Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare

Mort Fink’s homebred Wise Dan achieved Grade I glory when he kicked clear of Mission Impazible in the final furlong to easily win the 137^th running of the $572,500 Clark Handicap presented by Norton Healthcare by 3 ¾ lengths on Friday at Churchill Downs.

Wise Dan gave Fink and trainer Charlie Lopresti a bit of redemption for last year’s Clark in which their Successful Dan was disqualified from an apparent victory. Successful Dan finished a head in front of Giant Oak a year ago, but because of interference with Redding Colliery in the upper stretch, was disqualified and placed third.

There was no doubt about Wise Dan’s sublime performance. Ridden by two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey John Velazquez, Wise Dan tracked pacesetter Will’s Wildcat and Mission Impazible from clear sailing on the outside in third under a strong hold as the former led the field of 13 three-year-olds and up through fractions of 23.80, :48.24 and 1:12.80.

Midway around the final turn, Will’s Wildcat began to falter and Mission Impazible took the lead. Velazquez slipped Wise Dan some rein and the 4-year-old gelding quickly drew even from the outside. He kicked clear of that rival at the eighth pole and stood head and shoulders above the field in deep stretch while crossing the finish line in 1:48.95 for 1 1/8 miles over a fast track.

The versatile Wise Dan, a graded stakes winner on synthetic tracks and turf who entered the Clark off an impressive four-length romp in Keeneland’s Fayette (GII), is a gelded Kentucky-bred son of Wiseman’s Ferry out of the Wolf Power-SAf mare Lisa Danielle. The huge pot of $326,554 increased his earnings to $919,601. Overall, it was Wise Dan’s eighth victory from 14 starts (14-8-0-0).

Freddie Wirth, who guided Sentiment Sake to victory in the 1945 Clark, and Donna Allen, a vice president with Norton Healthcare, presented the Clark Handicap trophy to the winning connections.

Sent postward as 9-2 third choice, Wise Dan, who carried 120 pounds, returned $11, $6 and $4.20. Mission Impazible, who carried 116 pounds under Javier Castellano at odds of 7-1, paid $7 and $5.40. Flat Out, the 123-pound high weight and 2-1 favorite under Alex Solis, raced in mid-pack early and could only manage third, 2 ¾ lengths behind the runner-up, and paid $3.20 to show.

Mister Marti Gras, 9-2 second choice Ruler On Ice, Headache, Alma d’Oro, Will’s Wildcat, Prayer for Relief, Stately Victor, Demarcation, Pleasant Prince and General Quarters completed the order of finish.

The Clark was Wise Dan’s first stakes triumph on dirt. Before the Clark, he had three races on the Churchill Downs dirt that include maiden and allowance wins, both over sloppy surfaces, and a solid sixth-place finish in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in which he was beaten just 2 ½ lengths by the champion Big Drama. He won the Firecracker (GII) on the Churchill Downs grass in early July, and added two stakes wins over synthetic surfaces: a victory in the Presque Isle Downs Mile in September and the Oct. 29 Fayette.

The Clark Handicap was run for the first time in 1875 during the first racing meet at Churchill Downs, which was then known as the Louisville Jockey Club. Like the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and Kentucky Oaks (GI), the Clark has been renewed annually without interruption since its first running.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Saturday with a 12-race “Stars of Tomorrow II” program exclusively for 2-year-olds with first post time of 12:40 p.m. (all times Eastern). Highlighting the program are two Grade II stakes: the 68^th running of the $150,000-added Golden Rod for fillies, which goes as the ninth race (4:42 p.m. post time), and the 85^th running of the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club, which goes as the 11^th race (5:42 p.m. post time).

In just six years of existence, Stars of Tomorrow has been the launching pad for numerous graded stakes winners including 24 Grade I winners. Thirteen horses have exited the events and become millionaires: Court Vision ($3,746,658), Rachel Alexandra ($3,506,730), Lawyer Ron ($2,790,008), Pure Clan ($1,987,498), Shackleford ($1,985,803), Super Saver ($1,889,766), Macho Again ($1,825,767), Giant Oak ($1,484,829), First Dude ($1,442,140), Swift Temper ($1,296,688), General Quarters ($1,220,930), Fly Down ($1,187,935) and Any Given Saturday ($1,083,533).

Closing day of the 21-day Fall Meet is Sunday and Churchill Downs will offer free general admission to all patrons.

CLARK HANDICAP QUOTES

Charlie Lopresti, trainer of Wise Dan (winner): “It was perfect and I was pretty confident going into the race, other than about whether he could go the 1 1/8 miles on the dirt. But I thought he was going to run one of his best races today. I would have been disappointed if he didn’t do it. It looked like the Fayette. It was the same kind of race. He’s a pretty good horse. Just stay out of his way and try to take care of him.”

Q. What allows him to be so consistent on multiple surfaces?  “I just think he loves to run. We galloped him two miles the other day and the exercise rider came back and said he could have gone around five more times. He just doesn’t get tired. He just loves to run.”

Q. What are the plans for next year? “We’re going to give him the winter off, just like Turallure. We’ll give him some time to be a horse and then bring him back in the spring.”

Q. What went into the decision to ride John Velazquez for the first time? “Julien (Leparoux) rides all of our horses and he couldn’t ride him a few times and that’s why Jon Court got the mount on him (on thee occasions earlier this year). Jon Court has done a great job on him and it’s nothing he did wrong. Julien is our number one rider and rode him in the Fayette and when he won the Fayette he had already committed to ride in California today (Never Retreat in the Grade I Matriarch). I talked to the owner (Mort Fink) and he asked if we could get John Velazquez to ride him and I said I didn’t know if he would come. I called Angel Cordero (Velazquez’s agent) and he called me back in five minutes and said they were coming. Mr. Fink said any time that you can get John Velazquez on a horse you should try it.”

Q. How does it feel to win this race after being taken down with Successful Dan in last year’s Clark? “I was really disappointed last year. I just didn’t understand why they took his number down, but they saw it that way and I have to respect their opinion. I jokingly said surely we don’t get taken down this year. It’s a dream come true to be back here with this many good horses.”

John Velazquez, jockey on Wise Dan (winner): “I like these pickup mounts. It worked out perfect. I was on the outside and the trainer (Charlie Lopresti) told me he was going to be pulling pretty strong, but to keep him third or fourth. Right from the start I got him back and he settled pretty good. He was strong in hand and when I got to the quarter-pole he took off and moved so smoothly. He was very confident in himself.”

Todd Pletcher (via phone from New York), trainer of Mission Impazible (runner-up): “He’s run two big races, but unfortunately he’s been a bridesmaid twice there this year in the two Grade Is (the Stephen Foster Handicap and Clark Handicap). But it was another big effort from him and we’re proud of him.”

Q: Everything looked possible at the head of the stretch …“I thought at the three-eighths pole you could see Wise Dan was really loaded up, and then I thought we might have snuck away from him for just a half a second, but he (Wise Dan) was just too good on the day and hats off to him. He ran a big race and I’m very proud of our second.”

Q: Assuming he’ll race next year, so what will be the early plan for his 5-year-old campaign? “We might take a look at the (Grade I) Donn (Handicap at Gulfstream Park), and of course he loves the Fair Grounds, so those races there would certainly be possibilities. We feel like he’s a Grade I horse and we’ve been very unlucky not to win one, so that’s our main objective.”

Javier Castellano, rider on Mission Impazible (runner-up): “He loves Churchill. We had a beautiful spot today; we were where I wanted to be in the race. He settled down beautifully and I loved the way he did it. I think we were just second-best today. I’m very satisfied and very happy with the way he did it today. I’m not disappointed at all. I know we got beat and he finished second, but you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the winner. He was very impressive.”

“Scooter” Dickey, trainer of Flat Out (third as the favorite): Q: Jockey Alex Solis said he believed Flat Out just does not care for this racetrack.  What are you thinking? “I think that’s what we’ve got to kind of face. I saw him and he was laying perfect over there and he started his move, and I said ‘Well, if he likes this track he’s going to run good today. But he just looked like he got to fightin’ it, and Alex said when asked him to run he just can’t handle it. He said he had a hold of him and he had a lot of horse, and he was very happy with where he was laying. But when he asked him, it wasn’t there.”

Q: That’s amazing because he works so well over this track … “Yeah, but you know he’s only working five-eighths and all that. He laid right there with ‘em and he looked good, but that was it. He came back and seemed fine. I looked at his legs and they’re fine and everything, but it’s just one of those things, I guess.”

Q: You have talked about trying him on the grass next year. Is that still a thought? “Well, I’m going to Florida and I’m going to work him on it down there and see how he likes that. But we’ve enjoyed him. We’ve had a good time this year.”

Alex Solis, rider on Flat Out (third as the favorite): “He broke really good and I got a good position. He went really nice when he was in hand, but as soon as asked him to drop his head he’d just start swimming around. He struggled over the track too much.”

Q: You think he just doesn’t care for the track at Churchill Downs? “Definitely, because when you see the replay you can see him stumbling and losing his footing and he’s a horse that needs to get in a rhythm.”

Kelly Breen, trainer of Ruler On Ice (fifth): “Just looking back, they say he may not be at his best when he has to take all the dirt in his face and the one-post kind of put us there.  Garrett (jockey Garrett Gomez) didn’t mention anything negative about it, but knowing the horse it didn’t help our cause.”

