Excited For Churchill On Saturday? Who Could ‘Blame’ You?

[Wandering Eyes]

Four weeks removed from the running of the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs stages its second stacked weekend of the spring/summer meeting, with five Grade IIIs and one listed contest on 'Stephen Foster Preview' Day. The program serves as a steppingstone to Foster Day itself in a month's time.

A field of 10 has been entered for the GIII Blame Stakes, the course-and-distance prep for the $1-million GI Stephen Foster Stakes, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Gary and Mary West's Most Wanted (Candy Ride {Arg}) is the one they'll likely have to beat, having posted a career-best 105 Beyer when second to 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) in the GII Alysheba Stakes on the Oaks undercard 29 days ago. Never out of the top two in his seven starts, the homebred went four-for-four last season, topped by a victory in the GIII Oklahoma Derby. Trainer Brad Cox is a two-time winner of this race, including Highland Falls (Curlin) last sprint.

No Derby winner has subsequently won a race beneath the Twin Spires since Silver Charm in 1998, and Mystik Dan (Goldencents) will look to put an end to that streak here. Off form after finishing runner-up in last year's GI Preakness Stakes, the bay bounced back to something resembling his best form when just nosed out by the classy Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) in the May 3 Lake Ouachita Stakes at Oaklawn last time. He heads to post on Saturday with the full confidence of his connections.

“He couldn't be doing any better going into the race,”said trainer Ken McPeek, who won this in 2023 with Rattle N Roll (Connect). “I really like his chances by what he's shown us in the mornings coming back here at Churchill Downs.”

Brian Hernandez, Jr., who also rode Rattle N Roll, concurred, saying: “It's a good field on Saturday. There are some classy and accomplished horses in the race, but Mystik Dan has trained great going into this race.”

The connections of Post Time (Frosted) land here, bypassing a trip to Saratoga for the GI Met Mile, where he was a bang-up second last year. Subsequently third in the GI Whitney Stakes over this distance and second in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, the gray thumped Laurel allowance foes by a baker's dozen on seasonal debut May 3.

The Aristides Stakes carries Grade III status for this running and looks all over a two-horse race. Skelly (Practical Joke) is one of the fastest sprinters in training and since beating just one home in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, has a pair of eye-catching scores this season, a 5 1/4-length allowance romp (107 Beyer) at his beloved Oaklawn Apr. 11 and a towering 10 1/2-length tally in a sloppy renewal of the Lake Hamilton Stakes in Hot Springs May 2. 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner), all-the way winner of lst year's GII Amsterdam Stakes, is no slouch where it comes to speed and he most recently made all the running to take a third-level allowance in style on the 'Thurby' program May 1.

It's an embarrassment of riches in the sophomore filly turf division for trainer Mark Casse, who keeps the very talented MGSW Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) in the barn for Saturday's GIII Regret Stakes, but still saddles one of the leading lights in the form of Classic Q (Classic Empire), who thrashed local allowance rivals going a mile on Apr. 30. Lush Lips (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) overraced early in the GII Edgewood Stakes May 2, but ran home nicely to claim second behind Nitrogen. Mechaya (Liam's Map) hasn't run a poor race in three tries on the turf and most recently passed 10 rivals in the late stages to finish third to the Royal Ascot-bound 'TDN Rising Star' Shisospicy (Mitole) in the GIII Mamzelle Stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs May 10. She has longshot claims if she handles Saturday's nine-furlong trip.

Brilliant Berti (Oscar Performance) and Lagynos (Kantharos) renew acquaintances in Saturday's GIII Arlington Stakes after finishing 1-2 in the May 1 Opening Verse Stakes, and they are joined by the sneaky Herchee (Twirling Candy), who has been given his chance in this considerably tougher contest in lieu of a Thursday allowance.

Gin Gin (Hightail) won the GIII Baird Doubledogdare Stakes in her first start for the Brendan Walsh barn Apr. 18, but will have to prove that effort is not an aberration while taking on GI Apple Blossom Handicap third Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) in the GIII Shawnee Stakes.

Stars Come Out To Play At Woodbine

It doesn't take long for the action to heat up in Toronto on Saturday, where the GIII Jacques Cartier Stakes goes as the first of a 10-race program at Woodbine. That positioning on the card owes to a four-horse field headed by the outstanding Patches O'Houlihan (Reload). Canada's champion sprinter of 2023, the 5-year-old is 12-for-15 lifetime and 10-for-12 over the local synth, including a four-length success in the May 4 Thorncliffe Stakes. Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's Calitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach) defeated her male counterparts in last year's King's Plate and makes her seasonal debut in the GIII Belle Mahone Stakes. LNJ Foxwoods' 'TDN Rising Star' Earhart (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) has won three of her four starts on synthetic surfaces and tries the turf for the first time in Saturday's GIII Royal North Stakes, but will face a good test in the form of Wertheimer homebred Toupie (Uncle Mo). The evergreen Get Smokin (Get Stormy), last seen leading throughout to take the GIII Valedictory Stakes through a driving snowstorm last December, will try to boss his rivals from the front while making his 8-year-old debut in the GII Eclipse Stakes.

The afternoon's 10th and final graded event is the GIII Triple Bend Stakes, where 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist), who just missed when dead-heating for second behind 'Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) first off a 15-month layoff in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes on May 3, figures a strong favorite over Dr. Venkman (Ghostzapper), runner-up at odds-on in last year's running. Like Post Time, Nysos's connections opt for the path of lesser resistance versus a ship to Saratoga for the Met.

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