Humana Distaff

Headed by the 138^th runnings of the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) and the $1 million-guaranteed Kentucky Oaks (GI), Churchill Downs’ schedule of stakes races for its April 28-July 1 Spring Meet will feature 24 events, total stakes purses of $7.275 million and an emphasis on ‘big event’ programs that include the first nighttime running of the multi-stakes event headed by the Stephen Foster Handicap, one of America’s top races for older horses.

All but one of the 24 Spring Meet stakes events has achieved graded stakes status, and five are Grade I contests topped by the Kentucky Derby, America’s greatest race, and its companion Kentucky Oaks.  The Grade I roster is rounded out by the $500,000-added Woodford Reserve Turf Classic and $300,000-added Humana Distaff, both set for their 26^th runnings on the Kentucky Derby Day program, and the Stephen Foster Handicap, which will carry a purse of $400,000-added when it makes its first appearance beneath Churchill Downs’ permanent lights when the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up is run for the 31^st time on Saturday, June 16.

The spring schedule of stakes races at Churchill Downs features four multi-stakes race programs.  Total stakes purses for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks programs, each featuring six stakes events, will be the largest in the history of those great American races.  Six stakes contests on the Derby Day program on Saturday, May 5, offer total purses $3.525 million, up from last year’s then-record of $3.4 million. Overall stakes purses for Kentucky Oaks Day, Friday, May 4, will surpass $2 million for the first time as its half-dozen stakes races are now worth a collective $2.05 million.  Oaks Day stakes purses hit the $2 million mark for the first time in 2011, when the value of the Kentucky Oaks, America’s top race for 3-year-old fillies, doubled to $1 million.

The value of stakes purses for the 2012 Spring Meet is down slightly from last year’s of total of $7.325 million for 25 races.  Purses for three 2012 races on the popular Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Day programs have been increased, headed by a $100,000 boost for the Grade II Churchill Downs Stakes, a race for 4-year-olds and up at seven furlongs that is now worth $400,000-added.  Purses for five Spring Meet stakes races were adjusted downward, including a $100,000 reduction for the Stephen Foster Handicap and a $50,000 decrease for the Fleur de Lis Handicap (GII), a 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares ages three and up that is set to return from a one-year hiatus with a $150,000-added purse as one of four stakes races on the Stephen Foster Night program.

Nine of the 12 Spring Meet stakes races outside of its blockbuster Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks programs are scheduled to be run in prime time on a Saturday night.

"Our 2012 Spring Meet Stakes schedule at Churchill Downs is exciting in terms of the high quality events and wonderful possibilities offered to the fans who enjoy those races and the owners, trainers and jockeys who compete in them,” said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “Our fans who support Churchill Downs racing at our track, through TwinSpires.com and other advance deposit wagering platforms, and at simulcast centers have shown us that they love big-event programs, so we’ve added a fourth multi-race stakes card to the schedule.  We’re eager to see how stakes races on each of our four ‘Downs After Dark’ night racing programs enhance those Saturdays of racing under the lights.

“But our stakes purses are basically flat to last year’s total, and we’ve had to do some adjusting within our available purse funds to make the overall schedule of our top races as attractive as possible to both horsemen and racing fans. The schedule continues to offer strong events in every division of horses, but the lack of growth in those purses continues to reflect the challenges Churchill Downs and Kentucky’s horse industry face in the continued growth of direct gaming competition from neighboring and other racing markets that benefit from gaming revenues.”

The 2012 Spring Meet will kick off on Saturday, April 28 with the “Opening Night” celebration under the lights that launches both the spring racing session and Kentucky Derby Week.  The evening’s racing highlight is the 88^th running of the $200,000-added The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (Grade III), the one-mile race for 3-year-olds that is the final major prep for the Kentucky Derby.  Last year’s debut of “Opening Night” attracted 38,142 fans, which was the largest crowd in the short history of night racing beneath the Twin Spires and a record for a non-Derby/Oaks/Breeders’ Cup program.

All four night racing programs during the Spring Meet are scheduled on Saturdays and will, for the first time, feature graded stakes races along their array of “Downs After Dark” dining and entertainment options.

