Grade I Winners Meet in Commonwealth Cup
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A pair of grade I winners will look to return to their multiple graded stakes-winning form in the $250,000 Commonwealth Cup Stakes (gr. IIT) Sept. 19 at Laurel Park. Previously conducted at Colonial Downs as the Colonial Turf Cup Stakes, this is the first year the race will be held at Laurel.
Phipps Stable's Mr Speaker and Sam-Son Farm's Up With the Birds, both homebreds, each have top-level wins on their ledgers, but have gone through winless streaks in graded competition.
Mr Speaker took last year's Belmont Derby (gr. IT), but hasn't finished better than fourth in four graded tries since. The Shug McGaughey-trained Pulpit colt has a win this year in a Belmont Park allowance/optional claiming event, and finished fourth last time out in the Sky Classic Stakes (Can-IIT) at Woodbine.
Up With the Birds, Canadian Horse of the Year in 2013 and winner of that year's Jamaica Handicap (gr. IT), last won seven starts back in the 2014 Nijinsky Stakes (Can-IIT) at Woodbine, but hasn't been far off recently. The 5-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic has finished fourth or better five domestic tries since, including back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the Arlington Million (gr. IT), thirds in the Arlington Handicap (gr. IIIT) and Longines Dixie Stakes (gr. IIT), and a second in last year's Knickerbocker Stakes (gr. IIIT).
Walter Swinburn's Legendary won the 2014 Knickerbocker and enters the Commonwealth Cup off a 12th-place result in the Aug. 15 Arlington Million (gr. IT).
An intriguing entrant is Midwest Thoroughbreds' Cut to Order, a former claimer who has won his last five contests, all on turf but none at this level of competition. Trained by Jamie Ness, the 4-year-old Ready's Image gelding began his streak with a claiming win at Tampa Bay Downs, followed with another claimer at Monmouth Park, then added an allowance score at Pimlico Race Course and back-to-back starter handicap victories at Monmouth.
Multiple stakes winner Talk Show Man completes the field along with allowance winners El Jefe Grande and Golden Glint.
Commonwealth Cup S. (gr. IIT)
Laurel Park , Saturday, September 19, 2015, Race 4
- 1 1/8m
- Turf
- $250,000
- 3 yo's & up
- 2:42 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Weight | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Jefe Grande (KY) | Michael J. Luzzi | 118 | Abigail C. Adsit |
| 2 | Mr Speaker (KY) | Jose L. Ortiz | 118 | Claude R. McGaughey III |
| 3 | Golden Glint (KY) | Horacio Karamanos | 118 | Mary E. Eppler |
| 4 | Cut to Order (KY) | UNKNOWN | 118 | Jamie Ness |
| 5 | Up With the Birds (ON) | Trevor McCarthy | 118 | H. Graham Motion |
| 6 | Talk Show Man (MD) | Julian Pimentel | 120 | Hamilton A. Smith |
| 7 | Legendary (GB) | Sheldon Russell | 118 | Niall Saville |