Mott Serves up Du Jour in Dueling Grounds Derby

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Photo: Coady Photography
Du Jour wins the American Turf at Churchill Downs

Du Jour , winner of the American Turf Stakes Presented by Derby City Gaming (G2T) at Churchill Downs this spring, heads a capacity field of 12 3-year-olds entered for the opening-day, $750,000 Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby Sept. 5 at Kentucky Downs

Also on the card, BBN Racing's Core Values , fresh off beating boys in Ellis Park's stakes prep for the Dueling Grounds Derby for trainer Vicki Oliver, goes back in against fillies while putting her three-race win streak on the line in the co-featured $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks. Both stakes are 1 5/16 miles, one lap around Kentucky Downs' undulating, kidney-shaped course.

A total of 145 horses are on the program for Sunday's 11-race card, with an extra race added because of the strong demand. There are 124 horses in the body of the races, with another 21 needing defections in order to run. Seven races attracted at least 12 entries. The Dueling Grounds Oaks' field of nine is the smallest field, with an 11-horse field and a pair of 10-horse fields rounding out the card.

Du Jour, owned by Jill Baffert and Debbie Lanni, most recently was third in $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) after finishing fourth in the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T). Those races marked his first starts for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The Temple City colt was previously trained by Bob Baffert.

Joel Rosario rides from the outside post on the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox has a strong tandem in the 3-year-old stakes with Steve Landers Racing's Royal Prince  in the Dueling Grounds Derby and Godolphin's Adventuring  in the Dueling Grounds Oaks.

Royal Prince lost Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Derby by a nose to Core Values after garnering a second and third in a pair of $150,000 stakes at Churchill Downs prior to the Duelings Grounds Derby. Royal Prince won a pair of $75,000 stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and Sam Houston Race Park earlier in the year. Royal Prince has the distinction of finishing first in his debut at Kentucky Downs a year ago, only to have the race declared a no-contest because of a gate malfunction.

Modern Science  gets another crack at Royal Prince after leading all the way in the Ellis Park prep only to get passed late to finish third by a neck.

Yes This Time , Cellist , Palazzi , and Grey Streak  are other prominent 3-year-olds in the lineup.

Rosario, who left his base at Saratoga to ride at Kentucky Downs on Sunday, also is aboard Adventuring, who ran third, beaten half-length, as the favorite in Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Oaks, won by Core Value's stablemate Flippant  in a stakes sweep for Oliver. 

Also back from Ellis Park's Preview Dueling Grounds Oaks is fourth-place finisher Oliviaofthedesert . Trainer Kenny McPeek has enjoyed a lot of success in the Dueling Grounds Oaks, winning in 2019 with Princesa Carolina  and in 2017 with Daddys Lil Darling  and coming in second in 2018 with Princess Warrior .

Mark Casse, voted into racing's Hall of Fame last year and formally inducted this year after a COVID delay, sends out the entry of Woodbine allowance winner Inthewinnerscircle  and Earth Strike  in the Dueling Grounds Oaks, among his seven horses in on Sunday.


Entries: Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby

Kentucky Downs, Sunday, September 05, 2021, Race 10

  • STK
  • One And Five Sixteenthm
  • Turf
  • $750,000
  • 3 yo
  • 5:25 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Accredit (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Martin Garcia 118 Pavel Matejka 20/1
2 2In Effect (KY) Declan Cannon 118 Jack Sisterson 20/1
3 3Yes This Time (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 124 Kelly J. Breen 6/1
4 4Modern Science (IRE) Chris Landeros 118 Ian R. Wilkes 12/1
5 5Palazzi (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Adam Beschizza 124 Mark E. Casse 8/1
6 6Red Hornet (KY) Alex Achard 118 Anna Meah 30/1
7 7Hilliard (KY) Mitchell Murrill 118 Michael J. Maker 30/1
8 8Cellist (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 124 George R. Arnold, II 4/1
9 9Royal Prince (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 124 Brad H. Cox 10/1
10 10Grey Streak (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate James Graham 118 George R. Arnold, II 12/1
11 11Last Samurai (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jon Kenton Court 118 Dallas Stewart 8/1
12 12Du Jour (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joel Rosario 124 William I. Mott 5/2


Entries: Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks

Kentucky Downs, Sunday, September 05, 2021, Race 9

  • STK
  • One And Five Sixteenthm
  • Turf
  • $500,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 4:50 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Serene (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate James Graham 118 Eoin G. Harty 12/1
2 2Viburnum (KY) Adam Beschizza 118 Kelsey Danner 12/1
3 3Inthewinnerscircle (FL) Julien R. Leparoux 124 Mark E. Casse 9/2
4 4Line Dancing (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Michael R. Matz 10/1
5 5All in a Dream (KY) Mitchell Murrill 118 Wayne M. Catalano 30/1
6 6Adventuring (KY) Joel Rosario 118 Brad H. Cox 3/1
7 7Oliviaofthedesert (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 8/1
8 8Core Values (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Rafael Bejarano 124 Victoria H. Oliver 4/1
9 9Earth Strike (IRE) Declan Carroll 118 Mark E. Casse 6/1