Preston Stables LLC’s Flat Out and George and Lori Hall’s Ruler On Ice, two major players from the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade I) run at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, will be searching for Eclipse Award championship momentum when they face 11 rivals on the famed Louisville track in Friday’s 137^th running of the Grade I, $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare.

The 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up is the centerpiece of the “Black Friday” racing card that in recent years has been the most heavily-attended racing program of the Fall Meet.  The Clark Handicap is scheduled as the 11^th event on a 12-race Thanksgiving Holiday weekend program that will get underway with the first race 12:40 p.m. (all times EST).  Post time for the Clark is set for 5:42 p.m.

Flat Out, fifth behind WinStar Farm’s victorious Drosselmeyer as the slight favorite in the Classic, is the 5-2 favorite for the Clark in oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds for the 13-horse Clark field.  Co-second choices at 4-1 are Classic winner Ruler On Ice, the upset winner of the Belmont Stakes (GI) and third in the Classic, and Morton Fink’s Wise Dan, a graded stakes winner on synthetic tracks and turf who is coming off an impressive win in Keeneland’s Fayette (GII).

Following two days of upset-laden racing in this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Eclipse Award championships in several divisions remain uncertain.  The Clark contenders with the most to gain with regard to year-end honors are Flat Out and Ruler On Ice.  The field includes four winners of Grade I stakes races and four horses with career earnings that exceed $1 million.

Flat Out, a 5-year-old son of Flatter with wins in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) and Suburban Handicap (GII) at Belmont Park, could gain an edge in the race for champion older horse with a win over his home track in the Clark.  Although he trains brilliantly at Churchill Downs for veteran conditioner Charles “Scooter” Dickey, he has yet to hit the board in three career starts over the traditional dirt surface at the famed Louisville track.

Veteran jockey Alex Solis, who has been aboard the Clark favorite in his last five starts, will be back in the saddle when Flat Out breaks from post six in the field of 13 horses.  Flat Out was assigned highweight of 123 pounds and will concede from three-to-nine pounds to his rivals.  His career record stands at 5-3-0 in 13 races with earnings of 1,259,713 heading into the Clark.

A victory over a strong field of older rivals in the Clark could push Ruler On Ice, who upset Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Preakness winner Shackleford in the Belmont Stakes, into the wide-open race for champion 3-year-old.   The Belmont victory is the only stakes win of the year for trainer Kelly Breen’s gelded son of Roman Ruler, but Ruler On Ice finished third to older rivals in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and has recorded top-four finishes in the Haskell Invitational (GI), Travers (GI) and Pennsylvania Derby (GII) since his Belmont triumph.

Ruler On Ice drew the rail post for the Clark and will have Garrett Gomez in the saddle.  He was assigned 118 pounds and brings a record of 3-3-3 in 11 races and earnings of $1,603,500 into Friday’s race.

Wise Dan will pursue his first victory in a Grade I race and owner Fink and trainer Charles Lopresti will seek a bit of redemption for last year’s Clark in which their Successful Dan was disqualified from his apparent victory.  The versatile Wise Dan has career victories on dirt, grass and synthetic courses, but has yet to win a stakes race on traditional dirt.  He has three races on the Churchill Downs dirt that include maiden and allowance wins, both over sloppy surfaces, and a solid sixth-place finisher in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in which he was beaten by just 2 ½ lengths by the victorious Big Drama.  He won the Firecracker (GII) on the Churchill Downs grass in early July, and since then two stakes wins over synthetic surfaces: a victory over Tapeta in the Presque Isle Downs Mile and a four-length romp in his most recent start in the Fayette over Keeneland’s Polytrack surface.

John Velazquez will make his debut in the saddle aboard Wise Dan, who drew post 11 and will carry an impost of 120, the second-highest weight in the Clark.

Another 3-year-old hoping to finish 2011 in a big way is Zayat Stables LLC’s Prayer for Relief, who was entered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but scratched by trainer Bob Baffert the following day.  The son of Jump Start ran off a three-race winning streak during the summer that included the Iowa Derby (GIII), West Virginia Derby (GII) and the Super Derby (GII).  Third to Redeemed in his most recent run in the Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park, Prayer for Relief will break from post 12 under Rafael Bejarano.  The 5-1 fourth choice will carry 117 pounds in the Clark.

Another horse that competed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and returns for a run in the Clark is Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Headache, who was last of 12 in the Classic after wins in the Hawthorne Gold Cup (GII) and the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker (GIII).  The two remaining Grade I winners in the field are Thomas McCarthy owned-and-trained General Quarters and Thomas and Jack Conway’s Stately Victor.  Both won Keeneland’s Toyota Blue Grass (GI) over Polytrack at three – General Quarters won in 2009 and Stately Victor last year, and the former also won the 2010 renewal of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) over Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course.

The remaining 2011 Clark Handicap contenders include Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Mission Impazible, a narrow loser for trainer Todd Pletcher in this year’s Stephen Foster Handicap and Alysheba (GIII) at Churchill Downs and winner of Fair Grounds’ 2011 New Orleans Handicap (GII) and the 2010 Louisiana Derby (GII); Pleasant Prince, fourth to Afleet Again in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (GII) and winner of the 2010 Oklahoma Derby and Ohio Derby (GIII); Lothenbach Stables’ Mister Marti Gras, accomplished on both turf and dirt and winner of the Ack Ack (GIII) at Churchill Downs last time out; Pattons Creek Farm’s Will’s Wildcat, winner of the Jimmy V at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4; Demarcation, winner of the 2009 Ack Ack who will compete in his third consecutive running of the Clark for trainer Paul McGee; and Pletcher’s Alma D’Oro, runner-up in the Ack Ack and winner of the Carpenter Memorial at Delaware Park in July.

The Clark Handicap was run for the first time in 1875 during the first racing meet at Churchill Downs, which was then known as the Louisville Jockey Club.  Like the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and Kentucky Oaks (GI), the Clark has been renewed annually without interruption since its first running.  Two years ago the race was won by Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s 3-year-old Blame, who returned to the track in 2010 to win the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) and downed previously unbeaten Zenyatta her only defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.   The 2011 renewal featured a rough-and-tumble stretch run in which Successful Dan edged Giant Oak at the finish, but stewards disqualified the former and elevated the latter to the victory.

Other recent winners of note include Saint Liam, who won the 2004 Clark en route to a 2005 campaign that included a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and an Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.  Silver Charm, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby, returned to Churchill Downs take the Clark the following year.  And the 3-year-old filly Surfside wrapped up an Eclipse Award as the champion of her division with a victory over males in the 2000 Clark.

The field for the 137^th Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (from the rail out with rider, weight and morning line odds) includes: Ruler On Ice, (Gomez, 118, 4-1), Alma D’Oro (Jesus Castanon, 116, 20-1) Demarcation (Corey Lanerie, 114, 15-1), Stately Victor (Victor Lebron, 115, 30-1), Mission Impazible, (Javier Castellano, 116, 12-1), Flat Out (Solis, 123, 5-2), Pleasant Prince, (Julio Garcia, 114, 20-1), Headache (Edgar Prado, 115, 12-1), Mister Marti Gras (Rajiv Maragh, 117, 12-1), Will’s Wildcat (Calvin Borel, 112, 30-1), Wise Dan (Velazquez, 120, 4-1); Prayer for Relief (Bejarano, 117, 5-1) and General Quarters (Jon Court, 116, 20-1).

PEITZ SEES TAJAAWEED AS ‘HORSE TO BEAT’ IN SATURDAY’S RIVER CITY – Shadwell Stable’s Tajaaweed, winner of the Arlington Handicap (Grade III) in July, faces eight rivals as the 119-pound high weight in Saturday’s 34^th running of the River City Handicap (GIII) at Churchill Downs, but trainer Dan Peitz sees the 6-year-old son of Dynaformer as the one to beat.

“I haven’t really analyzed the race too much, but I looked it over and we’re the high weight and look to be the horse to beat,” Peitz said.

Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia believes the public will also see Tajaaweed as the horse to beat and made him the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the River City, which will be contested at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Tajaaweed, who will break from post eight under Jesus Castanon, will enter the River City off a sixth-place finish in Keeneland’s Shadwell Turf Mile (GI), a race in which he faced such accomplished runners as three-time Eclipse Award-winner Gio Ponti, Get Stormy, Sidney’s Candy – all contenders in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI) – and Wise Dan, winner of the Firecracker Handicap (GII) at Churchill Downs.

“We were taking a shot in the Shadwell (Turf Mile) and were hoping to get third or fourth,” Peitz said. “It might have been a little short for him and he really didn’t get the kind of pace he needed to close.

“The River City distance is more what he wants and the competition is softer.  He’s had two really good works at Trackside and is coming into the race in good shape.”

The River City will be the third start on the Matt Winn Turf Course for Tajaaweed. He finished fifth in an allowance race in June of 2010 and this spring he was second to Turallure in the Opening Verse.

“Both of his races on the turf at Churchill have been pretty good,” Peitz said. “I know he was fifth in the allowance, but he was very wide throughout. Then he only lost by a length to Turallure in the stake. If he runs the same race he did in the Opening Verse then I think it might make him a winner.”

Since the Opening Verse, Turallure has recorded wins in the Bernard Baruch (GII) and Ricoh Woodbine Mile (GI) and finished second by a nose to Court Vision in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile.

“I wish Tajaaweed would have moved up after the Opening Verse as much as Turallure did,” Peitz said.

The River City is the ninth of 10 races on Saturday with a scheduled post time of 4:37 p.m. EST.

