Multiple Grade 1 winner Santin tops a full field of 12 older horses and two also-eligibles that entered Saturday's $300,000 TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic (Listed) at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
The 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Cup Classic will go as Race 10 of 13 with a post time of 5:13 p.m. The thrilling day of racing at Turfway Park will feature a total of six stakes contests led by the 52nd running of the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). The other stakes on the program are the 41st running of the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks; the 37th running of the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes; the 41st running of the $250,000 Latonia Stakes; and the 36th running of the $250,000 Rushaway.
Santin is set to begin his 5-year-old season on Saturday at Turfway with jockey Adam Beschizza in the saddle. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Santin had a solid 4-year-old campaign with victories in the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (G1) and $1 million Arlington Million (G1) at Churchill Downs. The TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic will be Santin's first start over the Tapeta surface but the son of Distorted Humor has been preparing locally for this start with a series of five works at Turfway. Santin will break from post No. 9.
Last year's Kentucky Cup Classic winner King Cause was supplimented to this year's field and his connections hope he can record a repeat victory at Turfway. Owned by Nice Guy Stables and trained by Mike Maker, King Cause scored an upset 19-1 victory in last year's race when he led wire-to-wire under jockey Manny Franco. More recently, King Cause scored another upset victory in the Knickerbocker Stakes (G3) at Belmont at Aqueduct and enters the TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic following a sixth-place effort in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1). Jockey Gerardo Corrales has the mount from post 10.
King Cause is one of five Maker trainees in the body of the Kentucky Cup Classic field. The others are Founder, Leblon, Fancy Liquor and Ocean Atlantique. His sixth trainee, Richiesgotgame, drew post 14 on the also-eligibles.
Originally, Kentucky Derby 148 winner Rich Strike was scheduled to run in the Kentucky Cup Classic but his connections have opted to run elsewhere.
Here is the complete field for the TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
1. Two Birds (John McKee, Jeff Hiles)
2. Founder (Joe Ramos, Maker)
3. Wentru (Jack Gilligan, Will Walden)
4. Leblon (Umberto Rispoli, Maker)
5. Wolfie's Dynaghost (John Velazquez, Jonathan Thomas)
6. Fancy Liquor (Joe Talamo, Maker)
7. Ready to Purrform (Fernando De La Cruz, Brad Cox)
8. Ocean Atlantique (Walter Rodriguez, Maker)
9. Santin (Beschizza, Walsh)
10. King Cause (Corrales, Maker)
11. Abaan (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher)
12. Camp Hope (Chris Landeros, Kenny McPeek)
(AE) 13. Verstappen (Declan Cannon, Walsh)
(AE) 14. Richiesgotgame (Edgard Zayas, Maker)
AMO Racing's speedy New York Thunder will attempt to keep his perfect record intact against a competitive field of eight 3-year-old sprinters in the 37th running of the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes over six furlongs.
New York Thunder arrived last week to Turfway Park from his winter base at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Jorge Delgado, the fleet-footed son of Nyquist dominated his debut by 6 ½ lengths on Nov. 27 at Gulfstream Park. New York Thunder capped his abbreviated 2-year-old season with a 1 ¾-length first-level allowance victory. The Animal Kingdom Stakes will be New York Thunder's first start as a 3-year-old. He'll be ridden by Jose Morelos from post No. 7.
Another aspiring 3-year-old that's entered in the Animal Kingdom is Westerberg Limited, John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor's impressive Turfway maiden special weight winner Eye Witness. Trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, Eye Witness won at second asking on New Year's Day at Turfway. Desormeaux travelled to Turfway from California for the mount on the speedy son of City of Light. Eye Witness and Desormeaux will break from post 4.
Here is the complete field for the Animal Kingdom from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
1. Libertango (Jareth Loveberry, Wayne Catalano)
2. Brazen Boy (Chris Landeros, Jordan Blair)
3. Olazabal (Gerardo Corrales, Eric Foster)
4. Eye Witness (Desormeaux, Ward)
5. Swirvin (Edgard Zayas, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
6. Moonstrike (GB) (Adam Beschizza, Jeff Engler)
7. New York Thunder (Morelos, Delgado)
8. Tiger Paw (IRE) (Luan Machado, Anna Meah)
The Animal Kingdom Stakes is named in honor of the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner who rose to stardom following his victory in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (formerly known as the Spiral).
