Prime Attraction Seeks Spotlight in Clark Handicap

Take a trip through Prime Attraction's past performance lines and you'll get a crash course on some of the California scene's leading figures from the past couple of seasons.

There is the time he bested grade 1 winner Mubtaahij in the Native Diver Stakes (G3) last November. There are his starts against the likes of top-level runners Cupid  and Collected . And just about every time he ran on the West Coast this season, he had to deal with eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) hero Accelerate  flaunting his next-level form like newfound wealth.

Trainer Jim Cassidy is hoping Prime Attraction's next try against grade 1 competition goes down as time he gets a result in line with the company he has kept. On Nov. 23, the hard-trying son of Unbridled's Song aims to get himself out of the elite background when he faces a field of seven rivals in the $500,000 Clark Handicap presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Beginning with his fifth-place finish in the 2017 Californian Stakes (G2), Prime Attraction has raced almost exclusively at the graded stakes level—save for a start in the Wickerr Stakes last July—and proven himself a most honest member of the D P Racing stable while swapping back and forth between dirt and turf. One start prior to his first graded win in the Native Dancer, he was beaten just a head in the 2017 John Henry Turf  Championship Stakes (G2T). He began his 2018 campaign by running second to Accelerate in the San Pasqual Stakes (G2), and faced the country's leading older male three more times before shipping to Keeneland to get beat just a head by Leofric in the Oct. 27 Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2).

"He's always struck me as having quality," Cassidy said of his charge. "He's never had the best racing luck in the world, whether it's against Accelerate or whomever, but he tries hard. He always tries and ... he's been tough, especially for an Unbridled's Song. He's probably had more starts than 99% of those, so he's pretty durable.

"And he's not an easy horse to ride. He's had a few icky kind of races on his chart, but it's been more rider error than anything else."

When Prime Attraction finished third in the July 22 Eddie Read Stakes (G2T), beaten a neck for the win by eventual Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) runner-up Catapult, Cassidy initially planned on keeping the dark bay horse on the turf for the next couple of starts. Ultimately, he ended up on the receiving end of Accelerate again in both the TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) and Awesome Again Stakes (G1) but when he handled his first start outside of California as admirably as he did in the Fayette Stakes, Cassidy opted to leave him in the Commonwealth in hopes of getting a Churchill surface that plays favorably to his high cruising speed.

"With most grass horses they need a big kick and he's more of a steady goer. He grinds it out more than that," Cassidy said. "He just seems to be a better horse on the dirt and the 1 1/8 miles always seemed to be his best distance. I know (jockey) Kent (Desormeaux) thinks the Churchill dirt course will be right up his alley."

When Leofric got the best of Prime Attraction in the Fayette Stakes, it marked the second graded stakes victory for the ultra-consistent Brad Cox trainee. The 5-year-old son of Candy Ride  has only been worse than third twice in 13 career starts and broke through with a frontrunning win the Aug. 4 West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3).

The Churchill Downs main track has been the site of Seeking the Soul's best career work, as evidence by his victory in last year's edition of the 1 1/8-mile Clark. Charles Fipke's homebred son of Perfect Soul  lost his first three starts of 2018 before getting himself back on form with a win in the Sept. 29 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) over the Louisville oval. Trainer Dallas Stewart was hoping to get the tough-minded 5-year-old into this year's Breeders' Cup Classic field but nonetheless enjoyed a thoroughly admirable result on Nov. 3 when Seeking the Soul finished second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

"He's just getting better as the year goes on," Stewart said. "Similar to his campaign last year when he won the Clark, he was peaking during this time. I would've liked for him to have had a shot to run in the Classic but it is what it is. Hopefully he runs well in the Clark and he can get another shot at the Pegasus (World Cup Invitational, G1 at Gulfstream Park) in January."

Entries: Clark H. presented by Norton Healthcare (G1)

Churchill Downs, Friday, November 23, 2018, Race 11

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:56 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Prime Attraction (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	James M. Cassidy	3/1
2	2Hence (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
3	3Seeking the Soul (KY)	John R. Velazquez	123	Dallas Stewart	8/5
4	4Hawaakom (KY)	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	116	Wesley E. Hawley	15/1
5	5Leofric (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Brad H. Cox	3/1
6	6Bravazo (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	D. Wayne Lukas	9/2
7	7Storm Advisory (PA)	Albin Jimenez	114	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30/1
8	8Sightforsoreeyes (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	115	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30/1