Churchill Downs | Horse Racing Free Tips

Envoutante Draws Clear From Bonny South To Win Falls City

Three Chimneys Farm and Walking L Thoroughbreds' 3-year-old filly Envoutante led every step of the way in a powerful six-length win over 4-5 favorite Bonny South in Thursday's 105th running of the $200,000 Falls City (Grade 2), the traditional Thanksgiving Day fixture for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., Envoutante ran 1 1/8 miles over a fast track in 1:49.11 – the fastest Falls City since Silent Eskimo's stakes record of 1:48.85 in 1999.

Breaking from the rail in the field of eight fillies and mares, Envoutante went right to the front and dictated a modest pace of :24.25, :48.95 and 1:13.21 while maintaining a half-length advantage over Our Super Freak, who was followed early on by Market Rumor, Bonny South, Smooth With a Kick, Cash Out, Another Broad and Over Thinking. Leaving the far turn, Envoutante was met by the pressers but she had plenty left and widened her advantage to easily draw away in the stretch.

“It was my first time on her for a race but I've worked her and worked against her before, too, with (Preakness Stakes winner) Swiss Skydiver,” said Hernandez, who also won the 2015 Falls City aboard Ahh Chocolate. “She really kicked away from the field today and was very dominant. At the three-eighths pole I got her into the bit again and she just kicked away. Riding for Kenny is easy and he didn't really give a lot of instructions. When the gates opened, she put herself into a great spot.”

Envoutante was the 5-2 second betting choice and paid $7.20, $3.20 and $3. Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner Bonny South, ridden by Florent Geroux, returned $2.60 and $2.20. Another Broad was another 3 ½ lengths back in third under Ricardo Santana Jr. and paid $5.60.

Our Super Freak, Smooth Wick a Kick, Over Thinking, Market Rumor and Cash Out completed the order of finish. High Regard was a late scratch.

Envoutante won the $100,000 Remington Park Oaks (G3) in her previous start on Sept. 27 and placed third behind Speech and Venetian Harbor in the $400,000 Ashland (G1) in July. The Falls City was her first race against elders.

“She was 1-for-1 at Churchill coming into this race,” said McPeek, who collected his first Falls City win. “We were very confident by the way she was working in the mornings and hoping she was going to put it together in the afternoon. She's worked against Swiss Skydiver and has really done well in her training. She's done a lot of traveling this year and got her graded stakes win in the Remington Oaks so winning another one was very special.”

With the Falls City win, Envoutante improved her record to 9-4-1-2. Thursday's $120,280 first prize jumped her earnings to $336,028.

Envoutante is a dark bay or brown daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Enchante. She was bred in Kentucky by Jumping Jack Racing LLC.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Friday with the popular day-after Thanksgiving card highlighted by the 146^th running of the $500,000 Clark (GI) for older horses.

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McPeek Seeing Stars? Trainer Has 13 Entries For All-Juvenile Program At Churchill Downs

Trainer Kenny McPeek has 13 horses entered in Saturday's “Stars of Tomorrow II” program at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and among his rising juveniles on the card are Grade 1 winner Simply Ravishing in the $200,000 Golden Rod (G2) and stakes winner King Fury in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2).

McPeek will attempt to win his second Golden Rod in this year's edition with Harold Lerner LLC, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' $350,000 Ashland (G1) winner Simply Ravishing. In her most recent start, the promising filly finished fourth in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

“I thought she ran a great race considering how it shaped up early,” McPeek said. “She didn't break well at all and had a tough trip the entire way around there. I think it was very promising the way she finished up considering the problems she had.”

Simply Ravishing was made the even-money morning line favorite in the Golden Rod and will break from post No. 8 with Robby Albarado in the saddle.

Two races later, Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's $98,000 Street Sense winner King Fury is listed at 6-1 on the morning line as he attempts his third victory at Churchill Downs.

“He's 2-for-2 at Churchill Downs so we know he really likes it here,” McPeek said. “We've added blinkers to him in hopes to get him to the next level. I think they could add to his focus and really get him there. His only two blemishes came at Keeneland so we're excited to get him back to Churchill.”

McPeek has won 12 races on the Stars of Tomorrow II program since it was inaugurated in 2006. He won the 2010 Golden Rod with Kathballu and finished second in last year's race with Swiss Skydiver. In 2018, McPeek won the Kentucky Jockey Club with Signalman.

Run at 1 1/16 miles, the Kentucky Jockey Club is carded as Race 11 of 12 on Saturday's program. First post is 1 p.m. ET, the Kentucky Jockey Club will go at 5:56 p.m., and the Golden Rod will go as Race 9 at 4:57 p.m.

