Debutante

Eldon Farm Equine’s Just Louise put away 3-5 favorite Salty Strike in deep stretch and then held off a late surge from Tristanme to win the 110th running of the $108,800 Debutante Stakes (GIII) for 2-year-old fillies by a neck on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

 Trained Dale Romans and ridden by Robby Albarado, Just Louise tracked the early pace of Big Sweets and Salty Strike, who blistered the first quarter-mile in :21.14. Midway on the far turn, Albarado sent Just Louise up three wide to grab the lead from Big Sweets as Salty Strike dropped back to third.

Turning for home after a half-mile in :44.73, Just Louise had the lead, but Salty Strike, under Calvin Borel, re-rallied on the rail to take the lead in upper stretch. Salty Strike maintained the advantage until fewer than 50 yards remained when Just Louise eased by and had enough left to hold off Tristanme, ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan.

Just Louise ran the six furlongs on a fast main track in 1:11.85. The victory, the second in as many starts for the homebred daughter of Five Star Day out of the Mt. Livermore mare Kings Lynn, was worth $66,107 and increased her bankroll to $94,907.

 Second choice in the field of seven, Just Louise returned $5.60, $3.80 and $2.20. Tristanme returned $16 and $5 with Salty Strike, finishing a nose back in third, paying $2.10 to show. Completing the field in order were Internet Café, Tater Taunter, Bach Hamilton and Big Sweets.

 Racing resumes Sunday with a 10-race program beginning at 12:45 p.m. (ET). There’s a one-day Pick 6 carryover of $5,088 on races 5-10. Only five dates remain at the 2010 Spring Meet, which concludes Sunday, July 4.

DEBUTANTE STAKES QUOTES

ROBBY ALBARADO (jockey, JUST LOUISE, winner): “She’s a very a nice filly, very smart. I got lucky with my draw on the outside (post six of seven), which was good for her. She won very impressive. Last time she beat a bunch of good maidens, and the same with Salty Strike. I had an option to ride either one and you could split them. But the way her (Just Louise) running style is fits just in case she gets behind horses. She ran big. I had to keep her running down the stretch. She kind of looked around a little bit, they battled back and forth and she got her head in front.”

DALE ROMANS (trainer, JUST LOUISE, winner): “She’s a very nice filly and she’s just like her sister (half to 2008 Pocahontas winner Sara Louise). This race is something for her to improve off of. She dug in game. I thought at the top of the lane it would open up, but you know Calvin (Borel aboard Salty Strike) had a lot of horse, and it was a dogfight to the end. She will point toward the Saratoga meet.”

SHAUN BRIDGMOHAN (jockey, TRISTANME, second): “We went good. She ran hard and good and she was able to close off that pace.”

SCOTT BLASI (assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, TRISTANME, second): “She ran her race and she finished well. We were just unlucky to win. The filly that won (Just Louise) ran a big race. She’ll improve off this effort.”

CALVIN BOREL (jockey, SALTY STRIKE, third): “No excuse. We got outrun. The six horse (Just Louise) was right there with us, and turning for home, I thought I was home free but didn’t have it today.”

PHILIP BAUER (assistant to trainer Ken McPeek, SALTY STRIKE, third): “The speed up front didn’t help us, but she ran a game race. We were proud of her effort. This was just her second start and she will continue to improve. Being by Smart Strike she has the pedigree to go further and we will try doing that at Saratoga. She fought hard today.”

NOTES: Jockey Robby Albarado and trainer Dale Romans collected their first stakes wins of the 2010 Spring Meet. … It was the 64th Churchill Downs stakes win for Albarado (second all time behind Pat Day’s 156) and 24th for Romans (ranks seventh all time). …Albarado won the Debutante for the third time. He also piloted Effectual and Garden District to victories in 2005 and ’08, respectively. … Romans collected his first Debutante win after finishing second in two previous editions: Vibs (2002) and Joint Effort (2005). … After quick early splits of :21.14 and :44.73, the leaders completed the final quarter mile in :27.12 and the last eighth in :14.07.

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 host the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7, 2011 and the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 6, 2011. The track’s 2010 Spring Meet continues through Sunday, July 4. Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on Nov. 5 and 6, 2010. Churchill Downs tickets are available at Tickets.ChurchillDowns.com or by calling (502) 636-4400. Additional information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at ChurchillDowns.com.

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LUKAS HALFWAY HOME TO DEBUTANTE-BASHFORD MANOR DOUBLE – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has now won the Debutante Stakes (GIII) a record seven times and also holds the Bashford Manor (GIII) record with five wins, but he has never swept Churchill Downs’ marquee Spring Meet juvenile events in the same year.

Lukas took the first step toward that double on Saturday when Westrock Stables’ Decelerator posted a gritty neck victory over Wild Forest Cat in the Debutante.

