Clark J

AMERICAN GRADED STAKES
PREVIEWS

Upgraded to a Grade 1 this year, Friday’s $500,000 Clark H. (G1) features a
good field of 12. BRIGHT ONE (Dance Brightly) steps up to face his most
difficult test to date in the 1 1/8-mile event, but we’re going with the
extremely promising three-year-old to come out on top.

Trained by Dale Romans, Bright One broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in
mid-June, crushing maiden special weight foes by 9 1/4 lengths, and proceeded to
capture the one-mile Forestry H. under the Twin Spires by 7 1/4 lengths. The
chestnut colt made his graded stakes debut a winning one with a 5 3/4-length
trouncing in the West Virginia Derby (G3), earning a career-best 107 BRIS Speed
rating, but he got off to a rough start and went down to defeat in his following
outing, finishing fifth in the Indiana Derby (G2). Romans brought the
Kentucky-bred colt back in a 1 1/16-mile allowance/optional claiming event at
Churchill on November 2, and Bright One rolled to an impressive 3 1/2-length
score, leading in typical wire-to-wire fashion while registering a 101 Speed
rating. Bright One loves this track and is well drawn with his early speed in an
inside post (2) on Friday. He’s the speed of the speed in the field and rates a
big chance to lead all the way.

IRENE’S MON (Maria’s Mon) will be running late and offers us the opportunity
for some value. Like the top choice, the sophomore broke his maiden at Churchill
during the Spring/Summer meet, winning a maiden claiming event by 9 1/2 lengths,
and easily captured a one-mile allowance over the track two starts later.
Irene’s Mon took to the Polytrack at Turfway Park and Keeneland, winning a pair
of starts, before returning to Churchill for his graded stakes debut in the Ack
Ack H. (G3) last time. Closing five wide over the worst part of the track on
Breeders’ Cup Day, the Eddie Kenneally charge offered a tremendous rally to just
miss second by a neck, generating a whopping 107 Speed rating and a 102 BRIS
Late Pace number. The dark bay colt has made great progress in his recent
starts, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him continue to improve in his first
start at nine furlongs on Friday. He’s bred to relish the added ground, and the
late runner figures to have a solid pace up front. Julien Leparoux rides.

PREMIUM TAP (Pleasant Tap) is the 5-2 favorite on the morning line and exits
an excellent third-place showing in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), finishing
only 3 1/2 lengths back of Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes) while generating a
career-best 112 Speed rating. The John Kimmel-trained four-year-old also
recorded a fine win in the Woodward S. (G1) three starts back, and you can throw
out his fifth in the Kentucky Cup Classic (G2) two starts back due to a troubled
trip. Premium Tap is obviously a top win candidate, but horses who run well in
the Breeders’ Cup sometimes have a difficult time reproducing their effort when
wheeling back off a short rest. The bay colt doesn’t show any published works
since his last start, and Premium Tap isn’t the most seasoned individual, making
his stakes debut in July. We’ll look for him to come up a little short.

IT’S NO JOKE (Distorted Humor) enters the Clark in top form, winning the
Hawthorne Gold Cup H. (G2) two starts back and the Ack Ack most recently, and
the Rebecca Maker pupil is four for five at Churchill. Leave him out of your
exotics at your own peril, but the four-year-old colt is unplaced in three
starts at the distance. He’ll be up close stalking the pace before attempting to
challenge.

WILD DESERT (Wild Rush) finished a solid second in the Meadowlands Breeders’
Cup (G2) last out and ran well at Churchill earlier this year when second in the
Alysheba S. Trained by Richard Dutrow, the four-year-old colt hasn’t won since
defeating Canadian-breds in last year’s Queen’s Plate S., but he owns solid BRIS
numbers and could possibly grab a minor award. MASTER COMMAND (A.P. Indy)
captured the Meadowlands Breeders’ Cup wire to wire, but the four-year-old colt
is versatile enough to lead or rate. He’s tough at this distance and owns
terrific connections (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez), but Master Command must
overcome a terrible post (12).

M B SEA (Alphabet Soup) will have Churchill’s leading rider, Calvin Borel, in
the saddle, and the late-running seven-year-old likes Churchill (16-5-1-2).
He’ll need a career best to be a factor at this level, but his Late Pace numbers
are appealing. WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold) has posted two stakes wins this
season as well as runner-up finishes to Invasor and Bernardini. The Nick Zito
runner has the class to be a factor in this spot, but he’s got speed to his
inside and won’t be able to make an easy lead. Wanderin Boy still merits
consideration for the top three.

A.P. ARROW (A.P. Indy) owns a solid late kick and could possibly get part in
this spot, but he’s been a beaten favorite in his last two starts and didn’t run
well in last year’s Clark. WIGGINS (Cartwright) likes Churchill (two-for-three),
but he’s probably facing too much of a class hike in this spot. ANDROMEDA’S HERO
(Fusaichi Pegasus) is a confirmed closer with class concerns. SUPER FROLIC (Pine
Bluff) didn’t run in the Classic as expected and instead entered the Breeders’
Cup Mile (G1), where he finished a terrible 12th. The six-year-old displayed
decent form earlier this year, but we’re concerned that he might be a little
over the top presently. We’ll let him beat us.