A quartet of stakes races with total purses of $750,000 is set for the Stephen Foster Handicap “Downs After Dark’ night racing program on Saturday, June 16.  Along with its main event and the return of the Fleur de Lis, Stephen Foster Night will offer a pair of Grade III contests in $100,000-added Matt Winn, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, and the $100,000-added Regret for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on grass.  A trio of $100,000-added stakes races is set for the “Downs After Dark” celebration on Saturday, June 2. And the “Downs After Dark” finale on Saturday, June 30 will feature the historic 111^th running of the $100,000-added Bashford Manor (GIII) for 2-year-olds at six furlongs.

Other changes in the purse or status of races on the 2012 Spring Meet stakes schedule include:

• Purse hikes for two Kentucky Derby Day stakes races: a $100,000 boost to the Churchill Downs Stakes (GII) making it worth $400,000-added, and a $25,000 increase for Twin Spires Turf Sprint Presented by GE - Appliances & Lighting (GIII), which now has a purse of $125,000;

• The $300,000-added Alysheba Presented by Besilu Stables on Kentucky Oaks Day has been elevated to Grade II status, and the purse for the ungraded Edgewood Presented by Kentucky Naational Insurance on the same day has jumped to $150,000-added, an increase of $50,000;
• The purse for the Firecracker Handicap (GII), the featured event on the meet’s closing day program on Sunday, July 1, has been reduced by $25,000 to $150,000-added;
• Purses for the $100,000-added Regret and $100,000-added Matt Winn on Stephen Foster Night were reduced by $25,000 each;
• Two stakes run in 2011 – the $100,000-added Dogwood (GIII) for 3-year-old fillies and the $100,000-added Jefferson Cup (GIII) for 3-year-olds on turf – are on hiatus for at least a year.

Click here for the complete 2012 Spring Meet Stakes Schedule

DUBAI MAJESTY’S CONNECTIONS GOING FOR THIRD WINNING COLORS – One year ago, Martin Racing LLC and Morgan Thoroughbred LLC’s Dubai Majesty scored the second of her back-to-back victories in the $100,000 Winning Colors (Grade III) under Miguel Mena – a key victory in what turned out to be an Eclipse Award championship campaign. 

            The Bret Calhoun traineed has since retired, so there will be no bid for a Winning Colors three-peat by the talented mare.  But her connections are seeking a three-peat of their own when the send Beat the Blues into the six-furlong feature on Monday’s special Memorial Day holiday card.

            Beat the Blues, a 4-year-old daughter of Great Pyramid-IRE, will face a field of 10 as she makes her second start against stakes company in the eighth running of the Winning Colors.

The Florida-bred is coming into the Winning Colors off an allowance victory over the Polytrack at Keeneland.  It was the first win for Calhoun with Beat the Blues, who has also won while in the barns of trainers Scott Volk, Robert Dibona, and Justin Sallusto.

Beat the Blues’ main rival Monday will be Jerry Romans’ Sassy Image, fresh off a 16-1 upset victory in the Humana Distaff (GI), her third stakes win at Churchill Downs. Trained by Dale Romans, Sassy Image will be ridden by Corey Lanerie, who currently sits atop the Spring Meet jockey standings.

The field for the Winning Colors, from the rail out (with jockey) includes Indian Ink (Fernando De La Cruz), Stephanie Got Even (Shaun Bridgmohan), Wind Caper (Jesus Castanon), Beat the Blues (Miguel Mena), Bell’s Shoes (Kent Desormeaux), Fortune Play (Freddie Lenclud), My New Lady (Jon Court), Sassy Image (Corey Lanerie), Starlite Starbrite (Leandro Goncalves), and Jocata (Calvin Borel). All horses will carry 118 pounds, except for Sassy Image, who will carry high weight of 124.

The Winning Colors will be the ninth race of a special 10-race Memorial Day program at Churchill Downs that begins at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern). Approximate post time for the Winning Colors is 4:59 p.m.

STRONG FIELDS TAKING SHAPE FOR GRADE III ARISTIDES AND WINNING COLORS – Great racing is on tap at Churchill Downs next weekend as the racing program on Saturday, June 4 will feature a pair of Grade III stakes races in the $100,000-added Dogwood and the $100,000-added Aristides.

