Kentucky Jockey Club, Golden Rod highlight Churchill’s closing day

Kentucky Jockey Club, Golden Rod highlight Churchill’s closing
day

Wicked Style is seeking his first victory on a conventional dirt surface (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) Churchill Downs will conclude its fall meeting with Saturday’s “Stars of Tomorrow II” program, a 12-race card devoted exclusively to two-year-olds. The $250,000 Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) and the $250,000 Golden Rod S. (G2) for fillies highlight the festivities. Both races will be held at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3) hero WICKED STYLE (Macho Uno) tops a field of eight entered in the Kentucky Jockey Club. Conditioned by Rusty Arnold, the chestnut colt captured his first three starts before suffering his first loss in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) with a 10th-place finish over the sloppy Monmouth Park oval. Wicked Style will pick up a new rider in Rene Douglas on Saturday, and he’ll break from post 4. COOL COAL MAN (Mineshaft) will make his stakes debut off a pair of impressive tallies. The Nick Zito-trained colt broke his maiden by 10 1/4 lengths at Delaware Park two starts back and rolled to a 2 1/4-length allowance score at this distance at Churchill Downs most recently. RACECAR RHAPSODY (Tale of the Cat) is likely to draw support off a good-looking maiden special weight victory in his last outing. HALO NAJIB (Halo’s Image), runner-up by a half-length in the Iroquois S. (G3), is another contender. Nashua S. (G3) runner-up ANAK NAKAL (Victory Gallop), an uncoupled runner from the Zito stable, will break from the rail with new rider Julien Leparoux. Recent Churchill maiden winner REAL APPEAL (Successful Appeal) comes next in the starting gate with Shaun Bridgmohan, and they’ll be followed by Halo Najib, Kent Desormeaux; Wicked Style; Racecar Rhapsody, Robby Albarado; Cool Coal Man, Rafael Bejarano; Futurity S. (G2) third-placer MYTHICAL PEGASUS (Fusaichi Pegasus), Brian Hernandez Jr.; and Kentucky Cup Juvenile (G3) third-placer BLACKBERRY ROAD (Gone West), Calvin Borel. All starters will carry 122 pounds.

Unbeaten PURE CLAN (Pure Prize), a 1 1/4-length victress in the Pocahontas S.
(G3) on the “Stars of Tomorrow I” program on October 28, heads an eight-horse
cast in the Golden Rod. The Bob Holthus-trained filly is three-for-three
overall, winning her first two starts on the turf before making a seamless
transition to the dirt in the Pocahontas. Leparoux will retain the mount on the
chestnut.

TURN AWAY (Empire Maker), a superb-looking 9 1/4-length debut winner at
Churchill last out, will make her stakes debut on Saturday. Bejarano will be
back in the saddle aboard the Bobby Frankel runner. C J’S LEELEE (Mizzen Mast)
will switch back to the dirt for Kenny McPeek. A maiden special weight winner
over the main track at Churchill in mid-May, the gray lass recorded a 4
1/4-length turf allowance score under the Twin Spires in her last start. Bill
Mott will send out SUNDAY HOLIDAY (Sunday Break [Jpn]), who exits a pair of
third-place efforts in the Tempted S. (G3) and Frizette S. (G1).

The Golden Rod contestants are Pure Clan; maiden GREENHAVEN  LAKE
(Greenwood Lake), John McKee; Turn Away; C J’s Leelee, Albarado; Sunday Holiday,
Desormeaux; maiden winner MORAKAMI (Fusaichi Pegasus), Bridgmohan; recent
allowance runner-up MINEWANDER (Mineshaft), Larry Melancon; and recent maiden
scorer FRENCH KISS (Hussonet), Joe Johnson.

All runners will tote 119 pounds.

A pair of $65,000 turf stakes will be offered on the undercard. The
Grand
Canyon will feature a field of 10 colts and geldings at 8 1/2 furlongs on
the Matt Winn Course. Cradle S. winner and Breeders’ Futurity third-placer OLD
MAN BUCK (Hold That Tiger) is the top draw. The McPeek runner will switch back
to the grass following a sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Other contenders
include CHEROKEE TRIANGLE (Cherokee Run), an impressive 10 3/4-length victor in
the Sunday Silence S. prior to an 11th-place showing in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Turf
last out; the Todd Pletcher-trained WHY TONTO (Indian Charlie), winner of the
World Appeal S. two starts back; and recent maiden winners SEASPEAK (Mizzen
Mast) and RICH HERO (Maria’s Mon).

The
Caressing, which will feature 11 fillies at one mile, doesn’t contain a
standout. Nine entrants will be making their stakes debut, and no filly in the
field owns more than one win. THIRTEEN MOONS (Cherokee Run) and SPIRIT LINE
(Indian Charlie) are a couple of nice maiden winners from earlier this meet, and MINE
OR WHO’S (Mayakovsky) exits a runner-up finish versus allowance rivals locally
for Mott.