Kentucky Downs Preview Day Aug. 4 at Ellis Park
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Photo: Coady Photography
Mr. Misunderstood will try Aug. 4 to win the Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile a second year in a row
Ellis Park will serve up five turf stakes, each with purses of $100,000, in its Aug. 4 Kentucky Downs Preview Day.
Each stakes race will reward the winner a fees-paid automatic berth in an even more lucrative corresponding stakes at the upcoming Kentucky Downs meet.
Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint Stakes (awarding a bid to the Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint, G3T): Rockingham Ranch's Surrender Now, trained by Peter Miller, will break from the outside in this expected field of nine older fillies and mares going 5 1/2 furlongs. A 4-year-old daughter of Morning Line, Surrender Now finished third in the Giant's Causeway Stakes in April at Keeneland and enters off a frontrunning score June 30 in an allowance race at Ellis at the same distance as Sunday's test.
Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile (awarding bid to Aug. 31 Kentucky Downs Tourist Mile): Last year's winner of this race, Mr. Misunderstood, who went on to finish third in the Tourist Mile, returns to defend his title. The grade 2-winning son of Archarcharch opened his 5-year-old campaign June 27 with a third-place finish in an allowance optional claiming race on the Churchill Downs turf.
Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint (awarding bid to Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint, G3T): Miller, who sent out Stormy Liberal to victories in the past two editions of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1), has top contenders in both turf sprints on Sunday's card. In this race he sends out Gary Barber's group 1-placed Conquest Tsunami, who in January won the Clocker's Corner Stakes down the hill at Santa Anita Park.
Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Stakes (awarding bid to Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf, G3T): Hinkle Farms homebred Stave has finished first or second in her past four starts, and the daughter of Ghostzapper enters off a close runner-up finish in the Ellis Park Turf Stakes July 7. Trainer Larry Jones was disappointed when Stave missed her first stakes win by a head that day, but the 4-year-old filly gets another try Sunday.
"It was close. It was a good race,"Jones said after Stave had to settle for second in a three-horse photo won by Sensitive, who is not entered Sunday. "We're going to have to be happy, I guess. We had intended to win, but we didn't make it."
Kentucky Downs Preview Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (awarding bid to Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup, G3T): Veteran Bigger Picture, who finished second in last year's Kentucky Turf Cup, enters Sunday's race off a fourth-place finish in the United Nations Stakes (G1T) June 22 at Monmouth Park—a race he won in 2017.
A total of 52 horses were entered in Sunday's five stakes. An all-turf-stakes Pick 5, which is a 50-cent wager, will be offered.
"I don't think I'm overstating it to say this is the best card in the history of Ellis Park," said Ellis Park general manager Jeff Hall, who has worked for every Ellis track owner dating to the estate of James C. Ellis. "I can't praise enough our horsemen and racing office for putting this phenomenal card together.
"Making it possible is our relationship with Kentucky Downs, and the vision of our horsemen and the racing commission to see what we can accomplish by working together. The weather should be spectacular, and we look forward to one of our best days ever."
Kentucky Downs Preview Day is funded with purse money and Kentucky-bred purse supplements generated at Kentucky Downs and transferred to Ellis Park in an agreement with the tracks' owners and trainers association, the Kentucky division of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. Each stakes includes $25,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.
"All the parts came together the past two years to put together Kentucky Downs Preview Day," Ellis racing secretary Dan Bork said. "We are so thankful to the Kentucky horsemen for stepping up to the plate to support Ellis Park and the efforts being made by a lot of people to find new ways to further push the Kentucky circuit upward. Sunday is one of the results."
Ellis Park, Sunday, August 04, 2019, Race 6 Ellis Park, Sunday, August 04, 2019, Race 7 Ellis Park, Sunday, August 04, 2019, Race 8 Ellis Park, Sunday, August 04, 2019, Race 9 Ellis Park, Sunday, August 04, 2019, Race 10Entries: Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Coexistence (KY)
Adam Beschizza
124
Joe Sharp
6/1
2
2Bootsy's Hadenough (KY)
Channing Hill
120
Kellyn Gorder
20/1
3
3La Dame Blanche (KY)
Tyler Baze
120
Ian R. Wilkes
4/1
4
4Arabella Bella (KY)
Miguel Mena
120
Michael J. Maker
15/1
5
5Annathela (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
George R. Arnold, II
8/1
6
6May Lily (KY)
Gabriel Saez
120
Gregory D. Foley
9/2
7
7Flammetta (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
120
Eddie Kenneally
10/1
8
8Courtmewithcarats (KY)
Samuel Camacho, Jr.
