Ack Ack

Lothenbach Stables’ Mister Marti Gras rallied in deep stretch to overtake Alma d’Oro to win the 19^th running of the $109,700 Ack Ack Handicap (Grade III) for 3-year-olds and up by a half-length.

Trained by Chris Block and ridden by Julien Leparoux, Mister Marti Gras raced near the back of the seven-horse field as Gladding led the field through fractions of :25.53, :51.03 and 1:15.25 on a muddy main track.

Turning for home, Glenwood Canyon got first run at Gladding with Alma d’Oro charging three wide and Mister Martin Gras four wide. At the eighth pole, Alma d’Oro assumed command, but was unable to hold off Mister Marti Gras, who completed the 1 1/16 miles on a muddy main track in 1:45.68.

A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Belong to Me out of the Cure the Blues mare Miss Marta, Mister Marti Gras earned $66,654 with the victory and improved his bankroll to $508,650 with a record of 19-6-5-1.

Mister Marti Gras, carrying 116 pounds, returned $7.80, $4 and $2.80. Alma d’Oro (116), ridden by John Velazquez, returned $6.60 and $4 in finishing a length ahead of Glenwood Canyon (117), who paid $2.60 to show under Robby Albarado.

Gladding was another 1 ¼ lengths back in fourth and was followed in order by Demarcation, Equestrio and Nacho Friend.

In the race following the Ack Ack, Pattons Creek Farm’s Will’s Wildcat went wire to wire to win the second running of the $85,000 The Jimmy V. Don’t Give Up … Don’t Ever Give Up! for 3-year-olds by 1 ¾ lengths over Wine Police.

Ridden by Calvin Borel and trained by Jim Baker, Will’s Wildcat, a Kentucky-bred son of Eurosilver out of the Forest Wildcat mare Wildcat Lady, covered the six furlongs on the main track in 1:09.44. The victory was worth $51,000 and improved Will’s Wildcat’s bankroll to $136,621 with a record of 12-3-1-1.

Will’s Wildcat returned $13.20, $6 and $4.20. Wine Police, ridden by Leparoux, returned $3.80 and $2.80 with Uncle Brent rallying for third under Kent Desormeaux to finish another length back and pay $4.60 to show.

Racing continues Saturday with the second day of the 28^th Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The 12-race program that begins at 12:05 p.m. (ET) features nine championship races highlighted by the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) scheduled for 7 p.m.

ACK ACK QUOTES

Chris Block, trainer of Mister Marti Gras (winner) – “He (Mister Marti Gras) ran really well. I was a little concerned about the track because he’s never run over a surface like this (muddy), but he’s handled every track he’s been on. I was also worried about the slow fractions and didn’t know if he’d be able to close into that. With the way the race set up it was a big effort. Assuming he comes out of the race well, we’ll think about going to the Clark (Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25).”

Julien Leparoux, jockey of Mister Marti Gras (winner) – “He (Mister Marti Gras) was very relaxed through the first part of the race and then he finished up really well. It took him awhile to go by the horses, but once he got going I was pretty confident he was going to go by.”

JONES GOES AROUND THE TRACK ON LAST TIME – It was business as usual Saturday morning at Barn 43 at Churchill Downs with trainer Larry Jones in the saddle and galloping his horses during training hours.

But the game, and Jones’ life, will change on Sunday.

"I am sleeping in that morning,” said Jones, who is turning over the training of his 23 horses to his wife Cindy. “I’m gonna tell Cindy that I’m sick.”

Jones, a 53-year-old native of Hopkinsville, Ky., who began training in 1982, is retiring as a trainer after the Saturday card in which he will send the 3-year-old Payton d’Oro out to face older foes in the $150,000-added Chilukki (Grade II).

Jones galloped four horses Saturday morning, the final one being No Such Word.

“That’s it, I’m done,” Jones said with a laugh after he got off the 2-year-old filly.

“I’m gonna keep on galloping. I think I’m on the gallop list tomorrow, but on the late, late ones. I think tomorrow will be my first day as an exercise rider because I have always had a trainer’s license when I have been galloping my horses.”