            The latter has a attracted an impressive group of probable starters (with trainers) headed by a pair of Grade I stakes winners in Rosemary Rausch and David Zell’s Capt. Candyman Can (Ian Wilkes), winner of the 2009 King’s Bishop, and Marianne and Brandon Chase’s Here Comes Ben (Charles Lopresti), winner of the 2011 Forego.

Twenty-three older sprinters were nominated for the 23^rd running of the six-furlong Aristides, which looms as an 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.

            Other Aristides “probables” include Zayat Stables’ defending Aristides winner Riley Tucker (Steve Asmussen); R.E.V. Racing’s Atta Boy Roy (Valorie Lund), winner of the 2010 Churchill Downs (GII) and runner-up in the Aristides; Richard, Bert and Elaine Klein’s Cash Refund (Steve Margolis) third in the 2010

Aristides and winner of a recent Churchill Downs allowance prep for this year’s renewal; Chasing Dreams Racing’s Noble’s Promise (Ken McPeek), fifth in the 2010 Kentucky Derby (GI) and a close fifth to Aikenite in the 2011 Churchill Downs on Derby Day; Homewrecker Racing and Avalon Farm’s Custom for Carlos (Eddie Kenneally), winner of the Mr. Prospector (GIII) at Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn Park’s Count Fleet (GIII) in 2010, and runner-up to 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Big Drama in this year’s Mr. Prospector; and Patrick Donahoe’s Posse Cat (Jinx Fires), a sharp allowance winner at Oaklawn Park in April.

            Listed as “possible’ for the Aristides is Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch’s Chief of Affairs (Bret Calhoun), fourth in last year’s Aristides and third to Smiling Tiger in the 2011 Count Fleet.

            The 37^th running of the Dogwood (GIII), a one mile race on the main track for 3-year-old fillies, closed May 21 with 23 nominations and its field of probable starters is headed by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s promising Might (Al Stall, Jr.), K.K. and V.D. Jayaraman’s Holy Heavens (Benard Chatters), who finished 13^th to Plum Pretty in the Kentucky Oaks (GI), and Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch’s Gran Lioness (Bret Calhoun).

            Might is a homebred full sister to 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) and Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) winner Blame who brings a two-race winning streak into the Dogwood that includes an impressive allowance victory at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day.  Holy Heavens won Oaklawn’s Marsha Washington and finished second to Joyful Victory in the Honeybee (GIII) and third to that rival in the Fantasy (GII).  Gran Lioness won the Prima Donna at Oaklawn Park and finished sixth to Grade I winner Turbulent Descent in the Beaumont (GII) at Keeneland, her first start over a synthetic racing surface.

            Others listed as “probable” for the Dogwood include Angelica Zapata (Ron Pellegrini), fourth in the Eight Belles (GIII) on Kentucky Oaks Day; Fantasy of Flight (John Terranova), an impressive debut winner at Churchill Downs on Oaks Day in her only start; and Salty Strike (Ken McPeek), a narrowly beaten third in last year’s Debutante (GIII) who returned to form in a seven-length romp in a seven-furlong allowance race on May 20 at Churchill Downs.

            The list of “possible” starters for the Dogwood includes Henny’s Hurricane (McPeek) and Juanita (Mike Maker)..  .

            Ailalea won last year’s running of the Dogwood under Calvin Borel for trainer Todd Pletcher.  

    Entries for both the Dogwood and the Aristides will close on Wednesday, June 1.

LOUISVILLE HANDICAP WINNER KEERTANA’S HALF-SISTER POINTS TO MINT JULEP – Trainer Tom Proctor was still on cloud nine the morning after Barbara Hunter’s homebred Keertana scored a breathtaking photo-finish win over males in the 74^th running of Saturday’s Louisville Handicap (GIII).

             “I was so excited last night that I couldn’t even go to sleep,” Proctor said of the first victory by a filly or mare in the history of the Louisville, which was first run in 1895.

