Tamaroak Partners' Bango, a seven-time winner at Churchill Downs, headlines a field of nine sprinters that were entered in the $160,000 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes.
The 6 ½-furlong Kelly's Landing will go as Race 9 of 12 with a post time of 5:16 p.m. The Kelly's Landing is one of five stakes events Saturday as part of Stephen Foster Day. The other stakes are the $750,000 Stephen Foster (G2), $350,000 Fleur de Lis (G2), $200,000 American Derby (Listed), and $200,000 Tepin. First post is 12:45 p.m.
Trained by Greg Foley, Bango is one of only 27 documented horses to win at least seven starts at Churchill Downs. With a victory in the Kelly's Landing, the 5-year-old son of Congrats would join Athenium, Bet On Sunshine, Canela, Crown Lease, Lord Rusty, Maxxed and Paden as eight-time winners at Churchill Downs. Ready's Rocket is the all-time win leader beneath the historic Twin Spires with 11 wins followed by Barrister Siv, Can'tholdmeback and Herreno with nine.
Bango enters the Kelly's Landing following a 2 ½-length victory in the $200,000 Aristides (Listed). Bango surprised many gamblers in the Aristides at odds of 10-1 but Foley was not one of them.
“I couldn't believe he paid that much. He ran one bad race this year and his record at Churchill Downs wasn't hidden by any means,” Foley joked.
Bango will once again be ridden by leading rider Tyler Gaffalione, who was aboard for his win in the Aristides. The duo will break from post No. 5.
Also entered in the Kelly's Landing is last year's $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner Aloha West. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trained by Wayne Catalano, Aloha West has not found the winner's circle since his 11-1 upset win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Aloha West made his first start of the year in the $750,000 Churchill Downs presented by Ford (G1) where he finished third behind Jackie's Warrior and Reinvestment Risk. In his last start, Aloha West stretched out to one mile in the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap (G1) but was a well-beaten fourth behind Flightline's romping six-length victory. Joel Rosario will have the mount from post 4.
Here's the complete field for the Kelly's Landing from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
- Awesome Gerry (Gerardo Corrales, Saffie Joseph Jr.)
- Heart Rhythm (Giovani Franco, Trisha Duncan)
- Kneedeepinsnow (Ricardo Santana Jr., Matt Shirer)
- Aloha West (Rosario, Catalano)
- Bango (Gaffalione, Foley)
- Bob's Edge (Gabriel Saez, Larry Jones)
- Startdfromdabottom (Rafael Bejarano, John Ennis)
- A C Expressway (Florent Geroux, Norm Casse)
- Miles Ahead (Joe Talamo, Paul McGee)
Wagering is available on www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated and the Kentucky Derby.
The post Horse For Course: Bango Seeks Eighth Churchill Victory In Saturday’s Kelly’s Landing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