“They are both good this morning,” Lukas said on Sunday, referring to Decelerator and Tidal Pool, who ran fourth in the Debutante in the Westrock silks. “They will both be going to Saratoga.”

Lukas has won five 2-year-old races with four horses this spring. In addition to the two Debutante fillies, Lukas has won races with Westrock runners Soundman and Westrock Gold.  Both colts are being aimed toward Friday’s 108th Bashford Manor.

“They are both doing great and will run,” Lukas said. “Soundman worked Saturday (1:01.80 for five furlongs) and Westrock Gold worked today (half-mile in :48.80).”

Lukas also said that “nothing is on the horizon” for Robert Baker and William Mack’s Flying Private. Sixth in the Belmont Stakes (Grade I) in his most recent start, Flying Private and Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Mine That Bird were the only two horses to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown this spring.

CAPT. CANDYMAN CAN GEARS UP FOR SARATOGA – Away from the hustle and bustle of the Churchill Downs backstretch, Capt. Candyman Can has begun preparations for the second half of 2009 that will open with the $150,000 Amsterdam (Grade II) at 6 ½ furlongs at Saratoga on Aug. 3.

    Owned by Joseph Rauch and David Zell, Capt. Candyman Can worked a half-mile in :51.40 over the synthetic Pro-Ride surface on Wednesday at the Skylight Training Center in nearby Goshen.  It was the Candy Ride gelding’s first work since winning the May 16 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs.

    “I just wanted to freshen him up and out there I can turn him out in a paddock for a couple of hours a day,” trainer Ian Wilkes said. “I will probably let him stay out there unless I see a reason to change. He is doing very well out there, but then he does good here too.”

    In addition to the Matt Winn, Capt. Candyman Can won the Iroquois (Grade III) here last fall. This year he has won the Hutcheson (Grade II) at Gulfstream Park and the Bay Shore (Grade III) at Aqueduct. Wilkes plans to ship Capt. Candyman Can to Saratoga on July 19 or 20.

    Also headed to Saratoga that day will be Fleur de Lis (Grade II) winner Miss Isella, who is being pointed to the $300,000 Go For Wand Handicap (Grade I) on Aug. 2.

    Closer on the radar for Wilkes is Saturday’s $200,000 Dwyer (Grade II) at Belmont Park for Warrior’s Reward, runner-up in the Northern Dancer (Grade III) here on June 13. Warrior’s Reward had his first work since the Northern Dancer last Tuesday, a half-mile in :49.

    “He’s doing fine and will work tomorrow morning and fly to Belmont on Tuesday,” Wilkes said of Warrior’s Reward, who also could show up in major Saratoga races in August. “Right now we are just taking it one step at a time.”

DERBY WINNER MINE THAT BIRD SET FOR MONDAY WORK -- Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Mine That Bird is scheduled to work a half-mile Monday morning after the renovation break with jockey Calvin Borel up.

The work will be the first for Mine That Bird since he finished third in the Belmont Stakes (Grade I) on June 6. Trainer Chip Woolley plans to ship Mine That Bird to Mountaineer the third weekend of July in time to get in two breezes over the track in preparation for the Aug. 1 West Virginia Derby (Grade II).

Mine That Bird went twice around the main track Sunday with exercise rider Rudy Gallegos up.
    
DEFENDING CHAMPION THORN SONG ASSIGNED TOP WEIGHT FOR FIRECRACKER – Zayat Stables’ Thorn Song, winner of the Grade I Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park in his most recent start, was assigned top weight of 123 pounds by Racing Secretary Ben Huffman for Saturday’s 19th running of the $150,000-added Firecracker Handicap (GII) at a mile on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

    Trained by Dale Romans, Thorn Song won last year’s Firecracker under 118 pounds in defeating four rivals that included the favored Einstein.

    Sharing the second high weight of 120 pounds are Michael Cooper and Pamela Ziebarth’s Tizdejavu and Circle E Racing’s Mr. Sidney. Tizdejavu won the American Turf (Grade III) and the Jefferson Cup (Grade II) at Churchill Downs last spring and Mr. Sidney won this spring’s Maker’s Mark Mile (Grade I) at Keeneland. Both runners are considered as possible starters by the Churchill Downs racing office.

    Others considered as probable for the Firecracker are Seaspeak (118), Wise River (118), Wicked Style (115), Artic Cry (114) and Veiled Prophet (113).

    Entries for the Firecracker will be taken Wednesday.

ACOMA ASSIGNED HIGH WEIGHT OF 122 POUNDS FOR CLOSING-DAY LOCUST GROVE HANDICAP – Helen Alexander and Helen Groves’ Acoma, winner of the Early Times Mint Julep Handicap (Grade III) in her most recent start, was assigned high weight of 122 pounds for the 28th running of the $100,000-added Locust Grove Handicap (Grade III) to be run on the closing day of the Spring Meet, July 5.

