Diamond Oops Sets Sights On Turf Sprint Feat

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Diamond Oops Sets Sights On Turf Sprint Feat
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Photo: Dana Wimpfheimer
Diamond Oops trains at Palm Meadows

Diamond Oops  has his sights set on accomplishing something no horse has ever done: become the first two-time winner of the 5 1/2-furlong $500,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Presented by Sysco (G2T) May 6.

Owned by Diamond 100 Racing Club, Amy Dunne, D P Racing, and Patrick Biancone Racing and trained by Biancone, Diamond Oops opens with 12-1 odds, which doesn't make him the favorite in the field of 13 for the 28th running of the race over the Matt Winn Turf Course at Churchill Downs. That honor belongs to Lael Stables' Arrest Me Red  at 4-1. But it's hard to ignore Diamond Oops' previous success. 

Winner of this race in 2020, Diamond Oops finished fourth in last year's running. He returned to the grass in his most recent start, a fourth-place finish in the Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. If Diamond Oops can pull out the win Friday, it will be his first in 11 months. Florent Geroux has the mount and will break from post 7.

The Twin Spires Turf Sprint will go as the day's 10th race with a 4:51 p.m. ET post time.

The two horses that finished in front of Diamond Oops at Keeneland also are in the Turf Sprint field in Johnny Unleashed  (12-1) and Gear Jockey  (5-1). 

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Johnny Unleashed, owned by Foster Family Racing, Lonnie Reynolds, H & H Horses, and Joseph Mills, finished second in the Shakertown as a 70-1 proposition. In that race, he posted a personal best Equibase Speed Figure of 111. Trained by Eric Foster, Johnny Unleashed will be ridden by Gerardo Corrales.

Calumet Farm's Gear Jockey, winner of the FanDuel Turf Sprint Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs last summer and five times graded stakes-placed on the turf, is trained by Rusty Arnold. Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount and will break from post 8.

The field for the Twin Spires Turf Sprint, with riders from the rail out, is: Gregorian Chant  (GB) with Joel Rosario; The Lir Jet  and Umberto Rispoli; Caravel  with Tyler Gaffalione; Chasing Artie  with Jose Ortiz; Cowan  under Luis Saez; Bran  with Vincent Cheminaud; Diamond Oops under Geroux; Gear Jockey and Hernandez; Pyron  with Flavien Prat; Arrest Me Red under Irad Ortiz Jr.; Just Might  with Rafael Bejarano; Johnny Unleashed and Corrales; and Whatmakessammyrun  under John Velazquez.


Entries: Twin Spires Turf Sprint S. presented by Sysco (G2T)

Churchill Downs, Friday, May 06, 2022, Race 10

  • Grade IIT
  • 5 1/2f
  • Turf
  • $500,000
  • 3 yo's & up
  • 4:51 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Gregorian Chant (GB) Joel Rosario 122 Philip D'Amato 10/1
2 2The Lir Jet (IRE) UMBERTO RISPOLI 122 Brendan P. Walsh 12/1
3 3Caravel (PA) Tyler Gaffalione 117 Brad H. Cox 5/1
4 4Chasing Artie (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 20/1
5 5Cowan (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis Saez 122 Steven M. Asmussen 15/1
6 6Bran (FR) Vincent Cheminaud 122 John W. Sadler 10/1
7 7Diamond Oops (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 122 Patrick L. Biancone 12/1
8 8Gear Jockey (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 George R. Arnold, II 5/1
9 9Pyron (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Albert M. Stall, Jr. 6/1
10 10Arrest Me Red (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Wesley A. Ward 4/1
11 11Just Might (KY) Rafael Bejarano 122 Michelle Lovell 10/1
12 12Johnny Unleashed (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Gerardo Corrales 122 Eric N. Foster 12/1
13 13Whatmakessammyrun (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Mark Glatt 20/1

Bleecker Street Heads the Modesty Stakes

Peter Brant's undefeated Bleecker Street , winner of the Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) and Endeavour Stakes (G3T) in her past two starts, heads a field of nine fillies and mares for the 65th running of the $250,000 Modesty Stakes Presented by TwinSpires (G3T), going a mile and an eighth. Bleecker Street has won all five starts in her career and has seen her Equibase Speed Figure rise with her experience. The daughter of Quality Road   reached a speed figure of 113 last time out.

Bleecker Street wins 2022 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
Photo: SV Photography
Bleecker Street wins the Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs

The Modesty will go as the day's fifth race with a 12:43 p.m. post time.

Trained by Chad Brown, Bleecker Street will have the saddle services of Prat and break from post 8.

The field for the Modesty, with riders from the rail out, is: Fluffy Socks  and Ortiz Jr.; Stand Tall  and Geroux; Mona Stella  and Gaffalione; She Can't Sing  under Javier Castellano; Lake Lucerne  with Mickael Barzalona; Hendy Woods  and Ortiz; Curly Ruth  with Saez; Bleecker Street and Prat; and Pass the Plate  under Hernandez.


Entries: Modesty S. presented by TwinSpires (G3T)

Churchill Downs, Friday, May 06, 2022, Race 5

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $250,000
  • 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 12:43 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Fluffy Socks (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Chad C. Brown 3/1
2 2Stand Tall (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 118 George R. Arnold, II 12/1
3 3Mona Stella (FL)Keeneland Sales Graduate Tyler Gaffalione 118 Patrick L. Biancone 30/1
4 4She Can't Sing (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Chris M. Block 8/1
5 5Lake Lucerne (KY) Mickael Barzalona 118 Brendan P. Walsh 15/1
6 6Hendy Woods (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose L. Ortiz 118 Mark E. Casse 5/1
7 7Curly Ruth (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Luis Saez 118 Eddie Kenneally 6/1
8 8Bleecker Street (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Chad C. Brown 9/5
9 9Pass the Plate (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Paul J. McGee 8/1