$1-Million on the line in Ky Downs Turf Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Kentucky Downs offers a $1-million purse for Saturday’s Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup S. and a full field of 12 aims to try and claim a piece of it. Heading the charge in the 12-furlong contest is a pair of Mike Maker runners, including multiple-graded winning Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire}). Victorious in last October’s GIII Sycamore S. at Keeneland for John Alexander Ortiz, the Michael Hui-owned gelding marked his debut with Maker in the nine-furlong GII Fort Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream in December, finishing seventh. Stretched back out for his next two, the dark bay took the Jan. 26 GIII William L McKnight S. over 12 furlongs and the 11-panel GII Mac Diarmida S. Mar. 2 before finishing a close third behind winning stablemate Bigger Picture (Badge of Silver) in the Apr. 20 GII Elkhorn S. over the yielding Keeneland turf. A flat seventh in Belmont’s GI Man o’ War S. May 11, Zulu Alpha came up a neck short behind Hunter O’Riley (Tiz Wonderful) in the GI United Nations at Monmouth June 22 before most recently finishing fifth–beaten only a length–in Saratoga’s GII Bowling Green S. July 27. Jose Ortiz, who was aboard in the Elkhorn, gets the call this time.

One not to be overlooked is Grade I-winner Bigger Picture. The one-time claimer hit the big time when winning a trio of graded races in 2017, including that season’s United Nations. Successfully defending his title in last season’s GIII John B. Connally Turf Cup in 2018, he recorded the hat trick when adding this season’s renewal. Seventh in Gulfstream’s GII Pan American S. Mar. 30, the chestnut took the Elkhorn before running fourth in his latest trip to post in the United Nations. Arklow (Arch), last season’s winner of the GIII Kentucky Turf Cup over this course and trip, has been winless since, although has hit the board in four of six starts, all of them at the graded level. Unseating his rider at the start of a Keeneland allowance Apr. 5, the Brad Cox trainee came up a neck short of Channel Maker (English Channel) in the Man o’ War before again playing the bridesmaid, this time behind Amade (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) in the 2-mile Belmont Gold Cup June 7. Cutting back for the Bowling Green, Arklow finished third under Florent Geroux, who gets the call here.

 

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