Parchment Party Enters Isaac Murphy Off Oaklawn Score

Parchment Party  will tackle his second start of the year in the 1 1/2-mile, $200,000 Isaac Murphy Marathon Stakes April 29 at Churchill Downs, and is the 2-1 morning-line favorite off an impressive season-opening effort.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and owned by Pin Oak Stud, the 5-year-old son of Constitution   looks to make it two wins in a row after beginning his year winning the Temperence Hill Stakes March 28 at Oaklawn Park. After scoring in a pair of long stakes races on dirt at Saratoga Race Course last summer, the Birdstone Stakes and the off-the-turf Belmont Gold Cup Stakes (G3), which earned him a berth in the Melbourne Cup (G1), he shipped to Australia to cap off his year in that turf race. The two races at Saratoga were run at 1 3/4 miles, while the Temperence Hill Stakes was at 1 1/2 miles, the same distance as the Isaac Murphy. 

Parchment Party will face eight, including the Paulo Lobo trainee No Bien Ni Mal , who crossed the wire first in his previous start, the 1 1/2-mile Greenwood Cup Stakes (G3) Sept. 20 at Parx Racing. Owned by Duplo Ouro Stables, the 5-year-old Hofburg  ridgling is undefeated in his two starts in the United States, having previously raced in Brazil. The second choice at odds of 3-1, he is making his first start of the year. 

The Brad Cox-trained Wynstock , a grade 2 winner early in his career for trainer Bob Baffert, jumps into stakes company for the first time for his current connections after winning a recent allowance optional claiming race at Aqueduct Racetrack. At morning-line odds of 9-2, the Solomini   horse is owned by Sanford Goldfarb, Estate of Ira Davis, Irwin Goldfarb, Greenberg Racing, and Lubman-Silverman Racing Stable, which claimed him four starts back. 

Ward enters 1-2 punch in Kentucky Juvenile Stakes

Also on Churchill Downs' Wednesday card, trainer Wesley Ward has two fillies entered in the eight-horse, $250,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes for 2-year-olds going 5 furlongs on the dirt.

Skara Brae  is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for Ward. The daughter of Golden Pal   earned her maiden win first time out at Keeneland, scoring in the 4 1/2-furlong race by 4 1/2 lengths on the wire. Owned by Ten Broeck Farm, she was the first winner for her freshman sire. 

Ward is also represented by the first winner for first-crop sire Life Is Good  , Waggley . She, like Skara Brae, broke her maiden going 4 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland. Also owned by Ten Broeck Farm, she commanded that race early and never looked back, scoring by 3 1/2 lengths.

Ward is searching for his fourth win in the Kentucky Juvenile. He was victorious in this race last year, scoring with filly Pinky Finger .