120
Clarke Vesty
20/1
9
9Surrender Now (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Peter Miller
8/5
Entries: Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Holiday Stone (KY)
Declan Cannon
120
Eddie Kenneally
20/1
2
2Hot Springs (KY)
Tyler Baze
120
Steven M. Asmussen
8/1
3
3Alkhaatam (KY)
Channing Hill
120
Daniel C. Peitz
15/1
4
4Ezmosh (OK)
Adam Beschizza
120
Joe Sharp
15/1
5
5Fact Finding (KY)
Miguel Mena
120
Charles Lopresti
12/1
6
6Siem Riep (KY)
James Graham
122
Terry J. Brennan
12/1
7
7Mr Cub (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Ian R. Wilkes
9/2
8
8Cullum Road (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
Michael J. Maker
5/1
9
9Space Mountain (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
120
Michael J. Maker
20/1
10
10Mr. Misunderstood (KY)
Florent Geroux
120
Brad H. Cox
2/1
11
11Flight Time (BRZ)
David Cohen
120
Kenneth G. McPeek
8/1
Entries: Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Fast Boat (KY)
Adam Beschizza
120
Joe Sharp
12/1
2
2Latent Revenge (KY)
Gabriel Saez
120
Gregory D. Foley
10/1
3
3Corruze (KY)
Channing Hill
116
Chris A. Hartman
15/1
4
4Reward the Miracle (FL)
Tyler Gaffalione
116
Michael J. Maker
10/1
5
5Sir Navigator (KY)
David Cohen
120
Robertino Diodoro
8/1
6
6Totally Boss (KY)
Florent Geroux
124
George R. Arnold, II
3/1
7
7Conquest Tsunami (ON)
Corey J. Lanerie
122
Peter Miller
15/1
8
8Jazzy Times (KY)
James Graham
120
Wesley E. Hawley
20/1
9
9Mr French (GB)
Miguel Mena
120
Marcial Navarro
7/2
10
10Mr. Crow (KY)
Tyler Baze
120
Ben Colebrook
10/1
11
11Angaston (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Lon Wiggins
9/2
Entries: Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Peru (GB)
Corey J. Lanerie
120
Michael J. Maker
10/1
2
2Stave (KY)
Gabriel Saez
120
J. Larry Jones
7/2
3
3Kallio (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
Brendan P. Walsh
6/1
4
4Brie's Lucky Charm (KY)
Miguel Mena
120
Albert M. Stall, Jr.
15/1
5
5Classy Act (KY)
Adam Beschizza
120
Joe Sharp
15/1
6
6Smart Emma (KY)
James Graham
120
Daniel C. Peitz
8/1
7
7Valentine Wish (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Victoria H. Oliver
8/1
8
8Hanalei Moon (KY)
Jack Gilligan
120
Mark E. Casse
3/1
9
9Smart Shot (KY)
Edgar Morales
120
George R. Arnold, II
5/1
10
10Orageuse (KY)
Tyler Baze
120
Brendan P. Walsh
15/1
Entries: Kentucky Downs Preview Kentucky Turf Cup S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Nessy (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
120
Ian R. Wilkes
6/1
2
2My Boy Jack (KY)
James Graham
120
J. Keith Desormeaux
15/1
3
3Hello Don Julio (KY)
Channing Hill
120
Michael Dilger
9/2
4
4Choo Choo (KY)
Tyler Baze
120
Jack Sisterson
10/1
5
5Arrocha (BRZ)
Shaun Bridgmohan
120
Brad H. Cox
5/1
6
6Factor This (KY)
Florent Geroux
120
Brad H. Cox
15/1
7
7Bigger Picture (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
124
Michael J. Maker
2/1
8
8Zero Gravity (FL)
Adam Beschizza
120
Joe Sharp
20/1
9
9Vettori Kin (BRZ)
David Cohen
120
Kenneth G. McPeek
8/1
10
10Botswana (KY)
Declan Cannon
120
Bentley Combs
30/1
11
11Manitoulin (KY)
Joseph Rocco, Jr.
120
Michael R. Matz
15/1
