Churchill Downs resumes racing, starts the '24 Kentucky Derby prep season

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Churchill Downs is back in action this weekend for the first time since a dozen horse fatalities in the weeks before the Kentucky Derby prompted a premature shutdown of the track's showpiece spring meeting.

Churchill Downs Inc., state regulators and the new Horseracing Integrity and Safety Administration conducted investigations into the equine deaths, but found no common factor. Still, new safety protocols are in place and there were no incidents during the eight races run on Thursday's opening night card.

The Louisville weekend also kicks of the 2023-24 "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series with the Grade III Iroquois for 2-year-olds Saturday.

Elsewhere, Woodbine hosts three Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races on the turf Saturday, two of them for 2-year-olds. And Kentucky Downs closed out its all-too-brief meeting Wednesday with a pair of promising races for young turf runners.

The big events on the weekend international calendar are Saturday's Group 1 St Leger in England and the Group 1 Makybe Diva at Flemington in Australia. Their Majesties are expected at Doncaster to watch their horse run in the St Leger.

How international is international racing? One of the contenders in the Makybe Diva was running at Kentucky Downs a year ago.

Let's start with the young ones.

Juvenile

Risk It is the 2-1 favorite on the morning line for Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Iroquois at Churchill Downs, the first race of the 2023-24 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

It's no surprise the colt gets the nod. He's another of those Winchell Thoroughbreds progeny of Gun Runner trained by Steve Asmussen -- a combination that's proved to be dynamite early in that stallion's career.

Risk It added to the appeal by winning his debut race by 4 1/2 lengths at Saratoga on Aug. 19. Still, 2-year-olds are seldom a sure thing and, as the poker players say, if you can beat 'em, bet 'em.

For those so inclined, the field does have a few progressive recent maiden winners, including West Saratoga and Union Roll.

The Road to the Roses comprises 37 races that wind up April 13 at Keeneland with the Lexington Stakes. It includes a detour to the Middle East where the winner, and likely the runner-up, in the Group 2 UAE Derby on World Cup night get virtually guaranteed spots in the Run for the Roses.

There are separate Japanese and European "Roads" also leading to Central Avenue in Louisville.

And for those who have lost count, the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is set for May 4.

Juvenile Turf

My Boy Prince is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line for Saturday's $500,000 (Canadian) Grade I Summer Stakes at Woodbine, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

The gray Cairo Prince colt was second in his debut, won his second race by 6 lengths and his third by 14 lengths with rapidly ascending speed figures. Why is he only 3-1?

Well, all of those races were on the all-weather and this is on the grass. The longest was 6 1/2 furlongsm while this is 1 mile. And while he ran with Lasix in all three previous starts, he will not have it for the summer.

Alternatives include Carson's Run, second in the restricted With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga in his last, and Airosa, a filly who won the local Catch a Glimpse but is cross-entered in Saturday's Natalma Stakes (see below).

Juvenile Fillies

As usual for these, there's not a lot to go on while handicapping Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Pocahontas at Churchill Downsm so it's no wonder oddsmaker Mike Battaglia puts at the top of his list the first- and third-place finishers in the Debutante Stakes on Aug. 13 at Ellis Park -- Hot Beach and Youalmosthadme.

Youalmosthadme, however, rates as favorite here because she won the Kentucky Juvenile over the track by 8 3/4 lengths in May.

Juvenile Fillies Turf

Saturday's $500,000 (Canadian) Grade I Johnnie Walker Natalma at Woodbine, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, is a tough one to figure.

The morning-line favorite is a Godolphin visitor from Charlie Appleby's yard, Dazzling Star, a promising member of the first crop from crack sprinter Blue Point. She was last seen finishing fourth in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Also well fancied in the Natalma are the aforementioned Airosa, Soaring Free Stakes winner Golden Canary and Dea Matrona, making her first North American start for trainer Chad Brown, who takes over from Christopher Head.

The Dark Angel filly won her second start with a mediocre Timeform rating but if Head and Brown can't develop a turf runner, no one can. If Ready to Jam goes off at anything close to her 10-1 morning line odds, take a close look.

