Churchill Barn Notes & Stakes Advances

By Darren Rogers —-

BLUE PRIZE MAKES 2019 DEBUT IN LA TROIENNE

LOUISVILLE, KY (Monday, April 29, 2019) – Grade I winners Blue Prize (ARG), McKinzie and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GI) heroine Newspaperofrecord (IRE) headline the list of marquee names that passed the entry box Monday for Friday’s 13-race Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) Day program.

First post time for the program that featured five graded stakes in addition to the 145th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks is 10:30 a.m. (all times Eastern).

Merriebelle Stable’s Blue Prize, winner of the Spinster (GI) at Keeneland last fall before closing her 2018 campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI) here, headlines a field of 10 fillies and entered for the 34th running of the $500,000 La Troienne (GI) Presented by Inside Access from Chase going 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

The La Troienne is scheduled as the afternoon’s eighth race with a 2:53 p.m. post time.

Trained by Ignacio Correas IV, Blue Prize is a three-time winner at Churchill Downs having taken the Fleur de Lis (GII) in 2018 and the Falls City Handicap (GII) and Locust Grove (GIII) in 2017. Joe Bravo has the mount Friday and will break from post position two.

Invading from California is Little Red Feather Racing’s Secret Spice, winner of the Beholder Mile (GI) in her most recent start. Trained by Richard Baltas, Secret Spice will be ridden by Geovanni Franco and break from post position nine.

The field for the La Troienne, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: She’s a Julie (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Blue Prize (ARG) (Bravo, 120), Divine Miss Grey (Manny Franco, 120), Awe Emma (Jon Court, 118), Mopotism (Flavien Prat, 118), Chocolate Martini (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Teresa Z (John Velazquez, 118), Golden Award (Jose Ortiz, 118), Secret Spice (G. Franco, 123) and Viva Forever (Jose Bracho, 118).

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s three-time Grade I winner McKinzie is the marquee name among a field of 11 4-year-olds and up entered Monday for the 16th running of the $400,000 Alysheba (GII) Presented by Sentient Jet at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

The Alysheba is scheduled as the seventh race on the afternoon with a 2 o’clock post time.

Trained by Bob Baffert, McKinzie comes into Friday’s race off a nose defeat in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on April 6. Mike Smith, who has been aboard the 4-year-old in all nine of his starts, has the mount and will break from post position one.

One horse that has had success at Churchill Downs is Charles Fipke’s Seeking the Soul, winner of the 2017 Clark Handicap (GI). Seeking the Soul comes in off an eighth-place finish in the Dubai World Cup. Trained by Dallas Stewart, Seeking the Soul will break from post position eight and be ridden by John Velazquez.

The field for the Alysheba, with riders from the rail out, is: McKinzie (Smith), Tom’s d’Etat (Shaun Bridgmohan), Prime Attraction (Tyler Baze), Casino Star (Edgar Morales), Bourbon Resolution (Chris Landeros), Instilled Regard (Jose Ortiz), Hawaakom (Miguel Mena), Seeking the Soul (Velazquez), Multiplier (Flavien Prat), Silver Dust (Jack Gilligan) and Copper Bullet (Ricardo Santana Jr). All starters carry 118 pounds.

Wesley Ward’s Bound for Nowhere and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables’ World of Trouble, two of the top turf sprinters in training, will meet in the 25th running of the $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (GII) Presented by MassMutual for 3-year-olds and up that drew a field of nine.

Run at 5 ½ furlongs, the Twin Spires Turf Sprint will go as the afternoon’s 10th race with a 5:04 post time.

Bound for Nowhere, also trained by Ward, enters Friday’s race off a narrow loss in the Shakertown (GII) at Keeneland on April 6 following a six-month layoff. In 2018, Bound for Nowhere won the Tourist Mile at Kentucky Downs and was third in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Group I) at Royal Ascot.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount and break from post position one.

World of Trouble has won five of his past six starts with the only setback coming here by a neck to Stormy Liberal in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (GI). Trained by Jason Servis, World of Trouble returns to the grass after winning the Carter Handicap (GI) at Aqueduct in his most recent start.

Manny Franco has the mount on World of Trouble and will break from post position six.

Also in the field is Klein Racing and Madaket Stables’ Will Call who is seeking to become the first repeat winner of the race. Trained by Brad Cox, Will Call will break from post position nine under Shaun Bridgmohan, who was aboard in last year’s victory.

The field for the Twin Spires Turf Sprint, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Bound for Nowhere (I. Ortiz Jr., 120), Mr. Crow (Luis Saez, 120), Smart Remark (Joel Rosario, 120), Jazzy Times (Miguel Mena, 120), Chaos Theory (Javier Castellano, 122), World of Trouble (Franco, 120), Angaston (Brian Hernandez Jr., 120), Undrafted (Julio Garcia, 120) and Will Call (Bridgmohan, 120).

Mark Mathiesen, George Bolton, Barry Hall, Barry Lipman and Andrew Molasky’s Mother Mother, winner of the Rags To Riches here last fall, tops a field of nine 3-year-old fillies entered for the 64th running of the $250,000 Eight Belles (GII) Presented by Twinspires.com going seven furlongs on the main track.

The Eight Belles will go as the afternoon’s fifth race with a 12:35 post time.

Trained by Bob Baffert. Mother Mother comes into the Eight Belles off a narrow defeat in the Beaumont (GIII) at Keeneland on April 7. Four-time graded stakes-placed, Mother Mother will be ridden by Florent Geroux and break from post position nine.

The field for the Eight Belles, with riders from the rail out, is: Take Charge Angel (John Velazquez), Proud Emma (Mike Smith), Queen of Beas (Jose Ortiz), Break Even (Shaun Bridgmohan), Bell’s the One (Corey Lanerie), Del Mar May (Joel Rosario), Lyrical Lady (Ricardo Santana Jr.), Bizwhacks (Flavien Prat) and Mother Mother (Geroux).

All starters will carry 118 pounds.

Klaravich Stables’ Newspaperofrecord, winner of her three starts by a combined 20 lengths, headlines a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered for the 35th running of the $250,000 Edgewood (GIII) Presented by Forcht Bank.

Scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the turf, the Edgewood will go as the afternoon’s sixth race with a 1:17 post time.

Trained by Chad Brown, Newspaperofrecord has posted a steady stream of works at Palm Meadows in Florida as she prepares for her first start since her 6 ¾-length romp in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Irad Ortiz Jr., who has been aboard Newspaperofrecord in all of her starts, has the mount Friday and will exit post position one.

Brown also will send out OXO Equine’s Cambier Parc, winner of the Herecomesthebride (GIII) in her most recent start at Gulfstream Park on March 2. Jose Ortiz has the mount and will break from post position two.

Back to try Newspaperofrecord again is Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing’s Concrete Rose.

Trained by Rusty Arnold, Concrete Rose finished eighth behind Newspaperofrecord in the Breeders’ Cup and won her 2019 debut in the Florida Oaks (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs on March 9. Julien Leparoux has the mount and will break from post position five.

The field for the Edgewood, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Newspaperofrecord (IRE) (I. Ortiz Jr., 123 pounds), Cambier Parc (J. Ortiz, 120), Winter Sunset (Channing Hill, 118), Fortunate Girl (Florent Geroux, 118), Concrete Rose (Leparoux, 120), New Roo (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118) and Destiny Over Fate (Luis Saez, 118).