Churchill Downs Stakes Advances: Thurby's Opening Verse, Kentucky Juvenile and St. Matthews

Apr 24, 2025

– Spendthrift Farm’s three-time Grade II winner Major Dude headlines a field of 10 entered Thursday for the 20th running of the $350,000 Opening Verse (Listed) for 4-year-olds and up going a mile on the turf on Thursday, May 1.

Also scheduled for the 12-race Thurby program that begins at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) is the 31st running of the $250,000 Kentucky Juvenile for 2-year-olds going five furlongs on the main track and the fourth running of the $200,000 St. Matthews Overnight Stakes for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Major Dude comes into the Opening Verse off a troubled fourth as the favorite in the Appleton (Listed) at Gulfstream Park on March 29.  Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 6.

Also expected to draw support is Klein Racing’s Brilliant Berti.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Brilliant Berti won all three of his turf starts here during the 2024 Spring Meet highlighted by a 2 ¼-length victory in the American Derby (Listed). He closed 2024 with a victory in the Bryan Station (GIII) at Keeneland.

Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount from post 9 in the Opening Verse.

The field for the Opening Verse (Race 9, post time 5:13 p.m.):

Piper’s Factor (Kazushi Kimura, Katerina Vassilieva)
Skyro (John Velazquez, Martin Drexler)
Tut’s Revenge (Juan Hernandez, Mike Maker)
Money Supply (Jose Ortiz, Joe Sharp)
Portofino (Edgard Zayas, Joe Orseno)
Major Dude (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher)
Mercante (Joe Ramos, Brian Knippenberg)
Georgie W (Luis Saez, Will Walden)
Brilliant Berti (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cherie DeVaux)
Lagynos (Flavien Prat, Steve Asmussen)
WARD DEBUT WINNERS TOP KENTUCKY JUVENILE FIELD – Two debut Keeneland winners going 4 ½ furlongs trained by Wesley Ward top a field of eight for the Kentucky Juvenile.

Ward, who has won the Kentucky Juvenile three times with fillies, will send out the filly Pinky Finger, a 7 ½-length winner on April 7, and Double Talker, a 3 ½-length winner on April 10. Joel Rosario keeps the mount on Pinky Finger from post 5 and David Flores retains the mount on Double Talker from post 7.

The field for the Kentucky Juvenile (Race 6, post time 3:27 p.m.):

Daring Move (Flavien Prat, John Hancock)
Maximus Prime (Walter Rodriguez, Ben Colebrook)
Happyhappyboy (Irving Moncada, Marcelino Torres)
Diblasi (Junior Alvarado, Wesley Ward)
Pinky Finger (Joel Rosario, Wesley Ward)
Monster (Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose D’Angelo)
Double Talker (David Flores, Wesley Ward)
Barstool (Luan Machado, Ben Colebrook)
‘MR. CHURCHILL DOWNS’ BANGO RETURNS IN ST. MATTHEWS STAKES – Tamaroak Partners’ Bango, the all-time winningest runner at Churchill Downs with 12 victories, will make his 2025 debut Thursday when he faces nine rivals in the St. Matthews.

Trained by Greg Foley, Bango has won at least one race at Churchill Downs every year since 2019 and included in that run is a victory in the 2023 St. Matthews. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 7.

The St. Matthews is for non-winners of a graded stake in 2024-2025 and it drew from the Bob Baffert barn the returning Speed Boat Beach.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Speed Boat Beach won the Malibu (GI) to close his 2023 campaign and on Thursday will be making his first start in 16 months. Flavien Prat has the mount from post 3.

The field for the St. Matthews (Race 10, post time 5:47 p.m.):

Henro (Rafael Bejarano, Chris Hartman)
Miles Ahead (Colby Hernandez, Paul McGee)
Speed Boat Beach (Flavien Prat, Bob Baffert)
Happy Is a Choice (Mike Smith, John Ortiz)
Fort Bragg (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert)
Red Flag (Julien Leparoux, Bob Hess)
Bango (Irad Ortiz Jr., Greg Foley)
Champlin (Luis Saez, Greg Foley)
Happy American (Joel Rosario, David Jacobson)
Valentine Candy (Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen)