Night Racing at it's best

Tomorrow night is the first night racing at Churchill Downs for the year, this will be a good test for later on in the year when the BC Ladies Classic (aka the Distaff) will be run with the light on. However, tomorrow's night's stakes race is a turf race, and I would like to preview it tonight, because it has some names people may remember.


Churchill Downs - June 11, 2010

Race 10 - 10:52 PM Daily Double / Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta
STAKES Opening Verse S.

Purse $62,000. (Includes $12,000 – KTDF - Kentucky TB Devt Fund). For Three Year Olds And Upward. Nominations close Friday, June 4, 2010 with no fee. $300 supplementary nominations may be made at time of entry. $100 to enter. Three Year Olds, 118 Lbs. Older, 125 Lbs. Non-winners of a graded sweepstakes on the turf in 2010, allowed 2 Lbs.; $45,000 at a mile or over on the turf in 2010, 4 Lbs.; two races other than claiming since December 25, 2009, 6 Lbs. The field will be limited to 10. If more than 10 entries pass the entry box preference will be given to gradedstakes winners, then highest 2009-2010 earnings. Closed Friday, June 4, 2010 with 28 nominations. (If deemed inadvisable by management to run this race over the turf course, it will be run on the main track at One and One Sixteenth mile.). One And One Sixteenth Miles. (Turf)
P# PP Horse  A/S Med Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1 Macho Toro (FL) 4/C L P Tolentino 119 M Schoeman 50/1
2 2 Flying Private (KY) 4/C LA C J Lanerie 119 D W Lukas 10/1
3 3 Public Speaker (KY) 5/H LA* R Albarado 119 K G McPeek 5/1
4 4 Yate's Black Cat (KY) 7/H LA M Mena 119 D L Romans 5/1
5 5 Tizdejavu (KY) 5/H LA* J L Castanon 119 G Fox 4/1
6 6 Prom Shoes (KY) 6/H LA S Bridgmohan 119 W H Fires 10/1
7 7 Furthest Land (KY) 5/G LA* J Theriot 119 M J Maker 5/2
8 8 Timeless Fashion (KY) 6/G LA J Lopez 119 T Drury, Jr. 10/1
9 9 Pop Tarrt (KY) 4/C L S Gonzalez, Jr. 119 J Deegan 20/1
10 10 Demarcation (KY) 6/G LA C H Borel 119 P J McGee 5/1

Flying Private ran in last year's Triple Crown series and has done well on dirt this year. Yate's Black Cat is an old time turf horse who should not be taken lightly, really disapointed to see Prom Shoes in this race since turf is not really his favorite surface, and it's at Churchill while his hometrack, one of his worst. Tizdejavu is an interesting horse who was reguarded as the top turf 3yo a few years ago. Furthest Land should win this race, he is the defending BC Dirt Mile (although it's never run at a mile until this year) winner. I think getting him at his perfered distance (a mile to a mile and sixteenth) will get him back to the Winners Circle.

I'll have the Weekend Preview post tomorrow as planned, however I felt that this deserved it's own post. Don't forget to vote in the HRBA final ballot (something I've ment to mentioned, but have forgotten). The Ballot and all of the info can be found here.