MULTIPLE STAKES WINNER WILBO TOPS $100,000 ARISTIDES STAKES

By Darren Rogers —-

SPRINT ONE OF TWO STAKES ON SATURDAY’S ‘DOWNS AFTER DARK’ CARD

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chris Wilkins’ multiple stakes winner Wilbo heads a competitive field of seven older sprinters that were entered in Saturday night’s 30th running of the $100,000 Aristides Stakes (Grade III) at Churchill Downs.

The six-furlong Aristides, named after the first Kentucky Derby winner in 1875, is the first of two stakes events on Saturday’s 11-race Downs After Dark Presented by Budweiser program. The first race is 6 p.m. (all times Eastern). The Aristides goes as Race 10 at approximately 10:42 p.m. and the third running of the $75,000-added Mighty Beau Overnight Stakes, a five-furlong turf sprint, is Race 11 at approximately 11:10 p.m.

Trained by two-time Aristides-winning trainer Chris Hartman (note: he won the 2015-16 Aristides with millionaire Alsvid), Wilbo most recently finished second behind Whitmore in the $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (GIII) at Oaklawn Park on April 14.

Wilbo was the runner-up in the 2017 Aristides behind multiple Grade I winner Limousine Liberal. The 6-year-old gelding previously won the 2017 Don Bernhardt Stakes at Ellis Park and the Feb. 3 King Cotton at Oaklawn.

Jockey David Cabrera is scheduled to travel from his spring base at Prairie Meadows in Iowa to Kentucky for the mount and will break form Post 3.

Chief among Wilbo’s challengers is impressive allowance winner Mr. Crow. Trained by Ben Colebrook, who won the 2017 Aristides with Limousine Liberal, Mr. Crow was victorious by two lengths in a six-furlong allowance race on May 1 at Churchill Downs with a swift final time of 1:09.24.

Corey Lanerie picks up the mount on Mr. Crow and will break from Post 5.

The Aristides filed from the rail out (with jockeys and assigned weights): Smart Spree (Ricardo Santana Jr., 120 pounds); Shadow Tracer (Robby Albarado, 120); Wilbo (Cabrera, 122); Heartwood (Calvin Borel, 120); Mr. Crow (Lanerie, 120); Awesome Saturday (Brian Hernandez Jr., 120) and Chief Cicatriz (James Graham, 120).

Churchill Downs admission gates will open Saturday at 5 p.m. General Admission is $10, reserved seating is $25 and reserved dining packages start at $73. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at ChurchillDownscom/Tickets.

MULTIPLE GRADED STAKES WINNER HOGY HEADLINES COMPETITIVE MIGHTY BEAU

Michael Hui’s multiple stakes-winning gelding Hogy headlines a field of 10 that were entered in Saturday night’s third running of the $75,000-added Mighty Beau Overnight Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at five furlongs on Churchill Downs’ Matt Winn Turf Course.

The Mighty Beau, carded as Race 11 at approximately 11:10 p.m. (all times Eastern), is named in honor of Oklahoma-bred Mighty Beau, who boasted a record of 75-12-19-10—$646,000 from 2001-08 and made a record five starts in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (then known as the Aegon Turf Sprint) from 2002-06. The 11-race card on Downs After Dark Presented by Budweiser also features the 30th running of the $100,000 Aristides in Race 10 with a post time of 10:42 p.m. The first race is 6 p.m.

A former $80,000 claim by trainer Mike Maker, Hogy (51-19-13-6—$1,323,337) began his 9-year-old campaign with a 2 ¼-length win in the Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint Stakes at Sam Houston on Jan. 28 and then won the Canadian Turf (GIII) at Gulfstream Park by 3 ¾ lengths on March 3. Hogy tested the one-mile distance on April 13 at Keeneland in the Makers 46 Mile (GI) but tired to finish ninth.

Hogy, who will make his 52nd start Saturday, drew Post 10 with Corey Lanerie aboard.

Among Hogy’s rivals include multiple stakes winner Long On Value, who is making his return to the track from a more than eight-month layoff for trainer Brad Cox.

Formerly trained by Bill Mott, Long On Value (30-7-5-5—$981,693) has not raced since finishing third, beaten three lengths, in the Sept. 16 Woodbine Mile (GI). Long On Value has not visited the winner’s circle since 2016 but the 7-year-old Virginia bred would surpass $1 million in earnings with a Top 3 finish Saturday.

Jockey Florent Geroux has the mount and will break from Post 3.

Also entered in the Aristides is G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Morticia (12-6-3-2—$405,075), the runner-up in the May 12 Unbridled Sidney at Churchill for trainer Rusty Arnold II. The daughter of Twirling Candy was supplemented to the Aristides for $300 and will try to defeat the boys from the rail with leading rider Brian Hernandez Jr. on board.

The Mighty Beau field from the rail out (with jockeys and assigned weights): Morticia (Hernandez, 116 pounds); Cutler (Melissa Zajac, 116); Long On Value (Geroux, 121); Angaston (Shaun Bridgmohan, 116); Sonic Boom (Julien Leparoux, 121); The Critical Way (Adam Beschizza, 121); Restless Rambler (James Graham, 121); Fort Fortitude (David Cabrera, 123); Kid Perfect (Ricardo Santana Jr., 121); Hogy (Lanerie, 125).