Kentucky Downs Opener Features Four Lucrative Stakes
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Photo: Taylor Ejdys/Equi-Photo
Zipessa will look for her second stakes win in the One Dreamer Stakes
As long as the weather cooperates, the short Kentucky Downs all-turf meeting is scheduled to begin with a bang Sept. 2 with four stakes on the 10-race card at the unique Franklin, Ky. track.
The day's racing could be a soggy affair, as forecasts call for Tropical Storm Harvey to arrive in the area Friday night or Saturday morning. While the weather situation is an unknown, entries for the 2017 opening day card are promising for 10 intriguing races.
Leading the way in terms of stakes purses on opening day is the $400,000 Tourist Mile Stakes for 3-year-olds and older going one mile on the undulating course. The race, named after last year's Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) winner, has attracted nine entries including Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Shining Copper, who will be making his 2017 debut after placing in a pair of grade 1 stakes last year. Also entered are Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Susan Magnier's 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner Hootenanny and Isabelle de Tamaso's Irish Strait, who enters off a runner-up finish to Money Multiplier in the Monmouth Stakes (G2T) after taking the Red Bank Stakes (G3T) in late May at Monmouth Park.
Two of the stakes will showcase juvenile turf runners: the $350,000 Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies Stakes and the $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase Juvenile Stakes.
The Juvenile Fillies will feature Gabe Grossberg's Moonlight Rain, a first-out maiden special weight winner for trainer Mark Casse. The daughter from the first crop of multiple grade 1 winner on turf Point of Entry rallied from sixth in her six-furlong debut July 22 on firm turf at Woodbine.
The lone stakes winner in the field, Norman Stables' Secret Passion, will make her turf debut after scoring a narrow victory in the Prairie Gold Lassie Stakes July 27 at Prairie Meadows. The daughter of Archarcharch has worked three times for trainer Scott Geiner since that effort in preparation for her turf debut.
Also making her first start on turf is West Point Thoroughbreds, Tango Uniform Racing, and Robert Masiello's Best Performance, who in her previous race finished second to Dream It Is in the Schuylerville Stakes (G3) on the Saratoga Race Course main track. Trained by Christophe Clement, the daughter of Broken Vow won her maiden debut in May at Belmont Park then finished second there in the Astoria Stakes.
In the Juvenile, a pair of impressive maiden winners who won at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga will try to stretch out a bit in Saturday's seven-furlong test, in Bloom Racing Stable's Snapper Sinclair and Brad Grady's Stolen Pistol.
Snapper Sinclair, by City Zip, drew off in the stretch to score by four lengths in an Aug. 14 maiden race at Saratoga. Snapper Sinclair finished sixth in his career debut July 8 on the dirt but found the turf to his liking when switched to that surface by trainer Steve Asmussen for his second start.
Trained by Joe Sharp, Stolen Pistol finished off the board in his first two starts, both on the main track at Belmont, but the son of freshman sire New Year's Day thrived in his turf debut to register a clear victory.
The big field also features V-Leaf Stables' Tigerbeach, a son of freshman sire Treasure Beach . Tigerbeach, trained by Larry Rivelli, finished third in the Victoria Stakes sprinting five furlongs on the all-weather surface at Woodbine July 8. That effort followed an easy maiden win sprinting on the Indiana Grand Racing & Casino turf for former trainer John Hancock.
The other stakes on the card is the $150,000 One Dreamer Stakes for fillies and mares where grade 3 winner Zipessa, by City Zip, will try to secure her second stakes win. Trained by Michael Stidham, Empyrean Stables' Zipessa placed in a pair of grade 1 races last year and set the pace in the Aug. 12 Beverly D. Stakes (G1T) at Arlington International Racecourse before fading to ninth.
The lucrative 10-race card has attracted 144 entries, counting also-eligible horses. Eight of the 10 races include also-eligible entries.
The two maiden special weight races on the opening day card each offer a purse of $130,000 with wagering on Historic Racing generating $113,100 of each of those purses. The average purse on Saturday's 10-race card will be $197,700.