LEPAROUX EYES FIFTH STRAIGHT FALL MEET TITLE – Julien Leparoux recorded his 23^rd win of the meet aboard Cozzetti in Wednesday’s eighth race and entered Thursday’s action with a 23-to-15 lead over Corey Lanerie in his pursuit of a fifth consecutive Fall Meet riding title at Churchill Downs.

“Things are going really well again this meet,” Leparoux said. “I’ve had good momentum and have been getting on some good horses. It’s going great.”

Leparoux, who has won eight riding titles overall beneath the Twin Spires, has collected 526 career victories at Churchill Downs and already ranks tenth among all-time leading riders as the historic track.  Despite his rapid and sustained success, the 28-year-old native of Senlis, France is still hungry for more.

“Winning never gets old and I’m always trying to win,” Leparoux said. “I’m always trying to ride the best horses.”

Leparoux has definitely collected a lot of hardware as he counts 36 stakes victories at Churchill Downs during his relatively brief career at the Louisville track, but one race is conspicuously missing from his resumé.

“I want to win a Kentucky Derby,” Leparoux said. “That is the ultimate goal. Every year we are looking for a horse that might be the one to get me there.”

Leparoux has ridden in five Kentucky Derbys with his best effort being a fifth-place  finish aboard Sedgefield in the 2007 renewal. This year Leparoux rode favored Dialed In to an eighth-place finish.

At the conclusion of the Fall Meet, Leparoux will move his tack to Miami to ride at Gulfstream Park.

MORALES RECORDS HIS SECOND RIDING DOUBLE OF FALL MEET – Leading apprentice-rider Roberto Morales recorded his second riding double of the 2011 Fall Meet on Wednesday at Churchill Downs with wins aboard Sympathy Act in the third race and Killin Time in the finale. The two wins brought Morales’ total to four for the meet, which ties him for sixth in the overall jockey standings.

“The meet is going great,” said agent Julio Espinoza, the ninth all-time leading rider at Churchill Downs with 642 victories. “He’s got a lot of talent and always gives 100%. He’s also versatile and can ride speed horses or come from the back.”

Morales, a 21-year-old native of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, has made a lot of noise on the Kentucky-circuit since he moved his tack to the Bluegrass State in May. He recorded one victory from a handful of mounts at the end of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, but then second in the Ellis Park jockey standings to three-time Kentucky Derby winner Calvin Borel.

Morales followed the strong effort at the Henderson track by capturing his first career riding title in the Fall Meet at Turfway Park, where he rode 32 winners from 121 mounts.

“He rode great throughout the whole meet at Turfway,” Espinoza said. “If we had another day or two, we would have broken (Julien) Leparoux’s Fall Meet record (36 wins).”

Espinoza attributes Morales’ success to his work ethic and eagerness to learn.

“He works hard in the morning and exercises a lot of horses,” Espinoza said. “I try to teach him as much as I can and it’s helping.”

At the conclusion of the Churchill Downs Fall Meet, Morales will move his tack to Turfway Park for the Holiday Meet, which begins Dec. 1.

BARN TALK – The Virginia Tarra Trust’s Giant Oak will attempt to defend his title in the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I) on Friday, Nov. 25.  The son of Giant’s Causeway will ship to the Louisville track Tuesday, according to Drew Coontz, assistant trainer to Chris Block. Giant Oak will enter the Clark off a third-place finish the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (GII). …

In other news at the Chris Block barn, Never Retreat, who breezed six furlongs in 1:14.40 at Churchill Downs on Sunday, will ship to Hollywood Park on Monday for a start in the Matriarch (Grade I) on Nov. 25. Never Retreat won the First Lady (GI) at Keeneland in her most recent start. …

Ready’s Rocket, winner of 10 races beneath the Twin Spires, came out of his most recent race at Churchill Downs last Thursday with a displaced palate, according to trainer Tim Glyshaw. An 8-year-old gelded son of More Than Ready, Ready’s Rocket will be pointed to a starter-allowance race at Churchill Downs on closing day of the 21-day Fall Meet on Nov. 27.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockey over the last five racing days (Nov. 10-16) is Julien Leparoux (9-for-30). Mike Maker (5-for-11) is the hottest trainer over the same period and Ken and Sarah Ramsey (4-for-7) are the hottest owners.

WORKTAB – Jay Em Ess Stable’s Worldly breezed five furlongs in 1:03.20 on a good main track at Churchill Downs on Thursday morning for trainer Paul McGee. The work was the ninth fastest of 13 at the distance. …

Charles Cella’s Uncle Brent, winner of the Northern Spur at Oaklawn Park, breezed five furlongs Thursday morning in 1:02.80 for trainer Lynn Whiting. The work was the eighth fastest of 13 at the distance.

FLAT OUT CONFIRMED FOR CLARK HANDICAP – Owner Art Preston and trainer Scooter Dickey met at Churchill Downs on Wednesday morning and decided to continue the 2011 campaign of Jockey Club Gold Cup (Grade I) and Suburban Handicap (GII) winner Flat Out in the 137^th running of the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI) on Friday, Nov. 25.

Flat Out is coming off a fifth-place finish behind WinStar Farm’s Drosselmeyer in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) on Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.

“He’s been doing really well since the Classic,” Dickey said. “Also, it’s a Grade I race worth a $500,000. We’re excited about it.”

Flat Out finished just three lengths behind the victorious Drosselmeyer in the Classic.

“He really didn’t run a bad race,” Dickey said.  “Losing by three lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is nothing to be ashamed of.”

The Clark, a race for 3-year-olds and up run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, could play a major role in the Eclipse Award voting for Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year.  But Dickey said that was not a factor that determined Flat Out’s participation in the race.

“A lot of people have been telling me that if he (Flat Out) wins (the Clark) that he could be champion older male or maybe even Horse of the Year,” Dickey said. “It’d be nice, but we’re not really worried about all of that.”

The Classic was the third start at the Louisville track for Flat Out, who launched his career at two with a sixth-place finish in a maiden race. He also finished sixth in this year’s the Stephen Foster Handicap Presented by Abu Dhabi (GI) won by Pool Play.

“We don’t really know why the same Flat Out that ran in the Suburban and the Jockey Club didn’t show up in the Stephen Foster and the Classic,” Dickey said. “He handles the track fine, though, and has always trained very well over it.”

Flat Out’s one and only work for the Clark will come this weekend; however, the exact date of the work has yet to be decided.

“We’re going to see what the weather does and how the track looks,” Dickey said. “The earliest he’ll work is Friday morning, but we might push it back a day or two.”

After the Clark, Flat Out will be given some well-deserved time off before being prepared for a 2012 campaign.

“This (the Clark) will be the end of his year and then we’ll give him some time,” Dickey said. “The goal is to come back next year in the Donn Handicap (GI at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 11).”

GOLDEN HOPES FOR GOLDEN HISTORY – It had been 48 hours since Golden History’s five-furlong bullet work at Churchill Downs, but the staff in the barn of trainer Mark Casse continue to beam over that sharp training move on a dreary Wednesday morning beneath the famed Twin Spires.

The barn is now counting the days until Churchill Downs’ Stars of Tomorrow II racing program on Saturday, Nov. 26, when the Kentucky-bred 2-year-old filly is expected to compete in the $150,000-added Golden Rod (GII).

Golden History zipped five furlongs on in 1:00.40.  The work under exercise rider Melanie Giddings was the fastest of 24 moves at the distance.

“She worked great and went over the track really well,” assistant trainer Norman Casse said. “We’re still thinking that she’s going to run a big race in what will be just her third start in the Golden Rod. She’s trained well since her last race and she should be right there.”

John Oxley’s Golden History began her career with a 2 ¾-length victory over the synthetic Polytrack course at Woodbine and was entered in the $150,000 Pocahontas (GII) on Stars of Tomorrow I at Churchill Downs off that effort.  Breaking from the gate at odds of 18-1, Golden History finished fifth, beaten three lengths in the one-mile race.

“I think she needed a start over the dirt and she probably didn’t get a whole lot out of her first race,” Casse said. “It was also asking a lot of her to run in the Pocahontas in just her second start. We were hoping to run her in an allowance race here, but the race didn’t go, so our hands were tied and we had to go (in the Pocahontas). The Golden Rod has been the target all along."

The daughter of Medaglia d/Ore was a $450,000 purchase earlier this year Florida’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, and has carried high hopes since the day she came under Casse’s care.  Golden History is out of User History, who is out of User Friendly-GB., a winner of four Group I races in Europe on her way to the Cartier Award for European Horse of the Year in 1992.

She has a great pedigree and she’s a really good mover,” Casse said. “She’s also very intelligent. She has all the characteristics of a good horse.”

Another 2-year-old filly in the Casse barn with lots of potential is Sky High Lady, who will make her fourth career start in Thursday’s fourth race at Churchill Downs. Sky High Lady was pre-entered in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), but Casse opted to run her in a maiden-special at Churchill Downs on Oct. 30 when it seemed unlikely that she would draw into the Breeders’ Cup race from its list of also-eligibles.  After breaking slowly, Sky High Lady raced wide and finished third as the 9-5 favorite.

“She always breaks slow and that is one of the reasons she got beat in the stake (Mazarine at Woodbine),” Casse said. “Hopefully she’ll break better Thursday and I think she’ll really like going two turns. The race over the track should also help her.”

Sky High Lady is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for Thursday’s race.

