Godolphin's newly minted turf specialist Wadsworth will return to Ellis Park and headline a field of 12 3-year-olds entered in next Saturday's second running of the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby.
The Dueling Grounds Derby Preview, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, is one of seven stakes contests that will be held next weekend at Ellis Park as part of Kentucky Downs Preview Days. The KY Downs Dueling Grounds Preview will go to post in Race 8 with a post time of 3:22 p.m. (all times Central) The nine-race card has a first post of 11:45 a.m.
Saturday's stakes trio also includes the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint and the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Mint Millions Mile. The winner of the Dueling Grounds Derby Preview will receive an automatic entry to the $1-million Dueling Grounds Derby (G3) on Sunday, Sept. 3 at Kentucky Downs.
Trained by Brad Cox, Wadsworth dug in late to defeat five rivals in the American Derby by one length. The 3-year-old gelded son of Quality Road is a three-time winner from 10 starts. Prior to the American Derby Wadsworth finished second by a scant nose to Gigante in the Caesars Stakes. Wadsworth spent his winter at Turfway Park where he impressively broke his maiden by 10 lengths and won a first level allowance by 2½ lengths on the Tapeta surface. Jockey Florent Geroux will once again have the mount from post No. 10.
Richard Ravin and Patricia's Hope's Act a Fool will be in search of his fifth-consecutive victory when he breaks from post 6 in the Dueling Grounds Derby Preview. Act a Fool's only blemish in his young career was in his debut when he didn't show much run over the Tapeta surface at Turfway. Since then, the Larry Rivelli-trained son of Oscar Performance has won four straight starts by open lengths including a 4 ½-length score in the Hawthorne Derby. Jockey Gerardo Corrales will have the call.
Another accomplished 3-year-old that entered the KY Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby is Barry and Joni Butzow's Golden Bandit. Trained by Coty Rosin, Golden Bandit was a former $12,500 claim but has since won the Canterbury Derby. Jockey Adam Beschizza will retain the mount from post 2.
The field for the KY Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
1. Highway Robber (Mitchell Murrill, Brian Lynch)
2. Golden Bandit (Beschizza, Rosin)
3. Hidden Path (Corey Lanerie, Todd Pletcher)
4. Worthington (Gerardo Corrales, Mike Maker)
5. Lincoln Highway (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver)
6. Act a Fool (Torres, Rivelli)
7. Anglophile (Declan Cannon, Brian Lynch)
8. Tall Boy (Rey Gutierrez, Doug O'Neill)
9. Georgie W (Alex Achard, Will Walden)
10. Wadsworth (Geroux, Cox)
11. Desert Duke (Francisco Arrieta, Chris Hartman)
12. Sharar (James Graham, Todd Pletcher)
13. Manciata d'Oro (Martin Chuan, Cox)
Fuerteventura Tops Mint Millions Mile
Multiple stakes winner Fuerteventura leads a competitive cast of 12 older horses that entered Saturday's seventh running of the $200,000 KY Downs Mint Millions Mile Preview.
The Mint Millions Turf Mile Preview, which will award the winner a spot in the Sept. 2, $2-million Mint Millions, was made the finale on the nine-race card. The field for the one-mile turf contest will go to post at 3:55 p.m.
Trained by Jonathan Thomas, Fuerteventura has competed at eight tracks across North America in just 10 starts. The 4-year-old son of Summer Front won the Brooks Fields Mile Stakes at Canterbury in late June and his resume also includes a gutsy victory in last year's Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park. Jockey Florent Geroux will have the call from post 7.
The competitive field for the Mint Millions Preview also includes Porch Light Racing, Brandon Tucker, Raul Bras, Haugh Stables and Highlight Thoroughbreds' narrow runner-up in the Schuster Memorial Underdressed; trainer Mike Maker's duo of last-out allowance winner Heaven Street and stakes winner Max K.O.; and Lothenbach Stables dominant dirt allowance winner Minnesota Ready.
The complete field for the Mint Millions Turf Mile Preview from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
1. Minnesota Ready (Corey Lanerie, Neil Pessin)
2. Trafalgar (Edgar Morales, Chris Hartman)
3. Big Dreaming (James Graham, Wayne Catalano)
4. Gray's Fable (Declan Cannon, Brian Lynch)
5. Heaven Street (Cristian Torres, Maker)
6.Hozier (Julien Leparoux, Rodolphe Brisset)
7. Fuerteventura (Geroux, Thomas)
8.Greyes Creek (Adam Beschizza, Paulo Lobo)
9.Play Action Pass (Joe Ramos, Robert Medina)
10.Santos Dumont (Francisco Arrieta, Chris Hartman)
11. Underdressed (Orlando Mojica, Rey Hernandez)
12. Max K. O. (Gerardo Corrales, Maker)
Goin Good Headlines Mint Ladies Turf Sprint
Klein Racing's classy mare Goin Good tops a field of 10 filly and mare sprinters that were entered in Saturday's fifth running of the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming.
Goin Good and her combatants will go to post in Race 7 of 9 at 2:50 p.m. First post is 11:45 a.m.
The winner of the Ky Downs Mint Ladies Turf Sprint, run at 5½ furlongs on turf, will receive an all-fees paid entry to the Sept. 9, $1-million Ladies Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs.
Owned by longtime family stable Klein Racing, Goin Good will be in search of her second stakes victory after nearly missing in the Clarksville Handicap last time out at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Goin Good, who races for trainer Brad Cox, won the Coronation Cup two years ago at Saratoga and has been stakes placed eight times in her 18-race career. Goin Good will be ridden by Cristian Torres from post No. 3.
Bridlewood Farm's Bay Storm will be in search of her fifth-lifetime victory in the Ky Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, Bay Storm has yet to find the winner's circle this season but has been stakes placed in the Megahertz (G3) and Wishing Well Stakes at Santa Anita and the Unbridled Sidney at Churchill Downs. The ultra-consistent Bay Storm has only finished outside the Top 3 twice from 15 starts. Her record stands at 15-4-6-3 with purse earnings that total $590,080. Jockey Florent Geroux will have the mount from the rail.
The complete field for the KY Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint (with jockey and trainer):
1. Bay Storm (Geroux, Thomas)
2. Love and Money (Joe Ramos, Cherie DeVaux)
3. Goin' Good (Cristian Torres, Cox)
4. Linguistic (Gerardo Corrales, Eric Foster)
5. Miner's Queen (Rafael Bejarano, Rey Hernandez)
6. Showgirl Lynne B (James Graham, Joe Sharp)
7. Souper Munnings (Chris Landeros, Ian Wilkes)
8. New Boss (Rey Gutierrez, Bret Calhoun)
9. Semble Juste (IRE) (Corey Lanerie, Kenny McPeek)
10. Quaria Comet (Joe Talamo, Paulo Lobo)
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