Franco Meli's Grade 3 winner Il Malocchio is set to make her 2023 debut against a cast of 11 filly and mares that entered Saturday's $250,000 Latonia Stakes at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming.
Trained by Martin Drexler, Il Malocchio spent her winter preparing for her 5-year-old campaign at Palm Meadows in South Florida. The Ontario-bred daughter of Souper Speedy capped her 2022 campaign with convincing victories in the $150,000 Maple Leaf (G3) and $100,000 La Prevoyante Stakes at Woodbine. Prior to her wins in the Maple Leaf and La Prevoyante, Il Malocchio's resume includes wins in the $100,000 Victorian Queen and $250,000 Bison City. Hall of Famer John Velazquez will have the riding assignment in the Latonia Stakes from post No. 4.
Other accomplished fillies and mares that entered the Latonia include Kaleem Shah's multiple graded stakes placed Bellamore; Dixiana Farms' $125,000 Wintergreen Stakes winner Grand Ave Girl; and Juddmonte's local allowance winner Idiomatic.
Here is the complete field for the Latonia Stakes from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
1. Grand Ave Girl (Luan Machado, Kenny McPeek)
2. Candy Raid (Kent Desormeaux, Keith Desormeaux)
3. Ready to Venture (GB) (Kazushi Kimura, Mike Stidham)
4. Il Malochio (Velazquez, Drexler)
5. Idiomatic (Chris Landeros, Brad Cox)
6. Purrfect (Fernando De La Cruz, Stidham)
7. Regal Realm (Rafael Hernandez, Jonathan Thomas)
8. Kate's Kingdom (Irad Ortiz Jr., Will Walden)
9. Vezpa (BRZ) (Joe Ramos, Paulo Lobo)
10. Bali Belle (Gerardo Corrales, Gerardo Rodriguez)
11. Bellamore (Martin Garcia, Simon Callaghan)
WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's impressive Gulfstream Park maiden special weight winner Santorini will lead a wide-open field of 12 3-year-olds plus two also-eligibles that entered the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes. The Rushaway Stakes, run at 1 1/16 miles, was made the 8 race on the 13-race Jeff Ruby Steaks Day card.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Santorini drew clear in a Jan. 21 maiden contest at Gulfstream Park by two lengths. The son of Twirling Candy enters the Rushaway following a troubled sixth-place finish in the Colonel Liam Stakes where he had to check in the late running of the one-mile turf contest. Originally, Santorini was under the care of Rodolphe Brisset and competed on Dec. 9 at Turfway in a maiden special weight contest when he was narrowly defeated by Olazabal. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount from post No. 4.
Another intriguing prospect that entered the Rushaway Stakes is Surfside Stables' local maiden special weight winner Midnight Rising. Trained by Jordan Blair, the talented son of Mendelssohn impressively drew clear by 2 ½ lengths in his March 2 debut under jockey Luan Machado. In his lone start, Midnight Rising was stuck behind several horses but Machado was able to find room at the head of the stretch and drew off in hand late at odds of 10-1. Machado will be back aboard for the Rushaway from post 9.
Here is the complete field for the Rushaway from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
1. Itzos (Gerardo Corrales, Paulo Lobo)
2. Roja Redemption (Joe Ramos, Lobo)
3. Worthington (Umberto Rispoli, Mike Maker)
4. Santorini (Ortiz, Pletcher)
5. Quadra Island (Fernando De La Cruz, Brad Cox)
6. Stonemount Reunion (Sammy Bermudez, David Rider)
7. Ocean Pointe (Orlando Mojica, Richard Estvanko)
8. Reckoning Force (Adam Beschizza, Brendan Walsh)
9. Midnight Rising (Machado, Blair)
10. Ironsides (Declan Cannon, Vicki Oliver)
11. Rarified Flair (Chris Landeros, Kenny McPeek)
12. Moon Landing (John Velazquez, Michael McCarthy)
(AE) 13. Unified Weekend (Sonny Leon Antonio Sano)
(AE) 14. Movisitor (Declan Cannon, Ed Vaughan)
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