            While Proctor barn was thrilled with Keertana’s historic performance; the team hopes to make more noise in a couple of weeks with Keertana’s half-sister, Snow Top Mountain. The 4-year-old homebred daughter of Najran won the 2010 Arlington Oaks (GIII) is now being pointed to the 35^th running of the Early Times Mint Julep (GIII) for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles over the Matt Winn Turf Course on June 11.

            One might think that the half-sisters would have similar personalities, but Proctor says that couldn’t be further from the truth.

            “Keertana is one of the sweetest horses I’ve ever had and Snow Top Mountain is flat-out nasty,” Proctor said. “A couple of weeks ago my friend’s seven-month-old was petting Keertana and she just loved it. You wouldn’t want to do that with Snow Top (Mountain). You have to avoid being bitten by her when you walk down the shedrow.”

            The half-siblings out of Hunter’s homebred Storm Cat mare Motokiks might have differing dispositions, but Proctor has happily found that they have one thing in common.

            “They can both run,” Proctor said. “They definitely share that characteristic.”

            Snow Top Mountain will enter the Mint Julep off an impressive allowance victory on the Kentucky Derby (GI) undercard. The win improved her record to 4-6-0 from 12 starts with earnings of $270,102.

BARN TALK – Three-time Kentucky Derby winner Kent Desormeaux is leading the Churchill Downs jockey colony in Spring Meet stakes victories with three. Desormeaux’s stakes-winning mounts include Diva Ash in the Edgewood, Victoria’s Wildcat in the Eight Belles (GIII), and Aviate-GB in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (GII).  Three trainers are tied for most stakes victories with two each: Preakness (GI) winner Dale Romans, whose wins came in the Humana Distaff (GI) with Sassy Image and the Edgewood; Proctor, whose Louisville ‘Cap triumph with Keertana joined an earlier victory by Banned in the American Turf (GII), and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert, who won the Kentucky Oaks and Alysheba (GIII) with First Dude. …

            Leading Spring Meet jockey Corey Lanerie top all riders in turf victories with four. Overall, Lanerie had won with 20 of his 92 mounts heading into Sunday’s racing beneath the Twin Spires.  Trainers Dale Romans and Tom Proctor have three turf wins each to lead all trainers in that category. …

The majority of Shaun Bridgmohan’s 19 wins have come in sprints. The journeyman jockey was 16-for-51 in sprint contests heading into Sunday’s 10-race program. …

            Little Miss Muffet’s victory in the ninth race at Churchill Downs on Friday gave trainer Tom Amoss his third victory with a 2-year-old during the meet. Sum of the Parts and Culotte were the other winners for Amoss, who is a perfect 3-for-3 with juveniles this spring.   

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockeys over the last five racing days (May 21-28) are Corey Lanerie (9-for-35), Shaun Bridgmohan (6-for-28) and Miguel Mena (6-for-29). Brad Cox (4-for-7), Merril Scherer (3-for-7) and Steve Asmussen (3-for-15) are the hottest trainers over the same period. The hottest owners are Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc. (3-for-6) and Ken Sentel and Merrill Scherer (2-for-2).     

WORK TAB (Track: FAST) – Dundalk 5 LLC’s  Dundalk Dust, upset winner of the 2010 Falls City Handicap (GII) for trainer Chris Block, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.80, the third fastest move of 19 at the distance.

Churchill Downs has unveiled a $9.025 million stakes schedule for its Spring and Fall racing meets in 2010 headed by the 136th renewals of the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, the $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks and $500,000-added Clark Handicap among its six Grade I offerings.

Stakes purses for the historic track’s 42-day April 24-July 4 Spring Meet total $7.1 million and $1.925 million for the 20-day Fall Meet that runs from Oct. 31-Nov. 27. The schedule of stakes events features six Grade I events after the American Graded Stakes Committee restored the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare to Grade I status for the first time since 2006. Three of those Grade I events are scheduled on Kentucky Derby Day on Saturday, May 1, which also includes the $500,000-added Woodford Reserve Turf Classic and $300,000-added Humana Distaff. The $500,000-added Kentucky Oaks on Friday, April 30 and the $600,000-added Stephen Foster Handicap on Saturday, June 12 are the other Grade I events contested at Churchill Downs this year (not including Breeders’ Cup World Championship races).

