Bass Racing's Annapolis, who emerged as one of the top 3-year-old turf runners in the nation last year, will make his 2023 debut Thursday in a field of 12 set for the $300,000 Opening Verse going a mile over the Matt Winn Turf Course at Churchill Downs.
The Opening Verse, a listed stakes, will go as the 10th race on the 11-race Thurby card that begins at 12:45 p.m. (ET). Post time for the Opening Verse in 5:45 p.m.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Annapolis was a three-time stakes winner in 2022 that included a victory in the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland. Annapolis finished the year when 11th, beaten 5¼ lengths, in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at the Lexington track.
Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on the 4-year-old War Front colt and will break from post position three.
Also making his 2023 debut is Juddmonte's British-bred Set Piece.
Trained by Brad Cox, the 7-year-old Dansili gelding won two graded stakes last year and has won four of six starts at Churchill Downs, including the Wise Dan (G2) in 2021. Florent Geroux has the mount and will break from post position five.
The field for the Opening Verse, with riders from the rail out, is: Native Thunder (Flavien Prat), Kentucky Ghost (Rafael Bejarano), Annapolis (Ortiz Jr.), Stitched (Joel Rosario), Set Piece (GB) (Geroux), Gray's Fable (Javier Castellano), Churchtown (Luis Saez,), Camp Hope (Brian Hernandez Jr.), Sky and Sand (Tyler Gaffalione), English Bee (John Velazquez), Time to Party (Joe Bravo), Get Smokin (Ricardo Santana Jr.).
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