Jones owns one stakes victory at Churchill Downs, where he saddled his first starter. That winner was Proud Spell in the 2008 Kentucky Oaks.

But it was another filly that really kick-started Jones’ career, Island Sand, who finished second to Ashado in the 2004 Oaks.

“She was right here in this barn and she was the one that really put us on the map,” Jones said. “We drove back to Ellis Park with her in the trailer that afternoon after the race. We stopped at a McDonald’s for a bite to eat and she went through the drive-through with us.”

Jones, who saddled Hard Spun and Eight Belles to runner-up finishes in the 2007 and 2008 runnings of the Kentucky Derby, still has that trailer.

“It is in Maryland with all my stuff in it that has to get to Oaklawn Park,” Jones said.

Cindy Jones will oversee the barn operations through the end of the Churchill Downs meet on Nov. 28 and then the couple will head home to Henderson, Ky., for the holidays and Christmas with the grandchildren.
Longtime assistants Deirdre Jackson and Cory York will handle the stable’s move to Arkansas and continue to work with Cindy.

DEMARCATION COULD RETURN CLOSING WEEKEND – Trainer Paul McGee already had one horse in his barn targeting the Nov. 27 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII) in Dubious Miss.
He may have picked up a second on Friday when the Amerman Racing Stables’ Demarcation rallied to win the Ack Ack Handicap (GIII) in his first main track start since February 2008.

“The way Mr. (John) Amerman was talking last night, he was thinking about the Clark,” McGee said. “We will talk about it, but Demarcation could come back and defend his title in the River City (Handicap, GIII). He is fine this morning.”

The victory by Demarcation was his first since dead-heating with Karelian in last year’s River City Handicap. Jesus Castanon, who was aboard Demarcation on Friday, also was aboard in the River City to account for the rider’s two Churchill Downs stakes victories.

TAPITSFLY COMPLETES FRIDAY GRAND SLAM FOR ROMANS – If there was any lingering doubt that Friday was Dale Romans’ day, Tapitsfly erased it in Southern California.

Romans was not at Churchill Downs yesterday to see each of his three starters reach the winner’s circle. First up was Bobby B. Goode ($8.80) in the second, followed by Buckwild ($11.60) in the fourth and Sir Jock ($5.80) in the fifth.

The trio of wins gave Romans five through the first four days of the 21-day meet and lifted him into the top spot in the race for “leading trainer” honors.

But the crowning achievement of the day came at Santa Anita when Louisvillian Frank Jones Jr.’s homebred Tapitsfly won the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf under Robby Albarado.

The victory by Tapitsfly, Romans’ only horse in the 2009 World Championships, was Romans’ first Breeders’ Cup win from seven starters.. It was the second Breeders’ Cup victory for Albarado, who won the 2007 Classic on “Horse of the Year” Curlin.

Albarado nearly doubled up in the next race, the $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), finishing second on Beautician for Churchill Downs-based trainer Ken McPeek.

Baldemar Bahena, assistant to Romans, said that Tapitsfly was scheduled to return to Churchill Downs on Sunday.
 
FUND ESTABLISHED TO ASSIST INJURED RIDER BRIMO – Cindy Werner, wife of trainer Ronny Werner, has set up a fund at Fifth Third Bank to assist with the cost of rehabilitation for jockey Julia Brimo who was injured in an Oct. 30 spill at Keeneland.

“They have taken the respirator out and she is breathing on her own,” Cindy Werner said of the 33-year-old Brimo, who remains hospitalized in serious condition at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. “She has some movement in her extremities.”

Brimo’s mount, Golden Stride, clipped heels and feel in the first race on the Polytrack surface at the Lexington track.

“She has been galloping horses for us and rode some for us at Turfway Park,” Cindy Werner said.

Brimo had been a regular fixture at Churchill Downs the past few years as an exercise rider for trainer Mark Casse and among the horses she had galloped here was Sealy Hill, Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2007.

Werner said donations to the fund would be accepted at any Fifth Third Bank or can be mailed to Werner at 1116 Flat Rock Road, Louisville, KY 40245.