The 2010 Churchill Downs stakes schedule includes 40 races, all but one of which are graded events. Along with the six Grade I races, the track will offer 12 Grade II stakes races and 21 contests with Grade III status.

The Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Stephen Foster Handicap, respectively, head three special event days that consist of five or more stakes races with total purses in excess of $1 million. The biggest of those days is Kentucky Derby Day, which includes six stakes races with total purses of $3.35 million. Kentucky Oaks Day features the main event and five other stakes races with total purses of $1.325 million. And five stakes races set for Stephen Foster Handicap Day carry total purses of $1.15 million.
Churchill Downs’ popular of “Stars of Tomorrow” programs devoted exclusively to 2-year-olds are scheduled for the opening and closing days of the Fall Meet. And 2010 marks the return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to the historic Louisville track for a record seventh time – and for the first time as a two-day event – on Nov. 5-6. One Churchill Downs stakes race is scheduled daily over Breeders’ Cup Weekend, Thursday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 7.

“Our goal every year is to provide our fans and horsemen with a high quality stakes schedule that offers compelling and competitive opportunities for horses in every division,” said Don Richardson, senior vice president of Racing. “We believe the 2010 stakes schedule at Churchill Downs – topped by the historic 136th renewals of the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Clark Handicap among its six Grade I offerings – is one of our strongest schedules ever, with all but one race having achieved recognition as a graded race from the American Graded Stakes Committee. It is going to be an exciting year with the return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships and six racing sessions scheduled under our new permanent lights, and we look forward to working with owners and trainers throughout North America in an effort to bring their most talented horses to Churchill Downs to compete in the stakes races that will be run beneath the Twin Spires.”

Several races on the 2010 schedule have undergone name, purse or distance changes – including significant changes for the final Kentucky Derby prep race and the return of the name of the great mare La Troienne to the schedule. Those changes include:

• The $200,000-added Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII) on Saturday, April 24 – the last of the year’s Kentucky Derby prep races is traditionally the first stakes race of the year and prominent Thoroughbred owner/breeder Robert LaPenta will sponsor the race that now also carries the name of one of his most accomplished horses. The Cliff’s Edge finished fifth to Smarty Jones as the morning line favorite for the 2004 Kentucky Derby, but won a pair of stakes races at Churchill Downs and the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. The purse for the Trial has been doubled to $200,000-added and the race distance returns to one mile after a string of three consecutive renewals at 7 ½ furlongs.
• The $300,000-added La Troienne (GII) on Friday, April 30 – Formerly known as the Louisville Stakes, this 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares ages 3 and up on Kentucky Oaks Day now honors one of the great broodmares in the history of American racing. La Troienne’s offspring included champion Black Helen and 1940 Kentucky Derby runner-up and Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Bimelech. Her notable descendants included Kentucky Derby winners Sea Hero and Go for Gin, Kentucky Oaks winner Princess Rooney, and champions Easy Goer, Buckpasser, Busher, Pleasant Tap, Caerleon and Woodman. Churchill Downs had previously honored La Troienne by placing the great mare’s name on a race for 3-year-old fillies. That race was renamed last year in honor of ill-fated 2008 Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles and is part of the Kentucky Derby Day stakes schedule.
• The $100,000-added Churchill Downs Turf Sprint (GIII) on Friday, April 30 is getting a name change. It was most recently known as the AEGON Turf Sprint.
• Purse increases from 2009 include the addition of $100,000 to the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare, which is again a $500,000-added event, and the purse for the Pocahontas on Sunday, Oct. 31, which received a $50,000 boost to $150,000-added after the American Graded Stakes Committee granted it Grade II status. Other races scheduled for purse hikes in 2010 include the American Turf, an Oaks Day staple that is now a Grade II event with a purse of $175,000-added, an increase of $25,000; the Grade II Firecracker Handicap, up $25,000 to $175,000-added; the Northern Dancer (GIII), with a purse of $125,000-added that reflects a $25,000 increase; and the $125,000-added Early Times Mint Julep (GIII), which also gains $25,000.
• Races with reduced purses for 2009 include the $100,000-added Jefferson Cup, which carried a $150,000-added purse in 2009. The race is now a Grade III event, down from Grade II status a year ago, and will be run at a new distance of 1 1/16 miles on turf. Also reduced by $25,000 is the $125,000-added Regret (GIII).
• The $100,000-added Ack Ack Handicap (GIII) will be run at a new distance of 1 1/16 miles. The race had been previously run at one mile or 7 1/2 furlongs.
• And going on hiatus is the $100,000-added Edgewood, a 1 1/16 mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies that had been run on Kentucky Oaks Day.