In the Kentucky Jockey Club, Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) third-place finisher Keepmeinmind was made the 6-5 morning line favorite in the field of nine.

The complete field for the Kentucky Jockey Club (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): #1 Sittin On Go (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 5-1); #1a Smiley Sobotka (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 5-1); #2 Swill (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 6-1); #3 Arabian Prince (Tyler Gaffalione, Dallas Stewart, 8-1); #4 Keepmeinmind (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro 6-5); #5 Inspector Frost (John Velazquez, Cox, 8-1); #6 Oncoming Train (Rafael Bejarano, Jimmy DiVito, 10-1); #7 King Fury (Hernandez, McPeek, 6-1); #8 Ultimate Badger (Joe Talamo, Romans, 15-1).

The field for the Golden Rod, from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Lady Lilly (Tyler Gaffalione, Steve Asmussen, 15-1); No Mo Spending (Chris Landeros, Ian Wilkes, 15-1); Coach (Joe Talamo, Cox, 6-1); Farsighted (Julien Leparoux, Rusty Arnold II, 15-1); Travel Column (Florent Geroux, Cox, 5-1); Clairiere (Ricardo Santana Jr., Asmussen, 6-1); Lady Traveler (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 20-1); Simply Ravishing (Albarado, McPeek, even-money); Princess Theorem (John Velazquez, Brendan Walsh, 10-1); and Alexandria (Gerardo Corrales, Tim Hamm, 15-1).

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Code of Honor Leads Full Clark Field

W S Farish’s $2.55-million earner Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) appears the one to beat among an overflow field of dirt routers signed on for Friday’s GI Clark S. at Churchill Downs. Last year’s finalist for champion 3-year-old kicked off 2020 with a win in the GIII Westchester S. in the Belmont mud June 6, and was third in the GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. July 4. Fourth to Improbable (City Zip) and By My Standards (Goldencents) in Saratoga’s GI Whitney S. Aug. 1, he was most recently second to GI Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile fourth Complexity (Maclean’s Music) in the GII Kelso H. around a one-turn mile at Big Sandy Oct. 3.

“He’s just been a victim of circumstances with the COVID situation,” Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said of the colt’s season. “I would’ve liked him to run him in the Westchester which would’ve been the start of the Belmont Meet in the spring. I would’ve spaced the races out that way. That didn’t’ work out so we couldn’t run until June 6 in the Westchester. He won that and I really had in my mind I wasn’t going to run him back until the Whitney. He’s run a lot better with his races spaced… All in all, it was sort of just a messed up year. Now he’s gotten his space and he’s run good over this Churchill track.”

Code of Honor was moved up from third to second in last year’s controversial GI Kentucky Derby.

The aforementioned By My Standards, another 2019 Derby alum, was second to top older runner Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike) in the track-and-trip GII Stephen Foster H. June 27 before the Whitney, and returned to Louisville to annex the GII Alysheba S. Sept. 4 over Owendale (Into Mischief). He could only manage eighth against a tough bunch in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 7, but sports a 5-3-2-0 record going this distance and figures to be right there if he can work out a clean trip from the 12 hole.

Owendale was second in last year’s Clark and most recently fifth behind stablemate Knicks Go (Paynter) in the Dirt Mile. Mr Freeze (To Honor And Serve), third in the 2019 Clark, bested four of these foes in Keeneland’s GII Hagyard Fayette S. Oct. 10 before checking in sixth in the Dirt Mile.

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Hall Of Fame Veterinarian Swanstrom Dies At 80

Veterinarian Dr. Oscar Swanstrom has died at the age of 80 after a lifetime devoted to veterinary medicine. Swanstrom grew up on a family farm in Arrowsith, Ill., and attended veterinary school at the University of Illinois.

Swanstrom enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was commissioned a captain and served as base veterinarian at Moody Air Force Base. He then received a master's degree in veterinary medicine with a focus on radiology and orthopedic surgery before practicing in Illinois, largely at Chicago area Thoroughbred tracks. He eventually moved to Kentucky, where he became a well-known practitioner at Churchill Downs and surrounding facilities.

Swanstrom is the author of several academic studies and is known for his work studying therapeutic swimming, as well as intra-articular therapies.

Swanstrom was inducted into the International Veterinary Hall of Fame in 2005 at Churchill Downs.

He is survived by his wife Theresa, son Justin, daughter Kasi Cox (Jeremy) of Westport; his grandsons, Colton S. Cox and Ryan L. Cox of Westport; his granddaughter, Ruby Elizabeth Swanstrom of Simpsonville and several nieces and nephews.

Read a complete obituary here.

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