Cool Arrow On Target for First Spendthrift

Brad Grady's Cool Arrow will try for a second straight stakes win when he faces an expected 13 other juveniles in the inaugural running of the $300,000 Spendthrift Stallion Stakes Sunday, Oct. 30 at Churchill Downs.

The Spendthrift Stallion Stakes, made possible through a partnership between Churchill and Lexington-based breeding operation Spendthrift Farm, is a seven-furlong sprint exclusively for 2-year-olds sired by any active or non-active Spendthrift stallion, including all Spendthrift-owned stallions standing regionally in North America.

Cool Arrow is one of nine sons and daughters of current successful Spendthrift stallion Into Mischief   entered in Sunday's test. Into Mischief, who stood for $45,000 this year, boasts nine stakes winners so far this season.

Trained by Joe Sharp, Cool Arrow won a five-furlong maiden claiming race in July at Laurel Park before taking a two-month break. Shipped to Remington Park for his stakes debut, Cool Arrow scored a 2 1/2-length victory in the six-furlong Kip Deville Stakes under Joel Rosario.

On Sunday, Brian Hernandez Jr. will be aboard for the first time. It will mark Cool Arrow's third start at Churchill as he opened his career with a runner-up finish and fourth-place effort in maiden special weight tests in May and June.

"We're in it to win it," Sharp said. "For this kind of money, we're excited about the opportunity."

Designed to benefit both racehorse owners and breeders, the $300,000 purse has been structured with a unique approach to award $150,000 to the owners of the placed horses, with the other $150,000 allocated to award the breeders of the first-through-fourth-place finishers. Specifically, the winning breeder will earn $60,000, with $40,000 going to the breeder of the runner-up, $30,000 for third, and $20,000 for fourth.

Cool Arrow, who will start from post 12, was bred in Kentucky by H. Allen Poindexter.

"For him to run that big of an effort, I think he'll definitely improve off of that," Sharp said. "He's come back and trained fantastic at Trackside. We're really looking forward to Sunday. I don't think the seven-eighths (of a mile) will be an issue." 

The other Into Mischief juveniles in Sunday's field are colts South Sea, who won an Oct. 8 maiden race at Belmont Park; Hunka Burning Love, who won a maiden-claimer Oct. 16 at Keeneland; Menace the Dennis, who will make his career debut; Candy Snatcher, who won a maiden special for Indiana-breds Sept. 7 at Indiana Grand; Hollow Point, who finished third in his Oct. 2 debut at Churchill; and Theoryintopractice, who enters off a fourth in an Oct. 2 maiden race at Churchill; as well as fillies On Probation, who enters off a Sept. 29 win in a maiden special weight for fillies at Churchill; and Sister Nation, who finished third in her debut in a maiden special for fillies July 17 at Laurel Park.

There is one other previous stakes winner in Sunday's field: William Halwig and Brent Gasaway's All Right. A son of Dominus  , All Right scored a narrow victory in the Sept. 3 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Stakes at seven furlongs on the turf. Trained by Kellyn Gorder, All Right will be making his first dirt start and will try to bounce back from an off-the-board finish in the Oct. 9 Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland.

Another top contender is Churchill Downs Racing Club's maiden Warrior's Club from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. The Warrior's Reward colt hopes to delight his 200 club members after crossing the finish line second in his past two starts against crack juveniles Wild Shot, who went on to run third in the Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland, and Speedmeister, who could may be favored in Sunday's $80,000-added Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs after a dazzling maiden triumph at Keeneland.