BARN TALK – Five-time Churchill Downs riding champion Julien Leparoux was the riding star of the first day of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita on Friday with two victories. Leparoux guided She Be Wild to victory in the $2 million Grey Goose Juvenile Fillies (GI) and Informed Decision in the $1 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (GI). Leparoux also finished third on Forever Together in the $2 million Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf (GI),

She Be Wild is trained by Wayne Catalano, who has 22 horses stabled in Barn 42.

Three-time Churchill Downs graded-stakes winner Pure Clan atoned for her last-place showing in last year’s Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf by running a fast-closing second to Midday (GB) for veteran trainer Bob Holthus.

The 1-2 finishers in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, Life Is Sweet and Mushka, both spent time here in the Spring of 2008 in Barn 19 for trainer Bill Mott.

“Mushka spent some time between here and Keeneland after she wintered at Payson Park,” said Kenny McCarthy, Mott’s Churchill Downs assistant. “Life Is Sweet was here after she ran at Keeneland (fourth in the Grade I Ashland), but the owners (Pam and Marty Wygod) saw that she liked the Polytrack and sent her to John Shirreffs in California.”

Former jockey Joe Deegan, who spends the first part of each morning galloping horses at Churchill Downs, picked up a training victory Friday when Pop Tarrt posted a $101.80 upset in the eighth race.

“We have some horses at the High Point Training Center in LaGrange,” Deegan said. “I gallop here until 7:30 and then go out there. We can train as long as we want out there.”

The main story line surrounding Saturday’s running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade I) at Santa Anita is whether the undefeated Zenyatta can beat the boys.
    It was odds-on that in a sampling of Churchill Downs trainers Friday morning that opinions ran in many directions.
    “I think Zenyatta will love the mile and a quarter,” said Carl Nafzger, who won the 1990 Classic with Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled. “I think she will do it. Getting through the traffic will be her biggest problem.”
    “Zenyatta is a good filly and she loves those synthetic tracks,” Forrest Kaelin said. “She runs her race every time, but she will have to step it up a little more and I think she will on that surface. You don’t know about the others.”
    “I probably should pull for Zenyatta,” said Lynn Whiting, who saddled Lil E. Tee to win the 1992 Kentucky Derby. “But I think she will have a tough time with those boys. It is a big field (13), and with her running style … those boys aren’t going to lie down for her.”
    Paul McGee went in a different direction.
    “I don’t think she wins it,” McGee said. “I am looking at Gio Ponti and Regal Ransom. And Mine That Bird, I think he is going to run a good race and I will have him in my tri ticket.”
    Locally based Einstein, trained by Helen Pitts-Blasi, had his backers.
    “I hope Helen wins it,” Scooter Dickey said.
    “I like Einstein, because I have seen him so much,” said Buff Bradley, whose stable star Brass Hat has run against Einstein several times and is stabled in the barn next to Einstein.
    “I like our horse, Einstein,” said Hal Wiggins, who trained leading Horse of the Year candidate Rachel Alexandra to a Kentucky Oaks victory. “It’s a good field and should be a very interesting race.”
    Dallas Stewart, whose Stephen Foster (GI) winner Macho Again was knocked out of Breeders’ Cup consideration by a cough, liked a trio of horses, Zenyatta, Einstein and Summer Bird.
    Summer Bird, sixth in the Kentucky Derby behind Mine That Bird before winning the Belmont (GI), Travers (GI) and Jockey Club Gold Cup, had a supporter in Jinks Fires.
    “I’d like to see Summer Bird win it,” Fires said. “Tim Ice has done a great job with him and the owners (Drs. K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman) have invested a lot in the business and been good for the game.”

CLEAR SKIES WELCOME SIGHT FOR JONESBORO – The prospect of a fast track for today’s 17th running of the Grade III Ack Ack Handicap was music to the ears of trainer Randy Morse for his veteran campaigner Jonesboro.
“He hates the mud,” Morse said of the 7-year-old, who is owned by Michael Langford.
But mud is what he got in his most recent start, a seventh-place finish in the Hawthorne Gold Cup (GII) that represented Jonesboro’s worst showing of 2009.
“It had rained for part of the day and began to clear up and it looked like we were going to OK, but then about 30 minutes before the race it just poured,” Morse said.
Since the Gold Cup, Jonesboro has put in two solid half-mile works at his home base at Remington Park and shipped to Churchill Downs on Thursday. It was a homecoming of sorts for Jonesboro, who has won five graded stakes in his six-year, 42-race career.
“He has trained here a lot and probably put a million miles in over this track,” said Morse, who for many years was a regular member of the Churchill Downs backstretch. “He just hasn’t run here that much.”
Jonesboro’s record at Churchill Downs is 4-0-1-0 with his most recent start here coming in the 2008 Stephen Foster (GI) when he finished sixth behind Horse of the Year Curlin.
A good showing in the Ack Ack could prompt an encore appearance before the end of the meet.
“The Clark (Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare) is an option if he runs good today,” Morse said referring to the Grade II test to be run Nov. 27. “Also it will depend on who else goes in there.”

QE II WINNER HOT CHA CHA TOPS PROBABLES FOR MRS. REVERE – Nelson McMakin’s Hot Cha Cha, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (GI) at Keeneland on Oct. 17 in her most recent start, headlines a list of 10 probables for the 19th running of the $175,000-added Mrs. Revere (GII) for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday, Nov. 14.
    In addition to Hot Cha Cha, who also won the Grade III Pucker Up at Arlington Park on Sept. 7, three other Grade III stakes winners on the turf in 2009 are on the probables list, according to Churchill Downs Vice President of Racing Donnie Richardson.
The trio includes Dell Ridge Farm’s Bluegrass Princess, winner of a division of the Valley View at Keeneland on Oct. 23 in her most recent start, Barbara Hunter’s Keertana, winner of the Regret at Churchill Downs on June 13 and Paul Pompa Jr.’s Mary’s Follies, winner of the Boiling Springs on June 27 at Monmouth Park.
    Another probable is William Pacella, George Bonomo and Fred Barbara’s C.S. Silk, winner of the Grade III Arlington-Washington Lassie on Polytrack in 2008.
    Other probables are June Judd’s Aaroness, Jess Yawitz and Gary Zwerling’s Alice’s Smart, Andrew Farm, Connie Scanlon and Frank O’Connor’s Obsequious, Brereton Jones’ Silver Reunion and Lothenbach Stables’ Single Solution. Considered as “possible” for the race is NP Bloodstock’s Bum Bum (Fr).
    Entries for the 1 1/16-mile race to be contested over the Matt Winn Turf Course will be taken Wednesday.

FLORENTINO HEADLINES PROBABLES FOR COMMONWEALTH TURF – Darley Stable’s Florentino (Jpn), winner of the Grade II Jefferson Cup here at Churchill Downs in June, is among seven 3-year-olds considered as “probable” for the sixth running of the $100,000-added Commonwealth Turf (GIII) scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 1/16 miles over the Matt Winn Turf Course.
    Should Florentino prove successful on his return to Churchill Downs, he would join Inca King in 2007 as the only horse to win the Jefferson Cup and Commonwealth Turf.
    Other graded stakes winners on the turf on the probables list of Donnie Richardson, Churchill Downs Vice President of Racing, are Sullimar Stables’ Get Stormy and William Stiritz’s Proceed Bee.
    Get Stormy won Keeneland’s Bryan Station (GIII) on Oct. 18 in his most recent start and Proceed Bee, in his previous outing, won the Grade III Hawthorne Derby at Hawthorne Park. Proceed Bee also won the Grand Canyon, an overnight turf stake, here last fall on closing day.
    Other Commonwealth Turf probables are Hugh Robertson’s Grizzled Robert, Richard Shultz’s Major Marvel, Red Dog Stables’ Perfect Bull and Marilyn Seltzer’s Spectacular Kid.
    Entries for the Commonwealth Turf will be taken on Thursday.

BARN TALK – Elusive Sparkle, half-sister to 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, ran her last race on Thursday according to trainer Carl Nafzger. Elusive Sparkle, a 4-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality, finished ninth in the eighth race to end her career with a record of 18-2-4-3 for earnings of $112,028 for owner James Tafel. “One retired yesterday and one debuts today,” Nafzger said, referring to Broadway Ticket, a 3-year-old half-sister to Street Sense. Broadway Ticket, a daughter of Distorted Humor out of Bedazzle, is owned by Randall Bloch, John Seiler and Robert Manfuso. She is in the seventh race.

BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS FEATURE STRONG CHURCHILL DOWNS INFLUENCE – When the 26th renewal of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships begin its two-day run at Oak Tree at Santa Anita on Friday, the presence of Churchill Downs-based trainers and runners that have performed beneath the Twin Spires in 2009 will be significant.

In all, 13 of the 14 races will feature participants that, in some fashion, have ties to Churchill Downs, with the only exception being Friday’s Ladies’ Classic (Grade I)..

The Breeders’ Cup card kicks off Friday at 3:35 p.m. (all times EST) with the Marathon followed by five races for fillies and mares culminating with the Ladies’ Classic at 6:45 p.m. Saturday will feature nine Breeders’ Cup races beginning with the Juvenile Turf at 1:45 p.m. and concluding with the Classic at 6:45 p.m.

First post time for the live Churchill Downs cards both days is 12:40 p.m.

Here is a rundown of horses that have run or trained at Churchill Downs in 2009 or who have trainers with Churchill Downs or the Trackside Training Center as their main base participating in the Breeders’ Cup in race order:

Marathon: Gangbuster (30-1).

Juvenile Fillies Turf: House of Grace (4-1), Jungle Tale (15-1), Lisa’s Kitten (12-1) and Tapitsfly (8-1).

Juvenile Fillies: Beautician (6-1), Connie and Michael (4-1) and She Be Wild (8-1).

Filly & Mare Turf: Pure Clan (5-1) and Visit (10-1).

Filly & Mare Sprint: Game Face (10-1) and Informed Decision (5-2).

Juvenile Turf: Becky’s Kitten (12-1), Bridgetown (8-1), Kera’s Kitten (12-1) and King Ledley (20-1). Dean’s Kitten (20-1) is on the also-eligible list.

Turf Sprint: Cannonball (8-1).

Sprint: Capt. Candyman Can (15-1) and Join in the Dance (30-1).

Juvenile: Aspire (30-1), Noble’s Promise (8-1) and William’s Kitten (30-1).

Mile: Court Vision (12-1) and Cowboy Cal (6-1).

Dirt Mile: Bullsbay (3-1), Chocolate Candy (15-1), Furthest Land (20-1) and Mr. Sidney (12-1).

Turf: Telling (20-1).

Classic: Einstein (12-1), Mine That Bird (12-1), Regal Ransom (20-1), Summer Bird (9-2) and Zenyatta (5-2). Zenyatta trained two days at Churchill Downs this spring in preparation for the Louisville Distaff (GII) but did not run because of track condition.

RAIL DRAW IN CLASSIC FOR DERBY WINNER BUOYS BOREL – Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) winner Mine That Bird landed in the No. 1 post position for Saturday’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) at Santa Anita when the 14-race World Championships card was drawn Tuesday.

“I love it,” jockey Calvin Borel said with a big grin Wednesday morning during the renovation break at Churchill Downs.

Borel gave Mine That Bird a rail-skimming ride in the Derby in May to post a 50-1 upset. It was Borel’s second Kentucky Derby victory. Borel, who turns 43 on Saturday, is hoping Mine That Bird gives him a second Breeders’ Cup victory.

“I have seen him training in the mornings and he looks like he is going just like he was before the Derby, maybe more so than in any race since the Derby,” Borel said.

Borel, who rode two winners here on Sunday’s opening-day card, said he has talked with trainer Chip Woolley since Mine That Bird’s sixth-place finish in the Goodwood (GI) at Santa Anita on Oct. 10.

“He told me he has been training good,” Borel said. “His last race was not that bad. He gets an extra eighth of a mile this time and he needed that last race since it was his first start in two months.”

Borel has one other mount on Saturday: Ready’s Echo for trainer Todd Pletcher in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

“He’s a nice little horse,” Borel said of Ready’s Echo, who drew post position 10. “I rode him one time at Saratoga and he ran good (finishing third in the seven-furlong Forego). He might have won with a little luck because he got in a little trouble.”