MEET LEADERS AT A GLANCE – Through 11 days of the 21-day Fall Meet, jockey Julien Leparoux, trainers Steve Asmussen and Mike Maker and owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey are the leaders in their respective categories at Churchill Downs. Here is a look at the “human race” leaders entering Wednesday’s racing action:

Top Jockeys

1. Julien Leparoux (22-for-83, 27% win-percentage, $1,297,540 in earnings)

2. Corey Lanerie (13-for-68, 19%, $324,673)

3. Brian Hernandez Jr. (9-for-40, 23%, $233,755)

4. Jon Court (6-for-35, 17%, $118,214)

5. Shaun Bridgmohan (5-for-24, 21%, $197,267)

Top Trainers

1. Steve Asmussen (9-for-37, 24%, $1,952,095)

1. Mike Maker (9-for-33, 27%, $1,311,788)

3. Bill Mott (5-for-16, 31%, $3,999,863)

3. Dale Romans (5-for-34, 15%, $1,518,380)

5. Eddie Kenneally (4-for-20, 20%, $201,866)

5. Ken McPeek (4-for-20, 20%, $200,021)

5. Ronny Werner (4-for-11, 36%, $116,665)

Top Owners

1. Ken and Sarah Ramsey (8-for-24, 33%, $689,378)

2. Billy, Donna and Justin Hays (4-for-10, 40%, $53,071)

3. Richard and Karen Papiese’s Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc. (3-for-8, 38%, $29,453)

4. Fred Allor (2-for-2, 100%, $51,120)

4. Richard, Bertram & Elaine Klein (2-for-8, 25%, $258,500)

4. Robert Lothenbach’s Lothenbach Stables Inc. (2-for-5, 40%, $79,470)

4. Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith (2-for-11, 18%, $2,418,000)

4. Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables LLC (2-for-5, 40%, $67,470)

4. Kenny Troutt’s WinStar Farm LLC (2-for-4, 50%, $2,728,970)

MILESTONE WATCH – Jon Court, currently fourth in the Churchill Downs jockey standings with six wins, is nearing his 400^th win beneath the Twin Spires. Court recorded his 393^rd career victory at the Louisville track in Sunday’s second race aboard J Isle. …

In Sunday’s fourth race, Quick Praise gave trainer Greg Foley his 336^th career victory at Churchill Downs. The win moved Foley passed Jack Van Berg for seventh all-time in wins at the Louisville track. …

Trainer Paul McGee is nearing the 300-win milestone at Churchill Downs. The 49-year-old native of Louisville has saddled 295 winners in his career at his home track. ...

Trainer Ken McPeek tied Elliot Walden for 15^th all-time in the Churchill Downs trainer standings with his two wins on Sunday’s card. McPeek, who has 288 career wins beneath the Twin Spires, is now one win behind Jinks Fires. …

Trainer Steve Asmussen is nearing the 6,000-win plateau. Entering Wednesday, Asmussen is just five wins shy of the milestone that has been reached by only four other trainers.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockey over the last five racing days (Nov. 9-13) is Julien Leparoux (12-for-31). Mike Maker (6-for-12) is the hottest trainer over the same period and Ken and Sarah Ramsey (5-for-8) are the hottest owners.

WORKTAB – Cash Refund, a multiple stakes-winning earner of $316,082, breezed five furlongs over a sloppy main track at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning in 1:04.60 for trainer Steve Margolis. The work was the second fastest of three at the distance.

FLINT HAS KENTUCKY DERBY DREAMS FOR BASHFORD MANOR WINNER EXFACTOR – Exfactor, an impressive 2 ¾-length winner of the Bashford Manor (Grade III) beneath the Twin Spires in July, is back in serious training after taking the summer off and the colt’s autumn activity has veteran trainer Bernie Flint dreaming about a special day at Churchill Downs in the spring.

The gray colt son of Exchange Rate breezed four furlongs on the fast main track at Churchill Downs on Saturday morning in :48.40.  The move pleased Flint, who hopes Exfactor has what it takes to become his first career starter in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

“What we’re trying to do is get him to the Kentucky Derby,” Flint said. “That’s what everyone is trying to do. Whether we get there or not is another question.”

Exfactor recorded fractions of :11.80 and :23.40 in a work that was the third fastest of 40 at the distance.

Stoneway Farm LLC’s Exfactor raced three times at Churchill Downs during the 38-day Spring Meet. He finished second behind Sum of the Parts in his career debut and then broke his maiden by 4 ½ lengths in his second start. The Bashford Manor win was the third start for Exfactor and then he was turned out. He recorded his first work in nearly four months at Churchill Downs on Oct. 30.

“He was tired so we turned him out at the farm for a few months,” Flint said. “Nothing was wrong with him; he just needed a break. I want a fresh horse for next spring, not a burnt-out horse for the winter.

“All the 2-year-olds that ran all summer and in the Breeders’ Cup are tired,” Flint said. “You have to stop on them sometime and give them a break, but when are you going to stop on them now? You can’t.”

Flint, who is fourth all-time in training wins at Churchill Downs with 433, strongly believes that young horses should be given plenty of time to develop and was reminded of this the last time he went against his own philosophy with a precocious 2-year-old.

“I learned my lesson with Unbridled Express. We beat (eventual Kentucky Derby winner) Street Sense in a maiden race (at Churchill Downs). I thought we’d run him seven-eighths and then run him long, so we brought him (Unbridled Express) back in the Hopeful (GI). He ran third behind Circular Quay and Scat Daddy and came out of the race with a cracked pastern.

"The writing is on the wall,” Flint said. “You’ve got to give those (young) horses a break.”

Unbridled Express would return to the track six months after the Hopeful to run second in an allowance at Oaklawn Park prior to an eighth-place finish in an allowance at Churchill Downs. The latter was the final start of his career.

Flint has since not steered away from his philosophy and now that Exfactor has had his rest and relaxation it is time to start looking for a spot for him to return to the races.

“He worked really well today and we’ll bring him to Fair Grounds with us and put him in a stake somewhere,” Flint said. “I’m not exactly sure where he’ll run though.”

Bred in Kentucky by Bo Hirsch LLC, Exfactor was purchased at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearlings Sale for $27,000. His lifetime earnings currently stand at $109,348.

MISSION IMPAZIBLE WORKS TOWARD CLARK HANDICAP – Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC’s Mission Impazible, a narrowly-beaten runner-up earlier this year in the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) Presented by Abu Dhabi (GI), breezed five furlongs Saturday in preparation for a run in the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I) to be run beneath the Twin Spires on Nov. 25.

The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Unbridled’s Song covered the distance on the fast main track prior to the renovation break in 1:00.80.

Working on his own, Mission Impazible recorded fractions of :12.40, :24.40, :36.60, :48.40 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 and seven furlongs in 1:28.40. The five-furlong work was the sixth fastest of 47 at the distance.

“I’m happy with the work,” assistant trainer Michael McCarthy said. “He’s always been a decent work horse, but I thought today was a nice move for him. The track seemed to be playing a little slow today, but he still went well. He likes this track.”

Mission Impazible, who finished a neck behind Pool Play in the Stephen Foster Handicap, will enter the Clark off a ninth-place finish as the 2-1 favorite in the Fayette (GII) on the synthetic Polytrack at Keeneland.

"I think the only excuse is that he didn’t handle the Polytrack,” McCarthy said. “I would draw a line through that race.”

Mission Impazible could face a very tough group of horses in the Clark as the list of nominations for the 137^th running of the 1 1/8-mile race includes several Grade I stakes winners, led by Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) winner Flat Out, Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Ruler On Ice and defending Clark winner Giant Oak.

The race is always a pretty decent heat, but this year’s race could be very good,” McCarthy said.

Mission Impazible, whose career is highlighted by wins in the Louisiana Derby (GII) and New Orleans Handicap (GII), has a record of 3-4-2 in 14 lifetime starts and earnings of $948,563.

SCOTUS RETURNS TO CHURCHILL DOWNS IN SUNDAY ALLOWANCE – Scotus, winner of the Matt Winn Presented by Emirates Equestrian Federation (Grade III) at Churchill Downs in June, returns to the site of his most prestigious victory in Sunday’s featured ninth race, an allowance/optional claiming event for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Peter Callahan’s Scotus has raced three times since his Matt Winn triumph, finishing seventh in the Jim Dandy (GII) at Saratoga, fifth in the Smarty Jones at Parx and most recently third in an allowance race over at Keeneland’s Polytrack.

“He’s doing really well and he likes it here (at Churchill Downs),” trainer Ken McPeek said. “This should be a good spot for him.”

Scotus, a 3-year-old son of Successful Appeal, was hindered by a wide trip after breaking from post 12 in his most recent start at Keeneland.

“He ran well, but got hung extremely wide around both turns,” McPeek said. “He probably would have won that race with a better post.”

Scotus appears to have drawn a “better post” for Sunday’s race at Churchill Downs and will break from post six under Manny Cruz in the field of nine.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockey over the last five racing days (Nov. 5-11) is Julien Leparoux (11-for-36). Mike Maker (6-for-18) is the hottest trainer over the same period. Ken and Sarah Ramsey (4-for-13) is the hottest owner.

WORKTAB – John Oxley’s Spirited Miss breezed five furlongs on a fast main track at Churchill Downs on Saturday morning in 1:02.40 for trainer Mark Casse. Spirited Miss, who was second by a head in the Mazarine at Woodbine in her most recent start, is nominated to the $150,000-added Golden Rod (Grade II), which is to be run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track beneath the Twin Spires on Nov. 26.