Juvenile Turf Sprint

Two races already are in the books in this division.

Vote No came with a late run to win the $500,000 Pepsi Juvenile Sprint on Wednesday's final day of the Kentucky Downs meeting.

The favorite, Hedwig, was 3/4-length back in second, with Please Advise third. Vote No, a Divisidero gelding, ran 6 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:16.44. Gerardo Corrales rode for trainer William Morey. He won his only previous start on the Presque Isle Downs all-weather track.

Crown Imperial started well back in Wednesday's $500,000 Pepsi Juvenile Fillies Sprint, split rivals while making up the ground and outfinished fellow long shot Copper Em by 1 1/4 lengths.

Buttercream Babe and the favorite, Hidden Class, were a head and a neck farther back in third and fourth.

Crown Imperial, a daughter of Classic Empire, ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.33 with Ricardo Santana Jr. in the irons for trainer John Ortiz. She was last seen finishing second in the Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga, just a nose back of the promising Amidst Waves.

And now, the older set:

Turf Mile

The last time they faced off, Shirl's Speight finished fourth in the Group 1 Dubai Turf on World Cup Night at Meydan Racecourse with Master of The Seas a disappointing 13th.

They will meet again in Saturday's $1 million (Canadian) Grade I Ricoh Woodbine Mile, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Mile, and the oddsmaker has Master of The Seas the even-money favorite and Shirl's Speight at 5-2.

The other major player in the six-horse field is War Bomber, a stay-at-home type who improved dramatically when switched to the turf for his last two races and captured the Grade II King Edward in his most recent start.

In fairness to the Woodbine line-maker, the morning line is intended as a forecast of the actual post-time pari-mutuel odds and not a handicapper's view.

Master of The Seas did win his last race back in England and is reunited with Godolphin's go-to jockey, William Buick. Shirl's Speight, meanwhile, was a one-paced fourth in the King Edward.

The other three in this 1 1/8-mile race are trained by Mark Casse. They look up against it, but it's never wise to toss out Casse's horses at Woodbine without some thought.

Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup at Pimlico has a contentious field of nine with two very dangerous "main track only" also-eligibles.

The weather forecast says "sunny," which would leave this contest wide open among the likes of Smokin' T, Wolfie's Dynaghost and Highest Distinction. But to be on the safe side, watch the sky.

Turf

Tawny Port, Beacon Hill and Cross Border top the morning line for Saturday's $200,000 Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park, a 1 1/2-miles affair.

Tawny Port, seventh in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, exits a win in the 1 5/8-mile John's Call Stakes at Saratoga.

Filly & Mare Turf

Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby are back on the New York turf scene with Eternal Hope, the even-money favorite among seven fillies in Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational at Aqueduct.

The Teofilo miss won her last start of 2022 and first of 2023, both on all-weather tracks in England, but then finished seventh in the Epsom Oaks, well-beaten as a mid-priced long shot. In her only race since, she finished third in a Group 2 affair on very soft turf at Deauville in France.

The rest of this Oaks field is even more suspect, at least at this level. Worth of note, Highland Grace, an American Pharoah filly trained by Barclay Tagg, is moving in the right direction.

Despite the grade and purse, this doesn't look like much of a climb up the class ladder for her. Oddly, Chad Brown does not have a filly in the race.

Distaff

Eleven fillies and mares signed on for Saturday's $400,000 Grade III Locust Grove at Churchill Downs and there's a case to be made for several of them.

Le Da Vida and Search Results were second and third in the Grade III Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in their last trip and both have been consistently competitive at this level.

Pauline's Pearl exits a victory in the Grade 2 Fleur De Lis at Ellis Park and won the Grade I La Troienne over the Churchill Downs dirt in 2022. Falconet and Hidden Connection were first and second in the Groupie Doll at Ellis on Aug. 13.

Sprint

Bango and Strobe are the hot favorites among six in for Saturday's $300,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society at Churchill Downs. Bango is a Churchill Downs "horse for the course" with 14 in-the-money finishes, including 10 wins, from 18 starts there.

