes debut beneath the Twin Spires in his bid for the Aristides.  Trained by veteran Forrest Kaelin, the 4-year-old gelded son of Greatness has a record of 2-2-2 record in eight races at Churchill Downs.  Leading jockey Corey Lanerie will ride Good Lord from post six.

The field from the 23^rd running of the Aristides includes (from the rail out, with jockey): Here Comes Ben (Leparoux), Riley Tucker (Desormeaux), Capt. Candyman Can (Borel), Hurricane Ike (Albarado), Cash Refund (Bridgmohan), Good Lord (Lanerie), Atta Boy Roy (Castanon), Noble’s Promise (Garcia).

All starters in the Aristides will carry 118 pounds.

Michael Langford’s Jonesboro, a two-time graded-stakes winner in 2009 and earner of $1,465,575 in his 42-race career, and Riley Tucker, a close fifth to Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) contender Gayego in the Ancient Title (GI) at Oak Tree at Santa Anita, headline a field of eight older horses entered for Friday’s 17th running of the $100,000-added Ack Ack Handicap (Grade III) at a mile on the main track.

The Ack Ack will go as the ninth race on Friday’s 10-race card with a 4:55 p.m. (all times EST) post time. First post on Friday is 12:40 p.m. for a program that also includes the simulcast of the first day of the 26th Breeders’ Cup World Championships from Oak Tree at Santa Anita. The Breeders’ Cup card will kick off at 3:35 p.m. with the Marathon, which will be followed by five races for fillies and mares that will culminate with the Ladies’ Classic at 6:45 p.m.

Trained by Randy Morse, Jonesboro won the Grade III Texas Mile at the Ack Ack distance in April at Lone Star Park and also won the Cornhusker Handicap (GII) at Prairie Meadows in June. The 7-year-old has compiled a lifetime record of 14-11-3 and has been installed as the 5-2 second choice in the morning line by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.

Cliff Berry, who has been aboard Jonesboro in his past five starts, has the call Friday. Jonesboro will carry top weight of 119 pounds, conceding 2-6 pounds to his seven rivals, and break from post position seven.

The morning line choice for the Ack Ack is Zayat Stables’ Riley Tucker, who seeks a breakthrough first stakes victory after battling many of the top sprinters in the U.S. throughout 2009.  Along with his Ancient Title run, the 4-year-old Steve Asmussen trainee finished second to Munnings in the Tom Fool (GII) at Belmont and a close fifth to Pyro in the Forego at Saratoga.  Battaglia has listed the son of Harlan’s Holiday as a lukewarm 2-1 choice in the morning line.

Aaron Gryder will be in the saddle aboard Riley Tucker, who has been assigned 115 pounds and will break from post position two.      Riley Tucker, who has a record of 3-4-2 in and has earned $297,624, will bid to give Asmussen his second consecutive victory in the Ack Ack.  Asmussen won the 2008 running with Magna Graduate.

A close third choice in the Ack Ack at 3-1 is the Millard R. Seldin Revocable Trust’s Greeley’s Conquest, whose lone win in six races this year came in the Remington Sprint Cup at Remington Park on Aug. 22. The Gary Thomas trainee was second to Magna Graduate in the 2008 Ack Ack and finished a close sixth to Breeders’ Cup Sprint contenders Fatal Bullet and Capt. Candyman Can in the Phoenix (GIII) at Keeneland in his most recent outing

Chris Emigh will ride the 5-year-old son of Mr. Greeley, who will carry 117 pounds from post five.

Aside from Jonesboro, the only other 2009 graded stakes winner in field is Hicklin Farms and Tom Gregerson’s Let It Rock, a 12-1 shot who captured the Grade III Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park in March. Trained by Judi Hicklin, Let It Rock will carry 115 pounds and break from post position four under Terry Thompson.

The field for the Ack Ack, from the rail out (with jockey, weight and morning line odds), is as follows: Glamour Guy (Leandro Goncalves, 113 pounds, 15-1), Riley Tucker, Demarcation (Jesus Castanon, 115, 10-1), Let It Rock, Greeley’s Conquest, Que Paso (Miguel Mena, 114, 10-1), Jonesboro, and Spotsgone (Jon Court, 114, 12-1).