The 137^th running of the Grade I, $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare, a race that shares its long history with the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and the $1 million Kentucky Oaks (GI), and a pair of “Stars of Tomorrow” programs devoted exclusively to races for 2-year-olds head a schedule of 14 stakes events with total purses of more than $2.1 million that will be featured in the 21-day Fall Meet at Churchill Downs.

The Oct. 30-Nov. 27 fall racing session includes the record eighth visit by the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to the home of the Kentucky Derby on Nov. 4-5.  The return of the Breeders’ Cup will mark the first time that the event has been held at Churchill Downs in back-to-back years and will be its second stop as at the Louisville track in its two-day format.  Last year’s Breeders’ Cup attracted record two-day total attendance of 114,353 and record total wagering.  The 2010 renewal was highlighted by a narrow victory by Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s homebred Blame, the winner of Churchill Downs’ 2009 Clark Handicap, over Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss’ previously unbeaten Horse of the Year Zenyatta in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI).

The Clark, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up, will return in its traditional day-after-Thanksgiving spot on Friday, Nov. 25.  Last year’s renewal featured a stirring stretch battle between the Virginia H. Tarra Trust’s Giant Oak over Morton Fink’s Successful Dan, who appeared to score a narrow victory but was disqualified and placed third after stewards ruled he had interfered with another rival.  Like the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, the Clark Handicap, named to honor Churchill Downs founder Meriwether Lewis Clark, has been run annually without interruption since the first meet of the historic track, originally known as the Louisville Jockey Club, in May of 1875.

Churchill Downs’ 2011 Fall Meet schedule is nearly identical to the last year’s version in terms of races and purses.  Aside from the shuffling of positions on the schedule for some events, the only significant change in the schedule from 2010 is a $25,000 increase in the purse for the Falls City Handicap (GII), a 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares ages 3 and up that will carry a value of $175,000-added for its 96th renewal on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24.  The boost to the Falls City purse will lift total purses for the meet’s 14 stakes races to $2.12 million.

The Fall Meet will open on Sunday, Oct. 30 with the first of its pair of “Stars of Tomorrow” racing programs made up exclusively of races for 2-year-olds.  “Stars of Tomorrow I” will be highlighted by the 43^rd running of the $150,000 Pocahontas Stakes (GII) for fillies and the 30^th running of $100,000 Iroquois (GIII), both of which will be run at a mile on the main track. 

The juveniles-only “Stars of Tomorrow II” card is set for Saturday, Nov. 26, the next-to-last day of the meet, and the day will be topped again by the $150,000-added Golden Rod (GII) for fillies, the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club (GII).  The 1 1/16-mile races are early preps for the 2012 renewals of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, which will be run, respectively, on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5.  Along with earning the first-place purse, the winner of the 85^th running of the Kentucky Jockey Club will automatically be nominated to the 2012 Kentucky Derby and the $200,000-added The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII).  The winner of the 68^th Golden Rod will earn automatic nominations to the 2012 renewals of the Kentucky Oaks and the $100,000-added Eight Belles (GIII), a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies that will be run on Kentucky Oaks Day.

Each of the Breeders’ Cup programs on Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5 will include a pair of additional stakes races.  On the Friday Breeders’ Cup schedule are the $100,000-added Ack Ack Handicap (GIII) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles and the $85,000-added Jimmy V overnight stakes for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.  The Saturday Breeders’ Cup program will include the $150,000-added Chilukki (GII) for fillies and mares ages 3 and up at a mile and the $85,000 Dream Supreme, an overnight stakes race for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs.

CHURCHILL DOWNS 2011 FALL MEET STAKES SCHEDULE (Oct. 30-Nov. 27)
Date	Race	Division	Distance (surface)
Sun., Oct. 30	Stars of Tomorrow I
	$150,000-added Pocahontas (GII)	2 YO Fillies	1 M
	$100,000-added Iroquois (GIII)	2 YO	1 M
Thurs., Nov. 3	$100,000-added Commonwealth Turf (GIII)	3 YO	1 1/16 M (Turf)
Fri., Nov. 4	Breeders’ Cup World Championships
	$85,000-added Jimmy V	3 YO	6 F
	$100,000-added Ack Ack Handicap (GIII)	3 YO & Up	1 1/16 M
Sat., Nov. 5	Breeders’ Cup World Championships
	$150,000-added Chilukki (GII)	3 & up F & M	1 M
	$85,000-added Dream Supreme	3 YO F	6 F
Sun., Nov. 6	$100,000-added Cardinal Handicap (GIII)	3 & up F & M	1 1/8 M (Turf)
Sat., Nov. 12	$175,000-added Mrs. Revere (GII)	3 YO F	1 1/16 M (Turf)
Sat., Nov. 19	$100,000-added River City Handicap (GIII)	3 YO & up	1 1/8 M (Turf)
Thurs., Nov. 24	$175,000-added Falls City Handicap (GII)	3 YO & up F & M	1 1/8 M
Fri. Nov. 25	$500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by            Norton Healthcare (GI)	3 YO & up	1 1/8 M
Sat. Nov. 26	Stars of Tomorrow II
	$150,000-added Golden Rod (GII)	2 YO F	1 1/16 M
	$150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club (GII)	2 YO	1 1/16 M
F – Fillies … F & M – Fillies and Mares … M – Miles … F - Furlongs

The curtain dropped on the Churchill Downs Fall Meet on Sunday, Nov. 28 with a farewell salute to 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who is heading home to New Mexico after retiring from his career on the track.  Fittingly, the meet’s last race was run in the glow of the historic track’s new permanent lights after a 21-day meet highlighted by the return of the Breeders’ Cup and its unforgettable under-the-lights Classic showdown between Blame and Zenyatta, a host of spectacular performances by equine and human athletes and the introduction of “Downs After Dark” night racing for the first time during a Fall Meet at the legendary home of the Kentucky Derby.

Co-owners Dr. Leonard Blach and Mark Allen were joined by trainer Chip Woolley and exercise rider Charlie Figueroa, who traveled from New Mexico for a ceremony in the regular winner’s circle following Sunday’s seventh race in which fans provided warm applause and affection for Mine That Bird, the tiny gelding who shocked the sports world when he won Derby 135 under jockey Calvin Borel at odds of 50-1 – the second-biggest upset in the history of America’s greatest race.  Churchill Downs presented Mine That Bird with a special blanket bearing the official event logo of his Kentucky Derby, and track President Kevin Flanery presented the Derby winner a basket filled with apples, peppermints and equine treats and toys for his van ride back to New Mexico and a post-racetrack life in retirement at Allen’s Double Eagle Ranch.

The visit by the Breeders’ Cup World Championships was the record seventh to Churchill Downs, but its first as a two-day affair on Nov. 5 and 6.  The result, in keeping with Breeders’ Cup tradition at Churchill Downs, resulted in record figures for both attendance and wagering for the Championships.  The attendance over the two days was 114,353 – an increase of 18.5% over the previous year’s attendance at Santa Anita.  The Championship Friday program, which included the first Breeders’ Cup races run under lights, attracted a crowd of 41,614 – an increase of nearly 11 percent over 2009.  Saturday’s 11-race card attracted 72,739 fans.  Two-day common-pool wagering on the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs totaled $163,619,784, an increase of 13% over the $144,599,205 wagered in 2009.

Along with the race for the ages in the Classic in which Blame edged  previously unbeaten Zenyatta, the Breeders’ Cup also featured brilliant performance by French superstar Goldikova (IRE), who won her third consecutive running of the Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI), and a dominant victory in the Juvenile (GI) by Uncle Mo, who became the likely favorite for Kentucky Derby 137 with that win, and unbeaten Awesome Feather, who became an early contender for the 2011 Kentucky Oaks (GI) with her emphatic victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI).

But the heroics in the Breeders’ Cup had to share the Fall Meet spotlight with a memorable running of the $500,000-added Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI) on Friday, Nov. 26 in which Morton Fink’s favored Successful Dan finished first by a head, but was disqualified to third as stewards awarded the win to the Virginia Tarra Trust’s Giant Oak.  The roughly run 136th renewal of the Clark, a race that is as old as the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, resulted in three-day suspensions for jockeys Julien Leparoux, who rode Successful Dan, and Kent Desormeaux, who was aboard Demarcation, who was disqualified from fourth to 11th because of another incident in the race.  Third-place finisher Redding Colliery was elevated to the runner-up spot.

Other dazzling equine performances included dominant performances by 2-year-old fillies. John C. Oxley’s unbeaten Dancinginherdreams, trained by Kentucky Derby and Oaks winner John Ward Jr., overcame traffic problems to win the $150,000-added Pocahontas (GII) by 5 ¼ lengths on the meet’s opening day on Oct. 31, and the Ken McPeek-trained Kathmanblu, a troubled third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII), won the $150,000-added Golden Rod (GII) by a resounding 8 ½ lengths.  Her margin of victory was the largest since Silverbulletday capped a season that earned her an Eclipse Award as 2-year-old filly champion with a 10-length Golden Rod romp in 1998.

Tom Walters’ Santiva emerged as an early contender for the 2011 Kentucky Derby with a gritty victory in the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club as the Eddie Kenneally trainee turned back challenges from Iroquois (GIII) winner Astrology and Major Gain.  The Kentucky Jockey Club was co-featured with the Golden Rod on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” racing program on Saturday, Nov. 27. That day also featured an impressive victory by WinStar Farm’s Brethren, a half-brother WinStar’s 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, in a one-mile allowance race.  Super Saver used a victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” session a year earlier as a springboard to his success at Churchill Downs in this spring’s “Run for the Roses.”

