Nine Grass Marathoners Line Up for Sycamore

Unitarian makes his first start since taking the Elkhorn Stakes (gr. IIT) at Keeneland in April when he returns to the Lexington track for the $100,000 Sycamore Stakes (gr. IIIT) Oct. 16.



Robert S. Evans' 4-year-old Pulpit colt takes on eight geldings in the 1 1/2-mile turf event, and will shoulder top weight of 125 pounds. The Sycamore is the eighth race on Keeneland's Thursday card with a 4:42 ET scheduled post.



Javier Castellano will ride Unitarian, who starts from the far outside post for trainer Todd Pletcher. Castellano has been aboard the bay for three of his four lifetime victories, including the 1 1/2-mile Elkhorn. Unitarian could become the first horse to win the Elkhorn and Sycamore in the same year.



Unitarian rallied from 12th in the Elkhorn at odds of 18-1 with an eight-wide bid over a good turf course, and prevailed in a relentless drive by 1 1/4 lengths over War Dancer. The colt has won three of his past four starts.



Only one of Unitarian's opponents from the Elkhorn will be back Thursday, and that is Andrew Rosen, Robert Trussell Jr., and Gainesway Stable's Tricky Hat, a Chilean-bred who was fifth in the spring race. Trained by Shug McGaughey, Tricky Hat won the John's Call at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 6 by a nose over Sycamore entrant Holiday Star. He was most recently finished fifth in the Kentucky Turf Cup (gr. IIIT) Sept 13 at Kentucky Downs.



Jose Ortiz will have the mount on Tricky Hat from post 2. He replaces Rosie Napravnik, who winds up on Holiday Star.



Augustin Stable homebred Holiday Star, from the Graham Motion stable, came back from the tough John's Call defeat to finish second by a nose once again in the PTHA President's Cup Sept. 13 on a yielding Parx Racing course. The 4-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday is seeking his first stakes win.



Invading from Canada is Sam-Son Farm's Aldous Snow. Trained by Malcolm Pierce, Aldous Snow won the Singspiel (gr. IIIT) this summer at Woodbine at the Sycamore distance. He was most recently sixth in the Northern Dancer Stakes (gr. IT) over the same course and distance Sept. 14. Julien Leparoux has the mount from post 8.



Seven-year-old millionaire Mister Marti Gras, a multiple graded stakes winner for Lothenbach Stables and trainer Chris Block, ships in from Hawthorne Racecourse. The 10-time winner was third, beaten by a neck, in the Washington Park Handicap (gr. III) over the Polytrack at Arlington in his most recent try Aug. 30. Florent Geroux has the call.