Awesome Slew Looks to Defend Title in Ack Ack Stakes

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Awesome Slew Looks to Defend Title in Ack Ack Stakes
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Photo: Ryan Thompson
Awesome Slew and Corey Lanerie take the 2017 Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs

Live Oak Plantation's Awesome Slew will return to Churchill Downs for the first time since May to defend his title in the $100,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) Sept. 29 at a mile. 

The 5-year-old Mark Casse trainee has struggled to find a path to the winner's circle this year and enters Saturday's race off a seventh-place finish in the Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Two starts before that, he finished eighth in the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1), but he did hit the board in his first two starts of the season. He finished second in the April 7 Carter Handicap (G1) and third in the Churchill Downs Stakes presented by Twinspires.com (G2) May 5. 

Corey Lanerie, who was aboard for last year's victory, will partner with Awesome Slew again. 

Awesome Slew's most likely competition in the seven-horse field will come from Warrior's Club. Owned by Churchill Downs Racing Club and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the son of Warrior's Reward  has experienced a similar run of luck to Awesome Slew.

Since he posted his first graded win in the Commonwealth Stakes (G3) at Keeneland in April, Warrior's Club has fallen short in five subsequent starts. A longtime rival of Awesome Slew, the 4-year-old has bested Awesome Slew only once this year, when he edged him by a head in the Churchill Downs Stakes. The colt finished 10th next out in the Met Mile, almost four lengths behind Awesome Slew, and fared no better in the Forego, where he finished last of eight.

Another entrant looking for his first win of the season is Seeking the Soul. The Chuck Fipke homebred and millionaire finished fifth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park in January and did not race again until July, when he ran second in the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial Stakes. The 5-year-old's only graded score came at Churchill in last year's Clark Handicap presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) at 1 1/8 miles.

Seeking the Soul enters off a 13th-place run in the Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).


Entries: Ack Ack S. (G3)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 29, 2018, Race 8

  • Grade III
  • 1m
  • Dirt
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo's & up
  • 9:39 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Awesome Slew (FL) Corey J. Lanerie 121 Mark E. Casse 6/1
2 2Giant Expectations (NY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Julien R. Leparoux 121 Peter Eurton 3/1
3 3Flatlined (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joseph Rocco, Jr. 121 Charles L. Dickey 20/1
4 4Warrior's Club (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Chris Landeros 121 D. Wayne Lukas 6/1
5 5Nice Not Nice (KY) Gabriel Saez 121 William B. Bradley 20/1
6 6Seeking the Soul (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 121 Dallas Stewart 2/1
7 7C Z Rocket (FL) Shaun Bridgmohan 121 Albert M. Stall, Jr. 2/1