The Fall Meet’s human races saw familiar faces atop the standings as the meet wound to a close on Sunday.

Julien Leparoux won his fourth consecutive Fall Meet riding title, completing the 21-day season with 28 victories. It marked the seventh leading rider title for Leparoux, who now has 450 victories at Churchill Downs, 12th best all time.

Marcelino Pedroza Jr., a 17-year-old native of Panama City, Panama, was the meet’s leading apprentice with nine victories.

Steve Asmussen won his fourth consecutive leading trainer title. Asmussen, fifth all time in victories at Churchill Downs with 394, saddled 16 winners during the meet. It was Asmussen’s fifth Fall Meet title and ninth overall.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey notched their fourth consecutive Fall Meet leading owner title by sending out six winners. The Ramseys, who topped the 300-victory mark all time during the meet, have won 17 leading owner titles (nine Fall, eight Spring) with 16 of them being outright crowns.

Chicago-based trainer Chris Block enjoyed a notable achievement during the meet as he won three stakes races – including a sweep of the Thanksgiving Weekend Clark Handicap with Giant Oak and Falls City Handicap with the 3-year-old filly Dundalk Dust – and each winner was bred in Illinois.  Block also saddled Askbut I Won’ttell to win the Cardinal Handicap (GIII).

Racing throughout the 21-day session was marked by strong competitive fields, with overflow entries for many of the always popular Fall Meet races for 2-year-olds.  Average field size for the meet’s races stood at 9.91 horses-per-race, which was flat when compared with the average from the 2009 Fall Meet.

Night racing at Churchill Downs, a resounding success during the Spring Meet in each of the past two years, made its debut on a chilly Friday evening on Nov. 19 before 15,583 fans – many of whom were clad in outfits in keeping with the evening’s “Mad About Plaid” theme.  Continuing the pattern displayed by sessions of racing under the lights in the spring, attendance at the first Fall Meet “Downs After Dark” racing session reflected a 191 percent increase compared to the 5,363 fans who had been on hand for an afternoon program on the same day a year earlier.

"Our fans had many reasons to smile during our brief 21-day Fall Meet, thanks to memorable performances on the track and memorable moments during the return of Breeders’ Cup, our first look at ‘Downs After Dark’ night racing in the fall and longstanding traditions like our Thanksgiving Day celebration,” said Flanery.  “We were generally pleased with our racing product and solid field sizes during this compact 21-day meet, but we remain very concerned about the prospects for Churchill Downs and Kentucky racing in 2011 and beyond.  We’re facing growing pressure from race purses fed by slot machine revenues at tracks in neighboring states, especially Indiana.  Pennsylvania’s success with slots-fed purses continues to lure Kentucky horses and horsemen, and the anticipated introduction of slot revenues to purses at New York tracks sometime in 2011 looms as a major competitive threat.  So, while we’re pleased that horsemen found attractive races at Churchill Downs during this Fall Meet and that our purses could be increased briefly because of solid business levels, our concerns for the future of our track and Kentucky racing are in no way diminished because of those successes.  The coming year could be one of the most challenging ever for Churchill Downs and Kentucky racing.”

Racing returns to Churchill Downs on Saturday, April 30, 2011, the opening day of the Spring Meet and the week leading up to the 137th of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.  The April 30 session, highlighted by the $200,000-added The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (GIII) – the final prep race for the Kentucky Derby – will be the first conducted under the lights as a “Downs After Dark” event.

KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB WINNER SANTIVA FLORIDA-BOUND MONDAY – Things were quiet at the Eddie Kenneally barn on Sunday morning and assistant Brendan Walsh reported all was well with Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Santiva.

“He is doing well this morning and he will leave for Florida tomorrow,” Walsh said of the son of Giant’s Causeway, who is owned by Tom Walters. “That was a nice way to end the meet.”

Santiva broke his maiden with Saturday’s victory and in his first start for Kenneally.

“We got him in about mid-October after he had run in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland,” Walsh said. “He’s a nice colt.”

Also heading to Florida on Monday will be Linda Shanhan’s Missyoulikecrazy, who finished second for Kenneally in the Golden Rod (GII).

“She ran a nice race,” Walsh said of the Missyoulikecrazy, who had run third in the opening-day Pocahontas (GIII) and prior to the Breeders’ Cup had served as a workmate for Filly & Mare Sprint runner My Jen. “They are both nice fillies and we have a lot to look forward to next year.”

Also heading to South Florida this week will be third-place Kentucky Jockey Club finisher Major Gain, who came out of the race in good order according to Lisa Sloan, assistant to trainer Wayne Catalano. Gary and Mary West’s son of More Than Ready made his dirt track debut Saturday.

KATHMANBLU EXITS GOLDEN ROD ROMP IN GOOD ORDER – Apparently the 8 ½-length romp in Saturday’s Golden Rod Stakes (GII) did not take much out of the victorious Kathmanblu.

“She got back to the barn and dove right in to her feed tub,” said Philip Bauer, Churchill Downs assistant to trainer Ken McPeek. “She is doing great this morning and will head to Florida on Wednesday.

The margin of victory was the largest since Silverbulletday, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) and 2-year-old filly champion, won the 1998 Golden Rod by 10 lengths.

Owned by Five D Thoroughbreds and Wind River Stables, Kathmanblu was making her second start on dirt after compiling a record of 2-1-1 in four starts on the grass that included a victory in the Jessamine at Keeneland and a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII).

“The first time she ran, it was at 4 ½ furlongs and that was too short for her,” Bauer said. “The only reason Kenny put her on the grass was to get two turns for her.”

Bauer does not envision a return to the grass any time soon for Kathmanblu.

“It is nice to have the versatility,” Bauer said. “This way you can prep for bigger things on either surface."

Kathmanblu is one of three McPeek-trained 2-year-olds that competed in Breeders’ Cup races three weeks ago at Churchill Downs.  Rogue Romance ran third in the Juvenile (GI) and the Harlan’s Ruby finished eighth in the Juvenile Fillies (GI).

They are both turned out and getting some time off,” Bauer said. “They will probably rejoin the barn in Florida in mid-December.”

LOPRESTI LOOKS FORWARD WITH SUCCESSFUL DAN AFTER CLARK ‘CAP DISAPPOINTMENT – The hours following Friday’s $500,000 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I) were a swirl of emotions for trainer Charles Lopresti, who was overjoyed when it appeared that his Successful Dan had scored his first Grade I victory, but his happiness turned to dismay when the stewards demoted the 4-year-old colt to third for interference with a rival.

But Successful Dan was fine on the day after the rough and tumble 136th running of the Clark, a mile and an eighth race for older horses that – like the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) and the Kentucky Oaks (GI), dates to Churchill Downs’ very first race meet in May of 1875.

“He came out good,” Lopresti said when he returned to Churchill Downs Saturday afternoon.  “He doesn’t know that he got beat.  He thinks he won – I mean, he did win.”

The stewards awarded the Virginia Tarra Trust’s Giant Oak the top spot in the Clark and dropped Morton Fink’s stable star to third for interfering with Redding Colliery, the original third-place finisher, for interference when the horses collided in upper stretch. Redding Colliery was elevated to the runner-up spot after Successful Dan and jockey Julien Leparoux veered to their right in traffic and slammed into that rival.  Just to their inside, Demarcation and Dubious Miss, both trained by Paul McGee, became entangled and Dubious Miss faded after that mishap to finish last in the field of 11.  But the stewards disqualified Demcarcation from his original fourth-place finish and dropped him all the way to last because of that incident.

Leparoux and fellow rider Kent Desormeaux, who was aboard Demarcation, received three-day suspensions from the stewards on Saturday for their roles in the Clark’s chaotic stretch run.

In the emotional moments after the race, Lopresti had branded the stewards’ decision to disqualify Successful Dan from what would have been the biggest victory of his budding star’s career as a “bad call.”  But after a few hours of consideration, a little sleep and several looks at video replays of the race, Lopresti confessed to a change of heart regarding the stewards’ Clark call.

“He (Successful Dan) did come out on that horse (Redding Colliery) – there’s no doubt that he bumped him,” Lopresti said.  “I don’t think that horse was going to win the race.  I don’t think it was going to change the outcome of the race.”

While he better understood the stewards’ decision, Lopresti was remained puzzled as to why the stewards did not take a closer look at some contact deeper in the stretch run between his horse and Giant Oak.

“The horse they put up for first was all over us down the lane, then they didn’t take him down,” he said.  “Why did we go to third?  That’s what I don’t understand.”

Most important to Lopresti was the performance of Successful Dan, who was coming off a win in the Fayette (GII) over the synthetic Polytrack surface at Keeneland and turned in a winning performance in the Clark, although the official results will show that he finished third.  Last year, a Clark victory by Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm’s Blame stamped him as horse to watch and the colt followed that victory with stellar 2010 campaign that reached its climax in a narrow victory over previously unbeaten Zenyatta in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) at Churchill Downs.

Lopresti believes the Clark run by the 4-year-old son of Successful Appeal has positioned his star for big things in 2011, a year in which the Breeders’ Cup will return to Churchill Downs.