DEMARCATION RETURNS TO THE DIRT IN FRIDAY’S ACK ACK – It is back to the dirt for the Amerman Racing Stables’ Demarcation in Friday’s 17th running of the $100,000-added Ack Ack (GIII).

Trained by Paul McGee, Demarcation has not raced on the dirt since Feb. 17, 2008, at the Fair Grounds. The ensuing 13 starts have been on the grass at five tracks.

So why dirt and why now?

Actually it was by process of elimination,” McGee said. “I entered him in a money/allowance at Keeneland last week that didn’t fill and then I entered him in a money/allowance here that didn’t fill.

But he has run well on dirt and I was looking to get him back on the dirt. He broke his maiden going six furlongs on the dirt at the Fair Grounds and he ran second here in the Matt Winn behind Spin Master as a 3-year-old.”

Jose Castanon has the riding assignment Friday and will break from post position three in the field of eight. Castanon was aboard for Demarcation’s most recent victory, a dead heat with Karelian in last fall’s River City Handicap (GIII) here.

McGee also said that David Holloway Racing’s Dubious Miss, an easy winner Saturday at Keeneland, is being pointed to the Nov. 27 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII) at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.

BARN TALK – Doc Danner, agent for jockey Julia Brimo who was injured in a spill Friday at Keeneland, said the rider had an operation Tuesday at the University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington. “The operation went well and now we just hope for the best for the next 48 to 72 hours,” Danner said of the procedure to relieve pressure on Brimo’s vertebrae.

Nominations close today for the 36th running of the $100,000-added Cardinal Handicap (GIII) for fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course on Saturday, Nov. 21. Indescribable won last year’s Cardinal under Kent Desormeaux for trainer Bill Mott, his record sixth victory in the race.        

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).

CONNIE AND MICHAEL WORKS FIVE FURLONGS FOR BREEDERS’ CUP START – With jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard, Anthony Bonomo Jr.’s Connie and Michael tuned up for her engagement in next Friday’s Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade I) at Oak Tree at Santa Anita by working five furlongs in 1:01 over a “fast” track at Churchill Downs.

"She went out for a breeze with a capital B,” Desormeaux said after the work that occurred after the track re-opened after the morning renovation break. “She was just cruising out there and she galloped out strong.”

A daughter of Roman Ruler, Connie and Michael did not make her racing debut until Oct. 17 when she romped by 7 ¾ lengths after exiting the 12 hole in a seven-furlong Keeneland sprint. Connie and Michael is scheduled to fly to Santa Anita on Saturday to join the rest of trainer Ken McPeek’s Breeders’ Cup cast.

Other McPeek runners for the World Championships include Magdalena Racing’s House of Grace for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Peter Callahan’s Beautician for the Juvenile Fillies, Melnyk Racing Stables’ Bridgetown for the Juvenile Turf and Chasing Dreams Racing 2008’s Noble’s Promise for the Grey Goose Juvenile.

Connie and Michael is one of nine Breeders’ Cup runners that Desormeaux is confirmed on as of today.

“I am going to be busy, and that’s how I like it,” said Desormeaux, a three-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider. “I’ll ride here Thursday and catch a plane after the card and get out there around 11 that night.”

Other World Championships mounts for Desormeaux, who has won three Breeders’ Cup races, according to his agent Mike Sellito are: Summer Bird (Classic), Mushka (Ladies’ Classic), Dynaforce (Filly & Mare Turf), Mr. Sidney (Dirt Mile), Gangbuster (Marathon), Piscitelli (Juvenile), Whatsthescript-IRE (Mile) and Interactif (Juvenile Turf).

LEPAROUX CONFIRMED ON NINE BREEDERS’ CUP MOUNTS – Of the four Churchill Downs-based riders other than Kent Desormeaux headed to next week’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Julien Leparoux figures to be the busiest.

According to agent Steve Bass, Leparoux is confirmed to ride in nine of the 14 races over the two days of the Championships that begin Friday.

