Sy Dog Heads Diverse Cast in American Turf

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Sy Dog Heads Diverse Cast in American Turf
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Photo: Mathea Kelley
Sy Dog wins the Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland

The diverse lot gathered to contest the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) has nothing on the field assembled for turf-running 3-year-olds on the May 7 undercard.

The 11 entries for the American Turf Stakes Presented by BMW (G2T) span an experience gamut from last year's Breeders' Cup on the Del Mar turf to last month's Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on the Turfway Park Tapeta surface.

In terms of accomplishment, they range from Sy Dog , a Slumber   colt undefeated after three starts, to a trio still eligible for a "non-winners of one other-than" contest. And there's an admirable mix of speedy types and closers.

Sy Dog, trained by Graham Motion for Head of Plains Partners, rates as the 7-2 favorite on the morning line. His first two wins came as a 2-year-old in New York and he started off his 3-year-old campaign with an off-the-pace score in the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland April 8.

Irad Ortiz Jr., who has experience on three of the 11 horses in this field, was aboard Sy Dog in the Transylvania and gets the return call on the colt, bred by Head of Plains and Madaket Stables. 

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The American Turf also attracted the first three finishers from the April 2 Cutler Bay Stakes at Gulfstream Park—Main Event , Red Danger , and Smokin' T —and Coinage , who won the Palm Beach Stakes in Florida before finishing third behind Sy Dog in the Transylvania.

Main Event wins the 2022 Cutler Bay Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King
Main Event wins the Cutler Bay Stakes at Gulfstream Park

Coinage also was ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar and is one of three in this race who competed at Del Mar. Stolen Base  finished seventh and Portfolio Company  was eighth.

Four of the contenders were last seen in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) April 2, a race that produced Derby contenders Tiz the Bomb  and also-eligible Rich Strike . Those two were first and third in the all-weather heat while the American Turf field gets the fourth-, fifth-, seventh-, and eighth-place finishers.

One of those, fifth-place finisher Royal Spirit , came to Turfway off a second behind Grand Sonata  and in front of Coinage in the Kitten's Joy STakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park and faced not only a surface switch but also a rail draw and a wide trip in the Jeff Ruby.

There is only one contender with foreign experience. Balnikhov , an Adaay  gelding, had three wins from eight starts in France as a juvenile. Two of those were on all-weather track and the third on soft turf at Angiers. He finished second, beaten a nose in a blanket finish, in the Singletary Stakes in his single previous U.S. start for trainer Phil D'Amato.

The American Turf, contested at 1 1/16 miles, is the ninth race on the Derby program.


Entries: American Turf S. presented by BMW (G2T)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 07, 2022, Race 9

  • Grade IIT
  • 1 1/16m
  • Turf
  • $500,000
  • 3 yo
  • 3:40 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Smokin' T (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate John R. Velazquez 118 Claude R. McGaughey III 15/1
2 2Main Event (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose L. Ortiz 118 George Weaver 5/1
3 3Red Run (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Steven M. Asmussen 15/1
4 4Red Danger (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis Saez 118 Brian A. Lynch 10/1
5 5Balnikhov (IRE) Manuel Franco 118 Philip D'Amato 5/1
6 6Portfolio Company (KY) Joel Rosario 118 Chad C. Brown 9/2
7 7Sy Dog (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 H. Graham Motion 7/2
8 8Royal Spirit (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Todd A. Pletcher 15/1
9 9Stolen Base (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Flavien Prat 118 Michael J. Maker 12/1
10 10Coinage (NY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 120 Mark E. Casse 6/1
11 11Dowagiac Chief (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate James Graham 118 Thomas M. Amoss 10/1