“He was tons the best,” Lopresti said of the colt’s Clark performance.  “He could have been in one of the Breeders’ Cup races.  He really could, and he would have been competitive in one of those races.  I don’t know which one of ‘em, but he would have been competitive.

“I know we’ve got a really good horse.  I think we’ll just give him the winter off and be ready for the spring races.  We might go to Florida with him.  We’ll see how he comes out.”

Successful Dan is not the only reason for Lopresti’s optimism.  On Thanksgiving Day he watched Fink’s 3-year-old Wise Dan, winner of Keeneland’s Phoenix (GIII), rebound from a sixth-place finish behind Big Drama in the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI) to win a one-mile allowance race over a sloppy Churchill Downs track.

“I think he’ll go further – that’s been my deal (with Wise Dan) all along,” Lopresti said.  “I put him in the Breeders’ Cup because he won the Phoenix. We took a shot at the Phoenix because he was training so good over that track and I knew he was going to be fresh, and he won that race.  But my ideal thinking was to run in that and then stretch him out.  But we got tossed into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and he didn’t run that bad – he only got beat two lengths, a neck and a nose for all of it.”

And then there’s Brandon and Marianne Chase’s Here Comes Ben, who provided Lopresti with his first career Grade I win in Saratoga’s Forego.  He finished 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI) after a rugged start that left the son of Street Cry with some cuts, but no significant injury.  Lopresti expects that Here Comes Ben will remain in his shedrow for a 2011 campaign as a 5-year-old.

In fact, all of Lopresti’s horses were doing considerably better on Saturday than their trainer.   Lopresti walked with a noticeable limp, the result of a injury suffered in the paddock as he wheeled to head to the track after watching Successful Dan’s Clark run on the large tote board video screen.

“I came out of there and something popped, I guess it was a ligament or something,” Lopresti said.  “But I’m OK.”

BARN TALK – Julien Leparoux increased his meet-leading victory total to 26 with a victory Saturday in the Golden Rod on Kathmanblu and will take a three-win advantage into today’s final day of the 21-day Fall Meet. Robby Albarado was blanked Saturday, but Shaun Bridgmohan had his second consecutive three-win day to move into a tie for second with 23 victories. Leparoux has nine mounts today, Albarado eight and Bridgmohan six. Leparoux has won or shared the leading rider title for the past three Fall Meets and also won three Spring Meet titles. Bridgmohan shared the 2006 Fall Meet title with Calvin Borel for his only riding crown here. Albarado, who won the 2008 Spring Meet title, never has won a Fall Meet title. …

The victory by Tapizar in Saturday’s final race gave trainer Steve Asmussen his 14th winner of the meet and secured leading trainer honors at the meet. The title is the ninth overall for Asmussen – five in the fall and four in the spring. …

WinStar Farm’s Brethren, the half-brother to 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) winner Super Saver, ran his record to two-for-two on Saturday with a 1 ¾-length victory in the 10th race going a mile. Horacio De Paz, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher, said the colt came out of the race fine and would head to South Florida on Tuesday with the rest of the Pletcher horses at Churchill Downs. Brethren had one work here prior to his Saturday’s win and his regular morning partner was exercise rider Kevin Willey, who served in the same capacity this spring with Super Saver.

CLARK WINNER GIANT OAK HEADING TO FLORIDA ON SUNDAY – Drew Coontz, assistant to trainer Chris Block, was all smiles Saturday morning a day after Giant Oak brought the month of November to a successful close for the barn.

“I’m on Cloud Nine,” Coontz said. “It’s like winning the (Kentucky) Oaks and (Kentucky) Derby.”

Giant Oak’s victory in the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI) via disqualification of Successful Dan came on the heels of a victory the day before in the Falls City Handicap (GII) by the Block-trained Dundalk Dust.

“He is doing great this morning and he will leave for Ocala tomorrow morning for some time off,” Coontz said of Giant Oak, who gave the Illinois-based Block stable its third stakes victory of the meet. Askbut I Won’ttell had won the Cardinal (GIII) on Nov. 7.

“When I came here with Giant Oak (in early November before the Breeders’ Cup), I had two horses waiting for me,” Coontz said. “One was Askbut I Won’ttell and the other horse (Wulfgar) ran on the Friday night (Nov. 19) program and got claimed.”

The only Block runner that shipped in for a stake and did not take home a major check was Mister Marti Gras, who finished fifth in the Commonwealth Turf (GIII) on Nov. 13.

The Block runners shared the west end of Barn 48 with trainer Tony Reinstedler’s stable.

This was the spot to be in,” Coontz said. “We did great and Tony had four winners and two seconds from six starters. This was the right barn.”

While Coontz and Company were floating on Cloud Nine, a few barns away trainer David Fawkes was getting ready to drive Duke of Mischief back to South Florida after the colt was elevated to fifth on the disqualification of Demarcation.

Duke of Mischief pressed the pressed from the outside No. 11 post position and was with the leaders until things got tight in the upper stretch.

“I thought he was maybe a little too close early, but then I saw :49 (:48.92) for the half-mile and I thought we might be all right,” Fawkes said. “But then he got in tight in the stretch and he just doesn’t like to be in a spot like that.”

Fawkes said Duke of Mischief came out of the race fine and would get some time off before possibly pointing to the Sunshine Millions at the end of January or possibly a return to the grass.

Finishing right behind Duke of Mischief was Brass Hat, who was trying to become the fifth 9-year-old to win a Grade I race.

“That was just a tough field yesterday,” trainer Buff Bradley said. “He had a safe trip and came back fine. He will take a couple of months off for a vacation and if he stays healthy we would look at the Elkhorn at Keeneland in late April to start him back.”

Meanwhile, trainer Paul McGee was wondering what might have after seeing both Demarcation and Dubious Miss with the leaders in upper stretch only to have the roof cave in when Demarcation caused the inference that led to his being placed last by the stewards.

“I really don’t know what they were doing playing bumper cars at the three-sixteenths pole,” McGee said.

Jockey) Robby (Albarado) said he felt Dubious Miss was getting ready to explode and he was getting ready to set him down and then he gets walloped … walloped by the home team.”

McGee said both horses came out of the race in good order.

“I might give Demarcation some time off in Ocala,” McGee said, “but he will eventually go to the Fair Grounds, where Dubious Miss will be.”

TODAY’S POTENTIAL STARS FOLLOWING IN SOME FANCY FOOTSTEPS -- Today’s sixth annual “Stars of Tomorrow II” program is 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

In just five years of existence, Stars of Tomorrow has been the launching pad for 17 Grade I winners, including Super Saver ($1,899,766), who would use a win in last year’s Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club as a springboard to Kentucky Derby 136 glory, plus millionaires Rachel Alexandra ($3,506,730), Lawyer Ron ($2,790,008), Court Vision ($2,591,521), Pure Clan ($1,987,498), Macho Again ($1,825,767), Swift Temper ($1,296,688) and Any Given Saturday ($1,083,533).

In addition to Super Saver, last year’s “Stars of Tomorrow” program featured future stars Fly Down ($1,167,070) and First Dude ($860,160), who finished one-two in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race; Stately Victor ($613,612), who would go on to win the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass; Thiskyhasnolimit ($547,532), the runner-up in the Iowa (GIII) and Indiana (GII) Derbies; and No Such Word ($503,213), who has won five of her nine 2010 starts going into today’s Gazelle (GI at Aqueduct), including the Monmouth Oaks (GIII).

MINE THAT BIRD TO GET CHURCHILL DOWNS SENDOFF SUNDAY – Sunday will be a day of celebration as Churchill Downs will honor 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) winner Mine That Bird, who will be leaving on Monday on a journey home to New Mexico.

Owned by the Double Eagle Ranch of Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach’s Buena Suerte Equine, Mine That Bird will walk over with horses for Sunday’s seventh race (post time 3:41 p.m. ET). The 4-year-old gelding will remain in the paddock during the race and then walk to the winner’s circle for his farewell ceremony before returning to Barn 44.

Before Mine That Bird makes his walk to the paddock wearing a winner’s blanket with the Kentucky Derby 135 logo, there will be other festivities.

Following the second race (1:08 p.m. post time) in the winner’s circle, Allen and Dr. Blach will be interviewed in the winner’s circle by Churchill Downs Vice President of Communications John Asher. After the third race (1:38 p.m. post time) Asher will interview former trainer Chip Woolley.

There will be a table in the paddock with a farewell poster for guests to sign along with 1,000 Mine That Bird buttons that will be handed out.

Mine That Bird, who paid $103.20 for the second-highest Kentucky Derby payoff in the race’s 136 years, was retired from racing following a 10th-place finish in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI) on Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs. He completed his racing career with a record of 5-2-2 in 18 races with earnings of $2,228,637.

BARN TALK – Not so fast on handing the Fall Meet’s leading rider title to Julien Leparoux. Robby Albarado rode three winners on Friday to move within two victories of Leparoux with two racing days left in the meet. Leparoux’s margin stands at 25-23 with Leparoux slated to ride 11 races and Albarado all 12. Both riders have 10 mounts Sunday. Also moving into contention with three wins Friday was Shaun Bridgmohan, who now has 20 victories. He has nine mounts today and seven on Sunday. …

Steve Asmussen maintains a comfortable five-victory lead in his bid for a fourth consecutive leading trainer title. This would be Asmussen’s fifth Fall Meet title and ninth overall. …

Ken and Sarah Ramsey also maintain a nice cushion as they pursue their fourth consecutive Fall Meet leading owner title. The Ramseys have sent out six winners, three more than closest pursuer Penny Lauer. The Ramseys have won 16 leading owner titles (eight fall, eight spring) with 15 of them being outright crowns.