Topping the list is defending Filly & Mare Turf (GI) winner and Eclipse Award filly and mare turf champion Forever Together. Other Leparoux mounts are Churchill Downs-based Einstein-BRZ (Classic), Informed Decision (Filly & Mare Sprint), She Be Wild (Juvenile Fillies), Rainbow View (Ladies’ Classic), Aspire (Juvenile), Becky’s Kitten (Juvenile Turf), Lisa’s Kitten (Juvenile Fillies Turf) and Silver Timber (Turf Sprint).

Also heading out to Southern California to compete in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships are Calvin Borel, Robby Albarado and Shaun Bridgmohan, who have a combined six confirmed mounts as of today.

Borel has one mount, Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the Classic.

Albarado is confirmed on Tapitsfly in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Beautician in the Juvenile Fillies next Friday and on Court Vision on Saturday in the Mile.

Bridgmohan has two mounts for trainer Steve Asmussen: Jungle Tale in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Kodiak Kowboy in the Sprint.

ACK ACK, CHILUKKI FIELDS TAKING SHAPE – Senior Vice President/Racing Donnie Richardson said that fields for next weekend’s two graded stakes, the Ack Ack (GIII) and the Chilukki (GII), both at a mile on the main track, are beginning to take shape.

The Ack Ack, scheduled to be run on Friday for 3-year-olds and up, closed with 30 nominations. Entries will be taken Tuesday and heading the list of probables for the $100,000-added Ack Ack is B. Wayne Hughes’ My Pal Charlie, trained by Al Stall Jr.

Winner of last year’s Super Derby (GII), My Pal Charlie is winless in eight starts in 2009. However, his best effort of the year came at Churchill Downs came on Derby day when he ran second in the Grade II Churchill Downs.

Also considered probable for the Ack Ack are Michael Cooper and Pamela Ziebarth’s Tizdejavu, a two-time graded-stakes winner on the grass at Churchill Downs, and Robert Yagos’ Spotsgone.

The $150,000-added Chilukki for fillies and mares is expected to mark the return to the races of One Caroline for trainer Rusty Arnold.

Owned by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and the Louise Ireland Humphrey Revocable Trust 2008, One Caroline has not raced since finishing second to Miss Isella in the Grade II Louisville Distaff on May 1. It was One Caroline’s first loss after she opened her career with five consecutive victories. She was injured while preparing for the Fleur De Lis (GII) in June.

Also considered as “probable” to compete in the Chilukki, which will be run Saturday, Nov. 7, is Mark Stanley’s Swift Temper. Trained by Dale Romans, Swift Temper has won the Ruffian (GI), Delaware Handicap (GII) and the Sixty Sails (GIII) in 2009.

Other Chilukki probables include Westrock Stables’ Be Fair, Briland Farm’s Color Me Up and Michael Pressley, John Ferris, Mike Riley, Lee Robey and Barry Higgins’ Payton d’Oro. Listed as “possible” for the race are Richard, Bertram and Elaine Klein’s Whirlie Bertie and World Thoroughbred Racing’s Don’ttalktome

Entries for the Chilukki will be taken Wednesday.

WORK TAB – Tom McCarthy’s General Quarters worked three furlongs in :37.80, his second three-eighths breeze since returning for surgery to remove a chip in his right front knee. Winner of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) and 10th-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI), General Quarters was sidelined after a ninth-place finish in the Preakness (GI). … Martin Racing Stable and Dan Morgan’s Dubai Majesty, winner of the Buffalo Trace Franklin County at Keeneland in her most recent start on Oct. 16 and the Winning Colors (GIII) at Churchill Downs this spring, worked a half-mile in :49.80 for trainer Bret Calhoun.

2010 CHURCHILL DOWNS WALL CALENDAR GIVEAWAY ON OPENING DAY – The first 5,000 fans in attendance on Sunday, Nov. 1 – opening day of the 2009 Fall Meet – will receive a free 2010 Churchill Downs Wall Calendar, sponsored by Humana. The colorful calendar features major event listings and vivid and memorable images from the Kentucky Derby and around the historic racetrack.

Opening day of the anticipated 21-day stand doubles as “Stars of Tomorrow I” with 11 live races entirely devoted to rising 2-year-old stars who have aspirations of trail-blazing their way to next year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (GI). The featured events are the open Iroquois and the fillies’ Pocahontas, a pair of Grade III, $100,000-added events run at one mile on the main track.

