Churchill Downs begins its 21-day day fall meet with an 11-race “Stars of Tomorrow I” program on Sunday. The $200,000 Street Sense S. and $200,000 Rags to Riches S. highlight the card devoted exclusively to two-year-olds.
Street Sense S. – Race 10 (5:36 p.m. ET)
A maiden winner on Saratoga’s turf two back, Kiss the Sky will switch back to the main track in the Street Sense following a close second as the favorite in the Sept. 6 Kentucky Downs Juvenile S.
Corey Lanerie picks up the mount on Kiss the Sky, who finished second when making his career debut in an off-the-turf maiden at Ellis Park, and the Mike Maker-trained Twirling Candy colt will face eight rivals in the 1 1/16-mile race.
After edging Kiss the Sky in his maiden win, Lucky Boss followed with a half-length second in the Ellis Juvenile S. The Street Boss colt switches back to dirt after an unplaced effort in Bourbon S. (G2) at Keeneland, and Brian Hernandez Jr. retakes the assignment for Kenny McPeek.
Howling Time will jump to stakes company for Dale Romans after a sharp first-out maiden win under the Twin Spires in late September, rallying to win going away by 1 1/2 lengths, and Joe Talamo will be back up on the dark bay son of Not This Time.
Romans is also responsible for Red Knobs, beaten only a length when third most recently in the Sept. 18 Iroquois S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. James Graham rides the chestnut Union Rags colt.
Other contenders include convincing maiden scorer Guntown, who exits a sixth in the Iroquois for Steve Asmussen; Kentucky Downs stakes victor Red Danger, who will make a surface change following a fourth in the Bourbon; and Skippylongstocking, who invades from Gulfstream Park for Saffie Joseph after a 10-length maiden win.
Rags to Riches S. – Race 5 (3:03 p.m. ET)
Yuuguri, a smashing 7 1/4-length debut winner at Churchill Downs in mid-September, will make her first stakes attempt against four filly opponents in the 1 1/16-mile Rags to Riches.
By Shackleford, Yuugiri was overlooked at 9-1 odds when making her initial appearance. She registered a field-best 95 Brisnet Speed rating for the impressive performance, and Tyler Gaffalione will be back up for Rodolphe Brisset.
Pocahontas (G3) Mama Rina merits respect following a fourth in the Alcibiades S. (G1) at Keeneland. From the first crop of Gormley, the McPeek-trained chestnut has been overlooked at 30-1 and 29-1 in her last two stakes appearances, but the late runner will be much shorter odds with Corey Lanerie in this spot.
Sandstone appears to be a major player for McPeek after rolling to a nine-length maiden triumph at Churchill Downs in her second outing. Hernandez rides the daughter of Street Sense.
Dressed will switch to the maiden track after a closing fourth in the Oct. 13 Jessamine S. (G2) at Keeneland, and stakes-placed Manasota Sunset rounds out the field.
