MR. MONEY TO PASS PREAKNESS FOR MATT WINN

By Gary Yunt/CD Media —-

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, May 8, 2019) – Trainer Bret Calhoun said Wednesday morning that Allied Racing Stable’s Mr. Money, the 5 ¼-length winner of Saturday’s Pat Day Mile (GIII), would “probably pass on the Preakness.”

“I think we are going to stay here and point to the ($150,000) Matt Winn (GIII),” Calhoun said after Mr. Money jogged on his first day back to the track following his Pat Day Mile victory.

The Matt Winn is scheduled for June 15 and run at 1 1/16 miles.

THREE DERBY RUNNERS RETURN TO TRACK – Three participants from last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) returned to the track for the first time since the race on Wednesday morning.

Katsumi Yoshizawa’s Master Fencer (JPN), elevated to sixth following the disqualification of Maximum Security, left the quarantine barn at 7:40 (all times Eastern) and walked one circuit of the track, jogged a mile and then canter a half-mile with exercise rider Yosuke Kono aboard.

Master Fencer is scheduled to train again here in the morning and leave at 5 p.m. Thursday to go to Keeneland where he will train for the Belmont Stakes (GI) on June 8.

“It is quieter there and he liked it (when he was there before coming to Churchill Downs),” said Sean Toriumi, who is assisting trainer Koichi Tsunoda’s team here. “The owner liked it over there, too. Master Fencer will use both the all-weather training track and main track and leave for Belmont Park June 4.”

Julien Leparoux, who rode Master Fencer in the Derby, retains the mount.

Next out was Bodexpress, 13th in the Derby, who jogged two miles alongside a pony.

Owned by Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable of trainer Gustavo Delgado, Bodexpress initially was scheduled to return to his Florida base but “he came out of the race so good” the decision was made to pursue the Preakness, said the trainer’s son Gustavo Delgado Jr.

Chris Landeros rode Bodexpress in the Derby but the riding assignment for the Preakness is to be determined. Bodexpress would ship to Pimlico next Wednesday, May 15.

Delgado has one other horse here, Brunette Princess. A stakes winner, Brunette Princess is scheduled to work here Friday and is being pointed to the $150,000 Miss Preakness (GIII) at six furlongs on May 17 at Pimlico.

Coming out a little after 9 a.m. was Gary Barber’s War of Will who jogged a mile. Trained by Mark Casse, War of Will was elevated to seventh in the Derby.

Kentucky Derby favorite Improbable, who was elevated to fourth, was given a fourth walk day at trainer Bob Baffert’s barn and assistant Jimmy Barnes said the Preakness-bound colt would go to the track Thursday morning.

Improbable, winner of the Street Sense here last fall, is owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and Starlight Racing.

SPRING MEET RACING RETURNS WITH TWILIGHT THURSDAYS, MOTHER’S DAY – After a spectacular opening week highlighted by the 145th runnings of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) and Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), the Churchill Downs Spring Meet resumes with a week highlighted by the first of its popular Twilight Thursday programs and Sunday’s celebration of Mother’s Day.

Twilight Thursday has all of the elements that have made the celebration a fan favorite during the past two years: live racing, $1 beer, food from many of Louisville’s most popular food trucks and live music. Admission gates open at 4 p.m. and the first of the Twilight Thursday’s eight races has a post time of 5 p.m.

Twilight Thursdays are scheduled each week through June 28.

The first post-Kentucky Derby week of racing continues with live racing programs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s special Mother’s Day celebration at 12:45 p.m. Limited dining reservations for Mother’s Day at Churchill Downs remain available for online purchase at www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets or by calling (502) 636-4450.

For more information about Churchill Downs’ Spring Meet events and schedule, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

WARD-TRAINED HAT CREEK RACING FILLIES LOOM LARGE IN SATURDAY’S MAMZELLE – Trainer Wesley Ward will send out three entrants in the first running of the $100,000 Mamzelle Overnight Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going five furlongs on the Matt Winn Turf Course on Saturday afternoon.