    Trainer David Carroll said Acoma is not expected to run in the Locust Grove.

As of Sunday, Churchill Downs racing officials had five horses considered as probable for the one-mile test on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Among the probables, the top weights at 116 pounds go Kim and John Glenney’s Gloria Goodbody and James Spence’s Tensas Yucatan. Other probables with their weight assignments are Closeout (115), Flaming Slew (114) and Stealin’ Kisses (112).

    Entries for the Locust Grove will be taken Thursday.

BARN TALK – Trainer William “Buff” Bradley said Sunday morning that Brass Hat, owned by his father Fred, would run in Saturday’s $750,000 United Nations Handicap (Grade I) at 1 3/8 miles at Monmouth Park. “He is leaving Tuesday and Stewart Elliott will ride him,” Buff Bradley said. An earner of more than $1.8 million, Brass Hat won the Louisville Handicap (Grade III) in his most recent start on May 23.

     A new face in the barn area is apprentice rider Stephanie Slinger. Agent Steve Elzey has lined up three mounts for Slinger when she makes her Churchill Downs debut on the “Downs After Dark” night racing program on Thursday, July 2.  Slinger will target  Ellis Park and Indiana Downs this summer. “I watched the Kentucky Derby in 1995 with D. Wayne Lukas, Gary Stevens and Thunder Gulch and I decided I wanted to be a jockey,” said Slinger, who was an 8-year-old at the time and living in Detroit. Slinger has galloped horses for trainers such as Lukas, Bobby Frankel, Patrick Biancone and Mike Maker and Sunday morning got on a horse for Tom Bohannan.

     Julien Leparoux rode one winner on Saturday’s card to increase his lead over Calvin Borel in the race for leading rider with five days remaining in the meet to four (57-53). Leparoux is named on eight mounts Sunday and Borel seven. After Sunday, Leparoux will ride only the Thursday and Friday cards. On Saturday, he will be at Arlington Park to ride Informed Decision in the Chicago Handicap (Grade III) and on Sunday he will be at Hollywood Park to ride Magical Affair in the American Oaks (Grade I) and Rebellion in the Triple Bend Handicap (Grade I). Borel will be at Belmont Park on Saturday to ride Warrior’s Reward in the Dwyer Stakes (Grade II).

    Miguel Mena’s four-win day on Saturday boosted his meet total to 38 to move into a tie for third in the standings with Robby Albarado. Three of the victories were for trainer Dale Romans, who now has 12 wins for the meet and 469 total at Churchill Downs … two fewer than D. Wayne Lukas for second all time. Bill Mott is the career win leader at Churchill Downs with 621 victories.    

MILESTONE WATCH -- William Connelly, who has 999 career victories, failed to reach the 1,000 mark Saturday night when Bred to Win finished second in the seventh race at Indiana Downs. Connelly’s next shot at the milestone will come Wednesday night when he sends out Brilliant Bid in the fifth race at Indiana Downs.

WORK TAB (Track: FAST) – Helen Alexander’s Selva, prepping for a run in Saturday’s Grade I Prioress at Belmont Park, worked a half-mile in :49 over a fast track Sunday morning. Team Valor International’s King of the Roxy, away from the races since April 2008, worked a half-mile in :48.20. Mark Stanley’s Swift Temper, runner-up in the Fleur de Lis (Grade II) on June 13, worked a half-mile in :49.40. Don Benge’s Wise River, prepping for Saturday’s Firecracker Handicap, worked a half-mile in :50.60.

FLYING PEGASUS BEGINS THE ROAD BACK FRIDAY NIGHT – The road with Flying Pegasus has been anything but smooth for trainer Ralph Nicks, but he’ll saddle the promising 3-year-old for a return to action following a three-month break when he competes in a seven-furlong allowance test on Friday night at Churchill Downs.

    “With 3-year-olds, you hope they bounce back quick,” Nicks said of Flying Pegasus, who came down with a lung infection after running sixth in the Louisiana Derby (Grade II) on March 14.

    Owned and bred by James Spence, Flying Pegasus won his first career start on July 2 by 2 ¼ lengths at Churchill Downs and followed that up with an allowance win as the 3-5 choice five weeks later at Delaware Park. His 2-year-old campaign ended after a runner-up finish to Charitable Man in the Futurity (Grade II) at Belmont Park in September when he exited the race with a bone chip in a hind ankle.

    Nicks brought Flying Pegasus back to the races in February with a runner-up finish to Friesan Fire in the Risen Star (Grade III), but Kentucky Derby (GI) hopes for the son of 2000 Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus ended in at the Louisiana Derby.

    “I don’t want to say ‘confidence builder’, but we hope to use this race to go on to the next race that is not a graded stake,” Nicks said. “There are a lot of races for 3-year-olds in August and September.”
    