The day will also will feature the debut a new free Sunday morning public workout program from 8-10 a.m. entitled “Daybreak at the Downs” and a special 2-year-old handicapping seminar and breakfast in the Paddock Pavilion from 9-11:30 a.m.

Admission gates will open at 11:30 a.m. and first post is 12:40 p.m. ET.

Churchill Downs 120th Fall Meet, featuring world-class horse racing, will continue for a four-week stand through Saturday, Nov. 28.

General admission is $3, but only $1 for senior citizens and members of the track’s free-to-join Twin Spires Club. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Parking is free in the Longfield Avenue lot (Gates 10 & 12) and $3 in all other lots. Valet parking is $5.

For more information or to reserve seats, call (502) 636-4400 or visit www.ChurchillDowns.com.

SPECIAL 2-YEAR-OLD HANDICAPPING SEMINAR SET ON OPENING DAY FROM 9-11:30 A.M. – Churchill Downs will host its annual “Stars of Tomorrow” 2-Year-Old Handicapping Seminar on Sunday, Nov. 1 in the Paddock Pavilion from 9-11:30 a.m.

Churchill Downs racing analyst Jill Byrne will host this year’s seminar with jockey Jon Court, trainer Ian Wilkes and workout clocker John Nichols. The quartet will provide insight on how to improve handicapping skills for 2-year-old racing and in-depth analysis of the entire “Stars of Tomorrow I” racing program with a question and answer session.

One of the most attractive aspects of the seminar is a special trip to the saddling paddock for an up-close inspection of a 2-year-old and its confirmation, behavior and equipment.

The cost to attend is $25 and includes breakfast buffet, official program, Brisnet.com past performances, and a reserved seat in Skye Terrace 5. There also will be a raffle for door prizes, including a VIP day at the races, two rounds of golf at Belterra Casino Resort & Spa, signed framed photographs of past Kentucky Derby winners and a chance to watch a race from the Churchill Downs announcer’s booth with track commentator Mark Johnson.

Call (502) 636-4400 for reservations.

“WHO’S THE CHAMP?” HANDICAPPING TOURNAMENT RETURNS SUNDAYS & WEDNESDAYS – Churchill Downs’ popular “Who’s the Champ” Handicapping Tournament will return for the 2009 Fall Meet with contests every Sunday and Wednesday through Nov. 22.

Horse racing fans can pit their handicapping skills against the best Louisville has to offer for twice-weekly cash prizes and an invitation to the Sunday, Nov. 22 final. The top two finishers in the final will win coveted berths in the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association Handicapping Championship XI scheduled for Jan. 29-30 at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas.

Prize money for each contest, which requires participants to place mythical $2 Win and Place wagers in Races 3-9, totals $4,000, including a $1,400 first prize.

The top 25 unique participants in each contest through Wednesday, Nov. 18 will be invited to the Nov. 22 final.

The participation fee for each contest is $30 and includes complimentary lunch. It’s discounted to $25 for Twin Spires Club members. Registration will take place in the Champions Club Lounge on the second floor of the clubhouse from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on contest days. Additional contest seating will be available in the Churchill Downs Lounge when necessary.

NEW “DAYBREAK AT THE DOWNS” FREE EVERY SUNDAY FROM 8-10 A.M. – “Daybreak at the Downs” – patterned after Kentucky Derby week’s well-attended “Dawn at the Downs” – will make its debut on opening day, Sunday, Nov. 1, and take place every Sunday from 8-10 a.m. throughout the 2009 Fall Meet.
Churchill Downs’ racing analyst Jill Byrne will host the program with select special guests and she’ll describe the on-track action and provide insightful commentary as hundreds of horses prepare for their upcoming races in morning workouts.

Daybreak at the Downs” is free to attend each Sunday. Complimentary coffee, donuts and milk will be served to attendees.

Interested patrons should park in the Longfield Lot and enter through Gate 10. The “Daybreak at the Downs” will be presented in Sections 116-117 of the clubhouse. Visitors are welcome to stay for a day at the races free of charge.

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