Bulletin Tops William Walker on Churchill Opening Night

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Bulletin Tops William Walker on Churchill Opening Night
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Bulletin wins the Palisades Turf Sprint at Keeneland

The $125,000 William Walker Stakes, topped by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing's undefeated Bulletin, highlights Churchill Downs' opening night April 27.

The five-furlong turf sprint is the eighth of 10 races Saturday and places the City Zip colt back on the same course as his Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint win.

Bulletin has only run in stakes company, winning the Sept. 29 Hollywood Beach Stakes in his career debut at Gulfstream Park. The Todd Pletcher trainee then drew off in the stretch for a 2 3/4-length score in the inaugural running of the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

He looked just as dominant in his 3-year-old debut, returning from a five-month layoff to win the April 4 Palisades Turf Sprint Stakes at Keeneland.

Known for breaking like a rocket, Bulletin has led at every point of call in his three starts, and he drew the rail for the William Walker. Javier Castellano has been in the irons for Bulletin's previous two starts and retains the mount.

Bulletin has no group or graded status behind his name yet, but the June 21 Commonwealth Cup (G1), part of the Royal Ascot meeting, will be his target after Saturday night's test.

Awaiting Bulletin will be a familiar foe in Hat Creek Racing's filly Abyssinian, who has never been off the board in four starts and finished third in the Palisades Turf Sprint after chasing Bulletin through fractions of :22.10 and :45.65. One start earlier, the Wesley Ward-trained daughter of Cairo Prince  returned from a nine-month layoff Feb. 28 to post a gate-to-wire win at Gulfstream in her first turf start by 6 3/4 lengths.

Completing the eight-horse field are Sovereign Impact, disqualified from third to ninth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint Stakes; group 2-placed Legends of War, Uncapped, Jo Jo Air, group 2-placed Neverland Rock, and Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes runner-up Hartel.

This is the second year the William Walker Stakes will be contested on turf. The first three editions were six furlongs on Churchill Downs' main track.


Entries: William Walker S.

Churchill Downs, Saturday, April 27, 2019, Race 8

  • STK
  • 5f
  • Turf
  • $125,000
  • 3 yo
  • 9:39 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Bulletin (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Javier Castellano 123 Todd A. Pletcher 4/5
2 2Sovereign Impact (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 William J. Denzik, Jr. 30/1
3 3Legends of War (KY) Adam Beschizza 120 Doug F. O'Neill 6/1
4 4Uncapped (KY) James Graham 118 Brendan P. Walsh 20/1
5 5Jo Jo Air (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate John R. Velazquez 113 Wesley A. Ward 10/1
6 6Neverland Rock (GB) Luis Saez 118 Steven M. Asmussen 12/1
7 7Abyssinian (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Julio A. Garcia 113 Wesley A. Ward 7/2
8 8Hartel (KY) Florent Geroux 118 Peter Miller 6/1