Kentucky Downs, Saturday, September 02, 2017, Race 6 Kentucky Downs, Saturday, September 02, 2017, Race 7 Kentucky Downs, Saturday, September 02, 2017, Race 8 Kentucky Downs, Saturday, September 02, 2017, Race 9Entries: One Dreamer S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Bonnie Arch (KY)
Sophie Doyle
121
Ian R. Wilkes
30/1
2
2Boreale (KY)
Robby Albarado
121
H. Graham Motion
9/2
3
3America Mon Amie (IL)
Corey J. Lanerie
121
Anthony J. Granitz
20/1
4
4My Impression (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
121
Claude R. McGaughey III
3/1
5
5Charlotte Marie (KY)
Rogelio Miranda
121
Ronald Moss
50/1
6
6Celestial Insight (KY)
Julio A. Garcia
121
Wesley A. Ward
12/1
7
7Daddy's Boo (FL)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
121
Larry Rivelli
8/1
8
8Rattataptap (KY)
Shaun Bridgmohan
121
William I. Mott
10/1
9
9Frozen Hannah (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
121
Michael J. Maker
20/1
10
10Mo Knows (KY)
Albin Jimenez
121
Wesley A. Ward
12/1
11
11Flying Tipat (KY)
Alex L. Canchari
121
Dale L. Romans
20/1
12
12Zipessa (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
121
Michael Stidham
5/2
13
13Majestic Angel (KY)
Alonso Quinonez
121
Eric R. Reed
30/1
14
14Bootsy's Girl (KY)
Channing Hill
121
Luis A. Jurado
30/1
15
15Skyluck (KY)
Alonso Quinonez
121
Eric R. Reed
30/1
16
16Miner's Cat (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
121
Charles Lopresti
30/1
Entries: Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Classy Music (KY)
Robby Albarado
120
Kenneth G. McPeek
8/1
2
2Elizabeth Nicole (KY)
Sophie Doyle
120
Ron Moquett
20/1
3
3Best Performance (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Christophe Clement
5/2
4
4High Tech (KY)
Chris Landeros
120
Ian R. Wilkes
10/1
5
5Go Noni Go (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
Michael J. Maker
20/1
6
6Waki Patriot (KY)
Jon Kenton Court
120
John A. Hancock
6/1
7
7Our Graycious Girl (KY)
Jack Gilligan
118
Michelle Lovell
30/1
8
8Moonlight Rain (KY)
Joseph Rocco, Jr.
120
Mark E. Casse
6/1
9
9Ultima D (KY)
Julio A. Garcia
118
Wesley A. Ward
9/2
10
10Secret Passion (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
122
Scott Gelner
15/1
11
11Katie's Reward (KY)
Shaun Bridgmohan
120
Brad H. Cox
8/1
12
12Arabella Bella (KY)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
120
Mikhail Yanakov
30/1
13
13My Peeps (KY)
Jon Kenton Court
118
Jack C. Van Berg
30/1
14
14Delaphene (KY)
James Graham
120
Eoin G. Harty
20/1
15
15Bridaled Temper (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
118
Mark E. Casse
6/1
16
16Emmport (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
118
Brad H. Cox
5/1
Entries: Tourist Mile S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Hootenanny (KY)
Julio A. Garcia
121
Wesley A. Ward
5/1
2
2Flatlined (KY)
Joseph Rocco, Jr.
125
Charles L. Dickey
6/1
3
3Shining Copper (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
121
Michael J. Maker
3/1
4
4Dimension (GB)
Chris Landeros
121
Conor Murphy
20/1
5
5Western Reserve (KY)
Shaun Bridgmohan
125
J. Kent Sweezey
6/1
6
6Zambian (KY)
Jack Gilligan
121
Darrin Miller
20/1
7
7Applicator (KY)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
121
Mikhail Yanakov
8/1
8
8Irish Strait (NJ)
Feargal Lynch
125
H. Graham Motion
2/1
9
9Bandar (KY)
Erik Barbaran
121
Luis A. Jurado
30/1
Entries: Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase Juvenile S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Tigerbeach (FL)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
120
Larry Rivelli
10/1
2
2Little Jimmy B (KY)
Feargal Lynch
120
Francis Abbott, III
20/1
3
3Bantu (KY)
Joseph Rocco, Jr.
120
Brendan P. Walsh
5/1
4
4Arawak (KY)
Albin Jimenez
120
Wesley A. Ward
9/2
5
5Mr Ashley (KY)
Sergio Figueroa
120
Adolfo Macias
30/1
6
6Make Noise (KY)
Jon Kenton Court
120
Jack C. Van Berg
15/1
7
7Northern Trail (KY)
Channing Hill
120
Jack C. Van Berg
4/1
8
8John Tippmann (KY)
Robby Albarado
120
Kenneth G. McPeek
15/1
9
9Snapper Sinclair (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
120
Steven M. Asmussen
7/2
10
10Stolen Pistol (NY)
Chris Landeros
120
Joe Sharp
15/1
11
11Sky Promise (KY)
Jack Gilligan
120
Kenneth G. McPeek
8/1
12
12Renaisance Frolic (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
David Fawkes
15/1
13
13Smart Remark (KY)
Manoel R. Cruz
120
Victoria H. Oliver
12/1
14
14Pont Du Gard (LA)
James Graham
120
Ignacio Correas, IV
10/1
15
15Captivating Moon (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
120
Chris M. Block
8/1
16
16East Rand (KY)
Channing Hill
120
Kellyn Gorder
20/1