The four Churchill Downs stakes races scheduled to support the Nov. 5-6 Breeders’ Cup World Championships include $100,000-added River City Handicap (GIII) on Thursday, Nov. 4; the Ack Ack Handicap on Friday, Nov. 5; the $150,000-added Chilukki (GII) on Saturday, Nov. 6; and the $100,000-added Cardinal (GIII) on Sunday, Nov. 7.

Click Here For A Printable PDF Of The Schedule

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

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

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

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

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

JUNIOR JOCKEY CLUB ACTIVITIES FOR MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY – Churchill Downs’ Junior Jockey Club for children 3-10 will be open for all three days of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Special activities between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (all times EDT) include decorating “Triple Crowns” on Saturday and Sunday, and outdoor games on Monday. The Junior Jockey Club is located near the Guest Services Booth inside Gate. 10. Coloring books, crayons, individual games and reading material are available as well, and Churchill Downs’ mascot Churchill Charlie will be on hand each day for photographs between 2-2:30 p.m.

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

Martin Racing Stable and Dan Morgan’s Dubai Majesty, the pacesetter in the Humana Distaff (Grade I) on Kentucky Derby Day, headlines a field of seven fillies and mares ages 3-years-old and up entered for sixth running of the $100,000-added Winning Colors (Grade III), the featured event on a special Memorial Day holiday program at Churchill Downs.
    The six-furlong Winning Colors will go as the 10th race on the 11-race Memorial Day card that kicks off with a 12:45 p.m. (EDT) post time.
    Trained by Bret Calhoun, Dubai Majesty faded to third behind Informed Decision in the seven-furlong Humana Distaff on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs on the May 2 Derby Day undercard.  The race was a virtual replay of the Grade I Vinery Madison over seven furlongs on Polytrack at Keeneland, a race in which Dubai Majesty set the pace only to be run down late by Informed Decision.
Jamie Theriot, who has ridden Dubai Majesty to two of her six victories, has the mount Monday and will exit from post position five.
Dubai Majesty has three wins and three seconds from seven starts at the Winning Colors distance of six furlongs. However, the best six-furlong mark in the Winning Colors belongs to Keep the Peace, who is undefeated in three starts at the distance.
Owned by Gary and Mary West and trained by Eddie Kenneally, Keep the Peace broke her maiden at first asking in November 2007 at Churchill Downs and has since posted runner-up finishes in the 2008 renewals of the Grade III La Troienne and Grade III Dogwood under the Twin Spires. Corey Lanerie has the mount on Monday.
 The field for the Winning Colors, from the rail out, is as follows: Keep the Peace (Lanerie, 118 pounds), Temple Street (Jon Court, 118), Nadeshiko (Shaun Bridgmohan, 120), Tar Heel Mom (Jesus Castanon, 118), Dubai Majesty (Jamie Theriot, 118), Lady Chace (Miguel Mena, 118) and Tiz to Dream (Calvin Borel, 118).
    The race is named for the late Eugene Klein’s Winning Colors, a gray daughter of Caro who won the 1988 Kentucky Derby (GI) to become only the third – and most recent – female to win America’s greatest race.  
She was the first of four Derby winners trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas and returned to Churchill Downs that fall to suffer a narrow loss to unbeaten Personal Ensign in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI), a race that is considered by some to be the greatest and most memorable in Breeders’ Cup history.  
Winning Colors was elected Thoroughbred Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

Bo Hirsch’s homebred Papa Clem, winner of the $1 million Arkansas Derby (Grade II) on April 11 at Oaklawn Park, arrived at Churchill Downs late Tuesday afternoon to continue his preparation for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

    Papa Clem flew from Arkansas to Lexington, Ky., then traveled just over an hour by van to Churchill Downs.  He arrived at the Louisville track at 5:30 p.m. (all times EDT) and took up residence in Barn 10A, which houses horses trained by Cody Autrey.