WORK TAB – Due Date, sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (GII), worked six furlongs in 1:16.20 for trainer Steve Margolis.

The Virginia H Tarra Trust’s Giant Oak was elevated to first place on the disqualification of Successful Dan in a roughly run stretch battle to win the 136th running of the $564,000 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI) for 3-year-olds and up on Friday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Successful Dan, who covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast main track in 1:50.82, had finished a head in front of Giant Oak, but because of interference with Redding Colliery in the upper stretch, was disqualified and placed third. It was the first disqualification in the Clark since Quest was elevated above Evening Attire in the 2003 running.

Giant Oak’s victory completed a Falls City Handicap-Clark Handicap double for jockey Shaun Bridgmohan and trainer Chris Block, who had teamed the day before to win the Grade II Falls City with Dundalk Dust.

It marked the first time since 2005 that the same rider-trainer combo had swept the two races with Indian Vale winning the Falls City and Magna Graduate the Clark under John Velazquez for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Regal Ransom led the field of 11 through fractions of :24.64, :48.92 and 1:13.63 while Successful Dan and Redding Colliery raced in mid pack with Giant Oak far back. Turning for home, Duke of Mischief moved past Regal Ransom with Dubious Miss and Demarcation moving with him.

Just behind the leaders, Julien Leparoux on Successful Dan moved out and bumped Redding Colliery, ridden by Rosie Napravnik, for racing room and Giant Oak began to advance with a seven-wide rally.

To the inside of Successful Dan, Demarcation, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, swerved inside impeding Dubious Miss and Duke of Mischief.

With clear sailing on the outside, Successful Dan and Giant Oak raced as a team to the wire. Redding Colliery was another four lengths back in third, finishing a head in front of Demarcation, who was disqualified and placed last.

The victory was worth $328,700 and increased the 4-year-old homebred son of Giant Causeway’s bankroll to $956,677 with a record of 4-5-3 from 23 starts.

Giant Oak returned $24.20, $10 and $5. Redding Colliery returned $6 and $3.80 with Successful Dan paying $3 to show. The revised order of finish was Win Willy, Duke of Mischief, Brass Hat, Apart, Regal Ransom, Stately Victor, Dubious Miss and Demarcation.

Racing continues Saturday with a 12-race “Stars of Tomorrow II” program exclusively for 2-year-olds with first post time of 12:40 p.m. (all times Eastern). Highlighting the program are two Grade II stakes: the 67th running of the $150,000-added Golden Rod for fillies, which goes as the ninth race (4:42 p.m. post time), and the 84th running of the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club, which goes as the 11th race (5:42 p.m. post time). Saturday's card will feature a four-day Pick 6 carryover of $21,555 on races 7-12. There also is a $6,201 carryover on the Super Hi-5 in the 12th race.

CLARK HANDICAP QUOTES

Shaun Bridgmohan (jockey, Giant Oak, placed first from second after disqualification of Successful Dan from first to third): “I was right outside of it all. I saw what was happening. I thought both horses ran hard to the wire. It was all out of my hands. I was hoping I got put up. Both horses ran hard. It’s just unfortunate things like this happen in racing. If he shows up and gives it to you there is no telling how much talent this horse has. I always tell Chris (Block, trainer) one of these days he is going to show up and it just happened to be in a Grade One today.”

Chris Block (trainer, Giant Oak, placed first from second after disqualification of Successful Dan from first to third): “This has been a long time comin’.  This ol’ horse has had a rough, rough go of it.  He’s had some rough trips, but we’ve always known he loved Churchill Downs and I really felt good about today.  The horse trained really great from (Breeders’ Cup) Marathon to this.  His two works were just really, really good here.  I felt coming into it if the pace was solid, and it was OK, I knew he’d come with his run.  We just need him to finish the race. (Jockey) Shaun (Bridgmohan) said today even when he got up to that horse (Successful Dan) he put his head up and just kind of hung with that horse instead of finishing the deal.  But this is sweet to get.  This is very sweet to get.”

Q: Even if he had not won, he was right there with a very good horse in Successful Dan. “Absolutely. I was very proud of him win, lose or draw.  I’d even told Mr. Tarra that Successful Dan, to me, was the horse to beat.  If he’d have been second to him, I’d been real proud of him as I am proud of him for getting kissed up there.”

Q: He seems to be getting better with age – will he be back next year? “Oh yeah, he’s coming back next year.  No doubt about it.  He’s the kind of horse we always thought he’d get better with age, and I think that’s what’ll happen with him.”

Q: Considering all the trouble this horse has had, is it almost ironic that this is how he was able to win …“It is.  It really is amazing to me.  I’ll be very honest with you.  I saw that horse (Redding Colliery) come out, but I thought he came out on his own.  I didn’t know Successful Dan pushed him out like that.  But it is ironic that it finished up like this.”

Q: Was his run in the Marathon a disappointment to you? “It was a disappointment.  I think Garrett (jockey Garrett Gomez) and I kind of got our paths crossed, our communication crossed up from where we actually wanted him.  I thought he was a little further back than what I wanted, and I think Garrett thought I actually wanted him back a little bit and to come with a finish.  And then he ended up wide all the way around there.  But he came out of it so good that I thought, well, we’re going to wheel him right back in here.”

Q: You’ve won three stakes this meet and all with Illinois-breds.  We’re not sure if anyone else has ever pulled off that hat trick … “It’s awful sweet to have these guys come down here and run as good as they have.  They all set up really well for these races and I just glad to be here at Churchill Downs, to be honest with you.”

Q: Where does this rank in career thrills for you? “It ranks right there at the top.  (2006 Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup winner) Vacare was my first Grade I stakes winner and this guy, we’ve worked so hard getting him where he’s at today, so it has to rank right there with her.”

Q: When you have a horse like this, do you just have to remind yourself sometime that you have to just hang with the horse? “Absolutely. I take my hat off to Mr. and Mrs. Tarra.  They put this horse in my barn.  They bred him, raised him.  They turned down a lot of money for him as a 2-year-old to do what we did today.  They love racing, they love the horse, they love horse racing and I really have to give them a lot of credit for sticking behind the horse.  We’ve had a lot of frustrating conversations, but today it’s sweet to get this one.”

Q: Do you have a winter plan? “He’s going to Ocala on Sunday for probably about 45 days rest, then probably back to Fair Grounds to get him ready for 2011.

Rosie Napravnik (jockey, Redding Colliery, placed second after disqualification of Successful Dan from first to third): “It was kind of a rough ride all the way around.  He got slammed and he came on and finished just as strong as he wanted to.”

Q:  If it was rough all the way around, the head of the stretch was very tough … “Yeah.  He slammed me pretty hard.  He knocked us completely off stride and I don’t see how they couldn’t take him down.”

Q: Do you think you had a chance to win at that point? “Yeah, we were coming around and he was making up ground.”

Kiaran McLaughlin (trainer, Redding Colliery, placed second after disqualification of Successful Dan from first to third, via telephone): “It was a rough-run race for a lot of horses.  I was watching our horse mostly, and he had a rough trip.  But I thought Rosie (jockey Anna Napravnik) rode him well.  He switched off down the backside and then made a nice run turning for home and got bumped hard twice by the eventual winner that was taken down (Successful Dan).  But it was a rough run for a few horses and we’re happy that we got put up to second and we’re a Grade I horse.  We’ve had a great year with our horse and we’ll move forward.”

Q: He has really come into his own and proven he is a top rank horse – what is the plan for 2011? “He is a top horse.  We’ll go to Florida with him and look at the [Grade I] Donn Handicap and maybe the Dubai World Cup (GI).  He’s been a really useful horse for us and we’ve had a lot of fun with him all year, and we’re happy that we got put up into second.  I thought it was a gutsy call by the stewards, and the correct call.”

Q: Do you think he had a chance to win without the bumping? “He was wide throughout, so it was kind of just a rough-run race.  You never know, it’s hard to say.  But he was running and gaining, but I don’t know that he was going to win.  But he definitely got bothered.”

Julien Leparoux (jockey, Successful Dan, disqualified from first to third): “I need to take a look at what happened. I just got slammed all over.”

Charlie Lopresti (trainer, Successful Dan, disqualified from first to third): “It’s a bad call.  It’s a very bad call.”

Q: You thought your horse was hit from the inside and forced out …“My horse got knocked over. That’s a terrible call. I mean, up there in the stretch that horse came over on us and knocked us into the other horse (Redding Colliery). And then after that, we’re clearly the winner.”

Q: He did run a huge race as you expected he would … “He ran a huge race. What can I say?  I can’t say anything else.”

Kent Desormeaux (jockey, Demarcation, disqualified to 11th): “He really faded for me at the three-sixteenths pole, ducked to the rail a little bit. I had to straighten him and lost a lot of momentum. It cost me third.”

Paul McGee (trainer, Dubious Miss, placed 10th, and Demarcation, disqualified from fourth to 11th): “There was some irony there due to the fact my two horses were doing the bumping down the stretch, so I didn’t like that part of the race. It sounded like (jockey) Robby (Albarado) got eliminated with Dubious Miss turning for home when he got bumped and had to check. Demarcation ran a good race, he always does, and he’s a consistent horse. I just wish Dubious Miss would have had a better opportunity.”