Churchill Downs Update: Tam Tam Ready to Rebound from Tough Edgewood Defeat in Saturday's Grade III, $275,000 Regret Stakes

May 29, 2026

Rigney Racing’s improving 3-year-old filly Tam Tam will attempt to score her first graded stakes victory in Saturday’s $275,000 Regret Stakes (Grade III) at Churchill Downs following a narrow defeat to Imaginationthelady four weeks ago in the Edgewood Stakes (GII).

Tam Tam, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, has won two of three starts as a 3-year-old since trainer Phil Bauer and Rigney Racing transitioned her to turf this winter at Gulfstream Park.

“I don’t want to say she fooled us as a 2-year-old, but we always thought she possessed a lot of ability,” Bauer said. “She sort of left us a little frustrated after those efforts, but she reminded me a little bit of Buchu, who was a graded stakes winner on grass. It was a relief when she was able to break her maiden on grass and came back to run a really nice race to win the Sanibel Island. On Oaks Day, we were confident even though it would be a tough task. She ran her eyeballs out.”

Tam Tam was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite and drew the outside post in the field of nine 3-year-old fillies. Junior Alvarado has the mount.

“She definitely has natural gate speed,” Bauer said. “I’d prefer her not be on the lead and have a target. Hopefully, Junior can see what’s going on to his inside going into the first turn. If she ends up on the lead like she did in the Edgewood, so be it.”

Chief among her rivals appears to be Will Werner’s Appalachian Stakes (GII) winner Storm’s Wake, who finished fifth in the Edgewood.

Breaking one post to Tam Tam’s inside, Storm’s Wake will be ridden by Luis Saez as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line.

“She came out of the Edgewood in great shape,” said Nic Lynch, assistant to his father, Brian. “We felt like it was a bit of a rough trip that day. She was given a lot to do. The four horses who finished in front of her were right on top of one another. We thought if she had a cleaner trip, she would’ve been right there with them.”

Storm’s Wake, a 3-year-old daughter of Oscar Performance, has worked twice over the Churchill Downs turf course leading into Saturday’s race.

“We’ve gotten the chance to breeze her over the grass a couple of times since the Edgewood,” Lynch said. “She handled it very well and has a great energy level. A lot of her races, her best run seems to come within the last sixteenth of a mile. We’ve been waiting to stretch her out to this distance and feel like it’ll be right up her alley.”

The Regret, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, is part of Stephen Foster Preview Day, which features seven stakes races worth $1.975 million in purses. First post for the 11-race program is 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) with the Regret scheduled as Race 9 at 4:56 p.m.

The field for the Regret from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

Indigo Woods (IRE) (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh, 4-1)
Surprise Ending (Ben Curtis, Brendan Walsh, 12-1)
Trust Account (Flavien Prat, Brendan Walsh, 15-1)
Lilo Lil (John Velazquez, Michael McCarthy, 20-1)
Faithful Departed (Jose Ortiz, Grant Forster, 8-1)
Dandona (Irad Ortiz Jr., Saffie Joseph Jr., 6-1)
Call On Me (Axel Concepcion, Rusty Arnold II, 10-1)
Storm’s Wake (Saez, Lynch, 3-1)
Tam Tam (Alvarado, Bauer, 5-2)
The blockbuster Saturday card also includes the $300,000 Shawnee (GII); $300,000 Blame (GIII); $275,000 Aristides (GIII); $275,000 Arlington (GIII); $275,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (GIII); and $275,000 Audubon (Listed).

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

ALL TURF PICK 4 HIGHLIGHTS MASSIVE WAGERING MENU FOR STEPHEN FOSTER PREVIEW DAY – Churchill Downs will offer a special all-turf, all-stakes Pick 4 on Saturday’s Stephen Foster Preview Day that includes the $275,000 Arlington (Grade III), $275,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (GIII), $275,000 Regret (GIII) and $275,000 Audubon (Listed).

Saturday’s 11-race program gets underway at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) with the all-turf Pick 4 beginning in Race 5 at 2:47 p.m.

The sequence (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

Race 5 (2:47 p.m.), $275,000 Audubon Stakes (Listed), 3yo, 1 1/8 M (T) (10 entries)
Race 7 (3:53 p.m.), $275,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (GIII), f&m, 4&up, 1 1/16 M (T) (nine entries)
Race 9 (4:56 p.m.), $275,000 Regret (GIII), 3yo f, 1 1/8 M (T) (nine entries)
Race 11 (5:59 p.m.), $275,000 Arlington (GIII), 3yo, 1 1/16 M (T) (11 entries)
The special wager is a 50-cent base denomination and has a 22% takeout.

Stephen Foster Preview Day was inaugurated in 2020 to provide horses a local prep for the blockbuster June 27 Stephen Foster Day at Churchill Downs. Overall, Saturday’s card features seven stakes races worth $1.975 million in purses, led by the $300,000 Blame (GIII), a local prep for the $2 million Stephen Foster (GI).

For more information, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

DOWN THE STRETCH – Friday’s nine-race card began at 12:45 p.m. and featured a $14,424 carryover in the 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot in Races 4-9. There was also a $91,530 carryover in the $1 Jackpot 8 in Race 9. … Trainer Todd Pletcher reported Vibe will scratch in Saturday’s Blame Stakes and run in next Saturday’s Met Mile (GI) at Saratoga, according to Daily Racing Form’s Marcus Hersh. … Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free reported Splendora would be scratched from Saturday’s Shawnee Stakes (GIII). … “Inside Churchill Downs” returns Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN 680/105.7. Join Darren Rogers and Kevin Kerstein as they give their takes for Saturday’s Stephen Foster Preview Day. Those outside the Louisville Market can listen live on www.espnlouisville.com. … For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.churchilldowns.com.