    The Gary Stute-trained Papa Clem was ridden by former Churchill Downs leading rider Rafael Bejarano when the son of Smart Strike won the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby on April 11.  The victory was his first stakes triumph and improved his record to 2-2-0 in six races and lifted his earnings to $790,940.

    The arrival of Papa Clem raises the number of likely Kentucky Derby contenders on the grounds to seven.  The others are Wood Memorial (GI) winner I Want Revenge; Toyota Blue Grass (GI) winner General Quarters; Illinois Derby (GII) winner Musket Man; and Regal Ransom and Desert Party, Godolphin’s 1-2 finishers in the $2 million UAE Derby (GII).

    Seven horses trained by three-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert – headed by Kentucky Oaks (GI) candidate Gabby’s Golden Gal and multiple stakes winner Indian Blessing – arrived at Churchill Downs on Tuesday afternoon.  The Baffert horses settled into Barn 33, the trainer’s tradition spot under the Twin Spires.  Baffert’s Kentucky Derby contender, Zayat Stable’s Santa Anita Derby (GI) winner Pioneerof the Nile, is scheduled to arrive at the Louisville track on Thursday, April 16.

    Gabby’s Golden Gal, a 13-length winner of the Sunland Park Oaks, joins likely favorite Rachel Alexandra as the only Kentucky Oaks candidates on the grounds.  Indian Blessing, runner-up to Big City Man in the $2 million Golden Shaheen at Dubai’s Nad Al Sheba on March 28, is set to run in the Humana Distaff (GI) on Kentucky Derby Day.

    The Baffert group also included 3-year-olds Mythical Power and Turk.  Both are nominated to the $100,000-added Derby Trial (GIII) on April 25, the opening day of the track’s Spring Meet.  Diamond Tags, a 3-year-old filly nominated to the $100,000 Eight Belles (GIII) on Kentucky Derby Day, is also settling in at the Baffert barn.

Tom Grether Farms’ Intangaroo, ridden by Alonso Quinonez, got up in the final jump to edge Baroness Thatcher and Hystericalady in a three-horse photo to win the 22nd running of the $334,800 Humana Distaff (GI) for fillies and mares four-years-old and up at Churchill Downs on Saturday afternoon.

Hystericalady, winner of the 2007 Humana Distaff, was engaged in a four-horse speed duel in the run down the backside. As the leaders cut out fractions of :22.27 and :44.31, Quinonez had Intangaroo racing in seventh place in the field of eight and on the outside, clear of traffic.

Turning for home, Baroness Thatcher made the first move at the dueling leaders. Hystericalady disposed of her early company, but was soon joined by Baroness Thatcher and then Intangaroo on the far outside. The trio hit the wire together with Intangaroo prevailing by a head over Baroness Thatcher with Hystericalady another nose back.

The winner covered the seven furlongs over a “fast” track in 1:22.03.

A 4-year-old daughter Kentucky-bred daughter of Orientate out of the Tasso mare Tasso’s Magic Roo, Intangaroo earned $201,348 for her fourth victory in 10 starts and increased her career earnings to $464,229. It was the second Grade I victory of the year for Intangaroo, who is trained by Gary Sherlock. Earlier she had won the Santa Monica Handicap at Santa Anita.

Intangaroo returned mutuels of $30, $12.40 and $6.80. Baroness Thatcher, under John Velazquez, paid $14.80 and $7.20 while Hystericalady, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, returned $3.60 to show.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2008. The track’s 2008 Spring Meet runs from April 26 through July 6. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record six times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.
 
STAKES QUOTES: THE HUMANA DISTAFF

Alonso Quinonez (winning jockey, Intangaroo) – “She ran a great race. I was just very patient and I knew I could be with the long stretch. We just waited to get through (in the stretch), get clear and turn her loose.

“We talked about how the pace scenario was going to be perfect for us. We just let the speed horses go to the front, sit behind them and then make our move turning for home.”

