American Turf New Challenge for Avie's Flatter
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Avie's Flatter wins the Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland
Ivan Dalos homebred Avie's Flatter is on a quest for his fourth consecutive stakes win in the $400,000 American Turf Stakes presented by Ram Trucks (G2T) May 4 at Churchill Downs.
A winner of four of his five career starts, Avie's Flatter earned his first graded stakes April 5, scoring by a half-length in the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland for trainer Josie Carroll. He'll now try the American Turf, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds on the grass.
Rallying between horses to storm home in the stretch, the Transylvania kicked off what looks to be another stellar racing season for the 3-year-old son of Flatter , who closed out his juvenile campaign with back-to-back stakes wins in the Oct. 5 Cup and Saucer Stakes and Nov. 18 Coronation Futurity at Woodbine.
Bred in Ontario by Dalos' Tall Oaks Farm, Avie's Flatter is out of the unraced Empire Maker mare Avie's Empire, who, despite considerable early promise, did not make it to the track because of injury. Avie's Flatter is the first graded stakes winner and second stakes winner for the mare, who boasts three winners from as many starters.
Breaking from post 8 in the expected field of 13, Avie's Flatter will partner with Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who was aboard for the Transylvania win.
Returning to challenge Avie's Flatter in the American Turf are Transylvania second- ,third-, and fourth-place finishers Henley's Joy, The Black Album, and War Film.
Bloom Racing Stables' Henley's Joy, a son of Kitten's Joy , has not tasted victory since taking the Pulpit Stakes Dec. 8 at Gulfstream Park but has finished second in a pair of stakes on turf this season. The American Turf will mark the Mike Maker trainee's first trip back to Churchill since he finished 13th in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). Henley's Joy will be guided by Mike Smith from post 10.
The 3-1 morning-line favorite Saturday is Leonard Green's A Thread of Blue, a son of Hard Spun trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. Looking for his own fourth consecutive win, A Thread of Blue also enters the race off his first graded stakes score. Undefeated in two starts in 2019, the dark bay took the Feb. 3 Dania Beach Stakes and March 2 Palm Beach Stakes (G3T), both at Gulfstream. The colt will break from the rail with Luis Saez in the irons.
Palm Beach Stakes second- and third-place runners Casa Creed and Louder Than Bombs will both make a bid for the first graded stakes win of their careers in the American Turf.
Casa Creed, a 3-year-old Jimmy Creed colt trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, will break from post 7 under John Velazquez. Louder Than Bombs, who also finished sixth in the Transylvania for trainer David Fawkes, will leave from the outside post 13 under Julien Leparoux.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 04, 2019, Race 9Entries: American Turf S. presented by Ram Trucks (G2T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1A Thread of Blue (KY)
Luis Saez
120
Kiaran P. McLaughlin
3/1
2
2Social Paranoia (KY)
Manuel Franco
118
Todd A. Pletcher
10/1
3
3Digital Age (IRE)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Chad C. Brown
6/1
4
4Marquee Prince (KY)
Florent Geroux
118
Brad H. Cox
10/1
5
5Seismic Wave (KY)
Joel Rosario
118
William I. Mott
8/1
6
6Forever Mo (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
118
Antonio Sano
15/1
7
7Casa Creed (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
William I. Mott
6/1
8
8Avie's Flatter (ON)
Javier Castellano
120
Josie Carroll
6/1
9
9War Film (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
118
Steven M. Asmussen
15/1
10
10Henley's Joy (KY)
Mike E. Smith
118
Michael J. Maker
8/1
11
11Weekly Call (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
118
Vickie L. Foley
30/1
12
12The Black Album (FR)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
Rodolphe Brisset
12/1
13
13Louder Than Bombs (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
118
David Fawkes
20/1