Among the others, Strobe was second as the odds-on favorite in the Iowa Sprint in his last start.

It's tough to look past Patches O'Houlihan in Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III Vigil Stakes, 6 furlongs on the Woodbine all-weather course.

The 4-year-old Violence colt has won six of his seven starts, losing only when bumped and blocked in the Bull Page Stakes in his second career start last September.

He stepped up to win the Grade III Bold Venture in front-running fashion in his last start and faces some of those rivals again.

Outlaw Kid returns from Saratoga after winning the Vice Regent in his last visit to Toronto and should be coming after Patches in the late going.

Filly & Mare Sprint

Wicked Halo, a multiple graded stakes winner, is the odds-on favorite in a field of six arranged for Saturday's $300,000 Open Mind Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Another of the Winchell Thoroughbreds' Gun Runner progeny trained by Asmussen, she finished second to Matareya in the Grade I Derby City Distaff in her last visit to Louisville.

Sunday's $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III Seaway Stakes on the Woodbine all-weather has a talented and well-matched field of nine, including last year's runner-up, Hazelbrook. The winner of the 2022 Seaway, Lady Speightspeare, went on to finish third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland.

Around the world, around the clock

England

The English Classics season wraps up with Saturday's Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster. Pending final declarations,

Aidan O'Brien has four contenders with three likely to run and John and Thady Gosden have three. That leaves Simon and Ed Crisford and William Haggas with one each.

Support is well spread out and if there's any buzz it might be for one of the relative antepost outsiders, Desert Hero, and that mainly because he will tote the royal silks now belonging to Their Majesties, The King and The Queen.

Desert Hero seeks his third straight win including the King George V at Royal Ascot - the first winner for the new Royals.

There's also the ongoing, year-long drama of the Frankie Dettori farewell tour. He is listed aboard one of the Gosden runners, Gregory, winner of the Group 2 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot.

Australia

Saturday's Group 1 PFD Food Services Makybe Diva at Flemington has Mr Brightside as the solid favorite while in search of his fifth straight win stretching over this season and last.

He finished seventh in last year's Cox Plate and looks like a good candidate to improve on that if he continues in the current purple patch.

He faces just six rivals in the Makybe Diva including familiar foe Alligator Blood and China Horse Club's Princess Grace who, a year ago, finished second in the Grade III Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf.

Meanwhile, back in North America:

Fort Erie

Velocitor stalked the pace in Tuesday's $400,000 (Canadian) Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, emerged with the lead in the stretch and inched clear to win by 1 length over Kaukokaipuu.

Paramount Prince, winner of the first leg of the series, the King's Plate, led into the stretch but yielded an finished third, a neck farther back. Velocitor, a Mor Spirit gelding, ran 1 3/16 miles on a sloppy track in 1:55.24 with Justin Stein up for trainer Kevin Attard.

The favorite, Stanley House, finished a distant seventh. Velocitor finished fourth in the King's Plate.

Odds-on favorite One Bay Hemingway led virtually gate to wire in Tuesday's $100,000 (Canadian) Lake Erie Stakes for Ontario-bred 3-year-olds and had a head over One More Brew at the finish.

The cleverly named ridgling is Danger Bay out of Miss Hemingway. The companion Rondeau Stakes for fillies went to the favorite, Fashionably Fab, who stalked and then edged pacesetter Foolish Games by a nose.

Horseshoe Indianapolis

Mr Chaos went quickly to the lead in Wednesday $100,000 Empire Handicap for Indiana-bred, led the remainder of the 1 1/16 miles and won by 2 1/2 lengths over Mansfield. Tiger.

The 4-year-old Turbo Compressor gelding stopped the timer at 1:47.07 with Orlando Mojica up. Quick and Easy, a 5-year-old What Now mare, drew off in the lane to win the companion Hoosier Heartland Handicap for distaffers by 3 3/4 lengths over Diamond Solitare. Fernando De La Cruz was aboard for the 1:47.95 journey.