The Mamzelle, which attracted a field of 13, will go as the 10th race on Saturday’s 11-race program with a 5:26 p.m. (all times Eastern) post time. First post time Saturday is 12:45 p.m.

Two of Ward’s three runners are owned by Gatewood Bell’s Hat Creek Racing: Abyssinian and Chelsea Cloisters.

Chelsea Closiers, who will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., and break from post position five, finished third in her 2019 debut in the Limestone Turf Sprint April 12 at Keeneland. She closed 2018 with a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Abyssinian, who won her grass debut by 6 ¾ lengths at Gulfstream Park in February, comes into the Mamzelle off a third-place finish against the boys in the Palisades Turf Sprint at Keeneland on April 4.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Abyssinian and will break from post position nine.

Ward’s third entrant is Bonne Chance Farm’s Iva, who returns to a surface upon which she broke her maiden last year. Julio Garcia has the mount and will break from post position one.

Chief threats to the Ward runners are Klein Racing’s Play On and Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing Limited’s Queen of Bermuda (IRE).

Trained by Brad Cox, Play On has won two of three starts on the grass and most recently finished seventh as the favorite in the Limestone Turf Sprint. Shaun Bridgmohan has the mount and will break from post position 12.

A Group III winner in England as a 2-year-old, Queen of Bermuda finished fourth here last year in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Trained by Graham Motion, Queen of Bermuda will break from post position 11 and be ridden by Chris Landeros.

The field for the Mamzelle, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Iva (Garcia, 120), Raintree Starlet (Miguel Mena, 120), Morissette (Adam Beschizza, 118), Kim K (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Chelsea Cloisters (Hernandez Jr., 118), Shesomajestic (Stewart Elliott, 118), Catherinethegreat (Julien Leparoux, 118), Change of Control (Gabriel Saez, 118), Abyssinian (Gaffalione, 118), Midnight Fantasy (Erik Barbaran, 120), Queen of Bermuda (IRE) (Landeros, 123), Play On (Bridgmohan, 120) and Old and Costly (Edgar Morales, 118).

DOWN THE STRETCH – Three horses training at Churchill Downs for expected runs in the May 17 Preakness galloped Wednesday morning over the fast track. Rupp Racing’s Owendale, winner of the Lexington (GIII) at Keeneland in his most recent start, is scheduled to work Saturday. Owendale worked five furlongs in 1:02.80 Derby morning. Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Signalman, galloped under exercise rider Danny Ramsey at 6:30 a.m. Owned by the partnership of Tommie Lewis, Steve Crabtree, Dean Demaree, David Bernsen, Jim Chambers and Magdalena Racing and trained by Kenny McPeek, Signalman is scheduled work Saturday. Third in the Blue Grass Stakes (GII) in his most recent start, Signalman worked five furlongs in :59.60 on Derby Day morning. Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Laughing Fox, winner of last Saturday’s Oaklawn Invitational Stakes, galloped Wednesday morning, two days after arriving from Oaklawn Park. Steve Asmussen trains Laughing Fox. … Nominations close Wednesday for the 82nd running of the $100,000 Louisville (GIII) for 3-year-olds and up going 1 ½ miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course. The Louisville will be run Saturday, May 18 (Preakness Stakes Day). … There is a massive $137,594 carryover in the 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot for Thursday night’s program. The sequence begins in Race 3. … “Inside Churchill Downs” will air Fridays throughout the Spring Meet at 6 p.m. on ESPN 680/105.7. The weekly one-hour horse racing radio show is co-hosted by Churchill Downs Racetrack’s Darren Rogers and Kevin Kerstein, and delivers a wide-ranging list of interesting guests, from jockeys, trainers, owners to well-informed handicappers and other industry insiders. Those outside the Louisville radio market can listen live online at http://www.espnlouisville.com/ or via podcast on the station’s website or https://soundcloud.com/.