Nominations Out for Oregon Championship Day
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Nominations have been released for one of the biggest days of the season at Portland Meadows, Oregon Championship Day for state-breds Dec. 14.
The Wineberg Stakes and Janet Wineberg Stakes, each worth a guaranteed $13,000, are the annual feature events showcasing the best 2-year-olds in the state.
Open to all juveniles, the Wineberg Stakes drew 16 nominations for the six-furlong event; however half of those are fillies who are cross-entered in the Janet Wineberg Stakes, which drew nine nominees.
Forty Grinder ships in to Portland Meadows from Churchill Downs, where he broke his maiden two starts back under the care of trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Rody Barrett will take over the training duties for the Wineberg Stakes.
Trainer Jonathan Nance has nominated Kozzy's Kitkat and Mydaddysacowboy to both races and the fillies will be tough in whichever race they enter. They battled down the lane against each other as maidens Oct. 29, with Kozzy's Kitkat prevailing. Mydaddysacowboy came back to graduate Nov. 16 by four lengths.
Three-year-olds will compete in the $11,000 Oregon His Stakes for colts and geldings and the $11,000 Oregon Hers Stakes for fillies. Fourteen were nominated for the Oregon His including Maddie's Gold and Stoney River.
Maddie's Gold won the Bill Wineberg Stakes last year and was most recently third in the $21,000 Oregon Stallion Stakes. Stoney River was second in the Stallion Stakes and figures to be a big player in the His Stakes.
Midda's Gold Touch is nominated to the $11,000 Lethal Grande Sprint Championship, a race he won last year. There were seven nominees, including Jack The Pirate, who won the Oregon His last year by 18 lengths. He's finished sixth in a pair of open stakes events so far this season so should appreciate the return to Oregon-bred competition. Carl Command comes into the Lethal Grande off a big win for open $10,000 claiming for leading trainer Rigoberto Velasquez.
Two starter allowances for Oregon-bred runners are also part of the card, which gets under way at noon PST.
To view all the nominations and look at past performances visit www.portlandmeadows.com/horse-racing/stakes-schedule.