Gary Sherlock (winning trainer, Intangaroo) –  “She really vindicated her win in the Santa Monica (Feb. 2).  A lot of  people thought she lucked out in that race.  But she’s a great filly and I always felt that way.”
 
Regarding her first start on a dirt track...
“She galloped here yesterday as good as a horse can gallop.  She just floated over the track.

“She has always been bomb-proof.  She really gives it her all and finishes well.  The jock rode her perfectly.

“I wouldn’t have come all this way just to be here.  The goal has been the Breeders’ Cup all the time.  For her next start, the A Gleam (7 furlongs on June 28 at Hollywood Park) is a possibility.”

John Velazquez (jockey, Baroness Thatcher, 2nd) – “Tough beat. It set up great for her. There was speed and we had a good spot. I had to go a little wide with her, but it was fine. I saw that filly down inside (Hystericalady) and I focused on her. My filly went after her and we got her. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw this thing flying outside us and she beat us both. But my filly ran great. We did everything but win.”

Rafael Bejarano (jockey, Hystericalady, 3rd) – “I was in a bad position. I had not choice but to use her and go. There was too much speed in there. We were flying and my horse was giving all she had, but the post got us. If she was outside I could have put her in a better spot, but we had to go.”

Javier Castellano (jockey, Sugar Swirl, 5th) – “She was pretty sharp from the gate today and was battling hard early. She just got tired. That wasn’t her best effort, for sure. She’ll be back. She’s better than that.”

Midnight Cry Stable’s Einstein (BRZ) will be hoping the third time’s the charm Saturday when he takes on seven rivals in the 22nd running of the $400,000-added Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI), one of five graded stakes preceding the 134th running of the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) at Churchill Downs.

In addition to the Woodford Reserve on the Derby Day card that has a first post time of 11 a.m. (EDT), the 22nd running of the Grade I Humana Distaff will feature the return to Churchill Downs of Rancho San Miguel, George Todaro and Jerry Hollendorfer’s Hystericalady, who won the 2007 renewal by four lengths.

Trained by Helen Pitts, Einstein ran fourth in the 2006 Woodford Reserve and seventh last year in the mile and one-eighth race. A six-year-old son of 1985 Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck, Einstein has won two of three grass starts in 2008, including the Gulfstream Park Turf (GI) in February.

Einstein, who will break from post position five under Robby Albarado, will not be the only Grade I winner in the field.

David Heerensperger’s Artiste Royale (IRE), took the Clement L. Hirsch last fall at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita for trainer Neil Drysdale. In his most recent start, Artiste Royale finished fourth in the one-mile Arcadia Handicap (GII) at Santa Anita.

Other graded stakes winners in the field include Stud TNT’s Out of Control (BRZ), Zayat Stables’ Thorn Song and Andrew Farm, Connie Scanlon and James Buckley’s Duveen.

Hystericalady’s Humana Distaff victory was one of three she registered in 2007, a year that concluded with a runner-up finish to champion Ginger Punch in the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI). Trained by Hollendorfer, Hystericalady enters the Humana Distaff off a 3 ½-length victory in the March 9 Azeri (GIII) at Oaklawn Park.

Rafael Bejarano, who rode Hystericalady in last year’s Humana Distaff, has the call Saturday and will break from the rail in the field of nine.

Among her rivals are the 2-3-4 finishers from the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Monmouth Park in October: Puglisi Stables and Steve Klesaris’ Miraculous Miss, Roll Reroll Stables’ Miss Macy Sue and Zayat Stables’ Baroness Thatcher. Also in the field is Tom Grether Farms’ Intangaroo, winner of the Grade I Santa Monica Handicap at Santa Anita in February.

Other graded stakes on the Derby Day card are the 74th running of Grade II Churchill Downs, which drew a field of nine with Robert Yagos’ Spotsgone and George Bolton, Joan Corrigan and Antony Beck’s Noonmark share top weight of 120 pounds; the 53rd running of the Grade III La Troienne for three-year-old fillies going 7 ½ furlongs on the main track; and, the 19th running of the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile, a Grade III event featuring 2006 Eclipse Award winner Dreaming of Anna, who will be facing eight rivals, including Vinery Madison (GII) winner Ventura, owned by Juddmonte Farms.