GETTING READY FOR SOME NIGHT MOVES – So, what do you do if you are saddling a horse in the nightcap, scheduled for 11:11 p.m. (all times EDT), in the historic debut of Churchill Downs’ “Downs After Dark” night racing?

“I guess I’ll sleep on the couch (at the barn) that night,” trainer William “Buff” Bradley said with a laugh.
Con Lover is in Friday’s finale and will be Bradley’s only starter on the 11-race card that begins at 6 p.m.  A regular on the Kentucky circuit, Bradley is a veteran of night racing at Turfway Park.

“I would usually stay up there if we were in a late race,” Bradley said. “I never thought I would see lights here, and if it works, fine. We need to do whatever we can to boost racing.”

One of the effects of the night card for Bradley will be adjusting work schedules, including barn star Brass Hat, winner of the recent Louisville Handicap (Grade III) and earner of more than $1.8 million.

“I am going to work him Friday instead of Saturday, and that (the night card) is one of the reasons,” Bradley said. “I have a few that will work longer and harder and then will walk for two days, so we won’t have so many going to the track Saturday.”

TRACK RECORD HOLDER HOT DIXIE CHICK TOPS DEBUTANTE NOMINATIONS – Grace Stables’ Hot Dixie Chick, who established a Churchill Downs track record for five furlongs (:56.48) in her second career start on June 13, tops a list of 23 nominations for the 109th running of the $100,000-added Debutante (Grade III).

    The six furlong race for 2-year-old fillies is scheduled to be run on June 27.

    Hot Dixie Chick is one of five fillies nominated to the Debutante trained by Steve Asmussen, a four-time winner of the race. Included among the quintet are two Churchill Downs maiden winners: Lewis Lakin and Roger Stanton’s Wild Forest Cat, and Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s Fiesty Ex.

    D. Wayne Lukas, who owns the Debutante record as the trainer of six winners, has nominated four fillies including Westrock Stables’ Decelerator, who beat Hot Dixie Chick when they met on May 14. Decelerator worked a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.40 on a muddy track Tuesday morning.

    Silverbulletday, who will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame this summer, is the most recent Debutante winner to return the following spring and win the Kentucky Oaks. Silverbulletday achieved her double in 1998-99.

    Last year’s Debutante runner-up, Rachel Alexandra, won this year’s Kentucky Oaks and followed that with a win over the boys in the Preakness (GI).    

BARN TALK – Rapport, a $475,000 yearling purchase, will be the first runner from the Legends Racing Stable to make the races when she goes postward in Friday’s fifth race. Legends Racing Stable is a partnership between multiple Kentucky Derby-winning trainers D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito and Bob Baffert.  The three Hall of Fame trainers selected horses at public auction last year for owners who joined the Legends partnership and split those purchases between the three.  Rapport, a 2-year-old daughter of Songandaprayer, is one of 13 Legends horses stabled at Churchill Downs with Lukas. “They are a nice set of horses,” Lukas said. Legends, which purchased 38 horses at auction in 2008 for $15,285,000 plus one private acquisition, also has 13 horses each with Nick Zito and Bob Baffert.

Leading rider Julien Leparoux and Corey Lanerie will be at Colonial Downs on Saturday for the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup (Grade II). Leparoux will be riding Lime Rickey and Lanerie is named on Final Count. Both riders have mounts in the $150,000 All Along (Grade III): Leparoux on Icon Project and Lanerie on Precious Princess.

Saturday, June 20 is the deadline for nominations for the final three stakes of the Spring Meet. Closing that day will be the $100,000-added Bashford Manor (Grade III) for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on the main track to be run July 3, the $150,000-added Firecracker Handicap (Grade II) at a mile on the Matt Winn Turf Course for 3-year-olds and up on July 4, and the $100,000-added Locust Grove Handicap (Grade III) for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up also going a mile on the turf on closing day July 5.

MILESTONE WATCH – Greg Foley, who has saddled 297 winners at Churchill Downs, has a chance Thursday to become the 12th trainer to achieve 300 victories beneath the Twin Spires. Foley is scheduled to send out Faithope in the second, Western Frontier in the fourth and Badger Barry in the seventh. Foley has no horses entered Friday, but two on Saturday: Oh Charlie Boy in the fifth and Cajun Prize in the 10th.

    Bill Connelly, who has saddled 998 winners in his career, has Buckeye Buddy entered in Thursday’s seventh race and Sweetasnails in Friday night’s 11th race.

WORK TAB – Aegon Turf Sprint (Grade III) winner Chamberlain Bridge worked a half-mile in :50 over a fast track, the 15th fastest of 31 at the distance. Tizdejavu, winner of the 2008 Jefferson Cup (Grade II), worked six furlongs in 1:16.20.