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Brown Packs Triple-Punch in Churchill’s Turf Classic

A fixture in the highest level grass events on racing’s biggest days, Chad Brown offers a three-pronged attack in Saturday’s GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. Listed at 7-2 on the morningline is Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), a close-up second in Santa Anita’s GII Charles Whittingham S. May 23, but subsequently demoted to third, followed by another runner-up finish in Belmont’s GI Manhattan S. July 4. Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) has proven consistent if not sparkling since his arrival in the U.S. last season. Second in the Lure S. and GII Bernard Baruch H. at Saratoga last summer, the French bred recorded his first American win in a Keeneland allowance last October before rounding out the year with a narrow second to Next Shares (Archarcharch) in Del Mar’s GII Seabiscuit H. in November. Fourth in his seasonal return in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 25, he returned from a six-month respite to win Monmouth’s Aug. 9 Oceanport S. Paco Lopez, who was aboard for his latest win, gets the return call. Brown also saddles last year’s GII American Turf S. scorer Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). In his most recent start, the 4-year-old was a 1 1/2-length winner in a Saratoga optional claimer July 18.

Known for his serious turn of foot is Gaining Ground Racing’s Factor This (The Factor), who holds a four-race winning skein heading into this. Third in his seasonal bow in the Colonel E.R. Bradley S. at the Fair Grounds Jan. 18, the 5-year-old won his next two at that venue-the Feb. 15 GIII Fair Grounds S. and GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. Mar. 21-before making it three straight with a neck score over English Bee (Enlish Channel) in Churchill’s GII Wise Dan S. June 20. The well-supported favorite for the 10-furlong Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup S. Aug. 2, he prompted the early pace and proved best late to score by a 1/2 length.

Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller) won last summer’s nine-furlong GII Eddie Read S. and the GI Shadwell Turf Mile S. at Keeneland later that October before finishing fifth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita. Given plenty of R&R after that effort, he returned with a second on the June 21 GIII American S. before having to settle for fourth in his title defense in the July 26 Eddie Read.

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Factor This Brings Four-Race Win Streak Into Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic

A field of 10 top older grass runners will go to post in the 34th running of the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (GI), one of six graded stakes that will precede Saturday's 146th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI).

The 14-race program begins at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern) and will culminate the Derby that is scheduled for a 7:02 p.m. post time.

Other stakes are the Derby Day program are the 34th running of the $500,000 Derby City Distaff presented by Derby City Gaming (GI) for fillies and mares going seven furlongs on the main track, the 35th running of the $500,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (GII) for fillies and mares, the 96th running of the 500,000 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU (GII) for 3-year-olds, the 29th running of the $500,000 American Turf presented by Smithfield (GII) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the grass and the 39th running of the $200,000 Iroquois presented by Ford (GIII) for 2-year-olds going a mile on the main track.

Gaining Ground Racing's Factor This, riding a four-race win streak, and Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable's Somelikeithotbrown, winner of the Bernard Baruch (GII) at Saratoga in his most recent start, will be the starting top weights with 124 pounds in the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic that will go as the day's 13th race with a 5:50 post time.

Trained by Brad Cox, Factor This counts the GII Wise Dan at Churchill Downs among his scores in his win streak. Shaun Bridgmohan, who has been aboard for all of those victories, has the call Saturday and will break from post one.

Siomelightithotbrown, trained by Mike Maker, has placed in four other graded stakes on turf and in his lone race over the Matt Winn Turf Course finished third in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (GI). Tyler Gaffalione, who was aboard for the victory in the Baruch, has the call Saturday and will break from post position nine.

The field for the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Factor This (Bridgmohan, 124 pounds), Bowies Hero (Florent Geroux, 119), Rockemperor (IRE) (John Velazquez, 119), Digital Age (IRE) (Javier Castellano, 119), Dontblamerocket (Julien Leparoux, 119), Mr Dumas (Manny Franco, 119), True Valour (IRE) (Rafael Bejarano, 119), Sacred Life (FR) (Paco Lopez, 119), Somelikeithotbrown (Gaffalione, 124) and Spectacular Gem (James Graham, 119).

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Factor This Digs In To Win Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup

The pressure never let up on Factor This as he made his 1 ¼-mile trek around Ellis Park on Sunday. It was an expected byproduct that comes with the burden of heavy favoritism, but it still made trainer Brad Cox's nerves fray slightly as he watched it unfold from afar.

While being the target comes with the territory when one brings a streak of graded victories to the table, so too does having the mettle to turn back any attempts to thwart that momentum. So after sending one threat after another on its way during the $100,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup Stakes, Factor This dug into the depths of his class in the final strides to keep the late-charging Hierarchy at bay by a half-length and notch his fourth straight triumph.

The Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Stakes was one of five turf stakes on Sunday's card comprising Kentucky Downs Preview Day at the RUNHAPPY Summer Meet at Ellis Park. A total of $4,118,000 was wagered on the 10-race card, one of the highest in track history.

Having earned consecutive wins in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes, Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic, and Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes this season, Factor This came into the Preview Turf Stakes with the biggest reputation in the 11-horse field and, by extension, the most to lose. His front-running style is no secret so when the 4-5 favorite bounded away under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, he was met first by longshot Phantom Currency, who kept his head in front through opening fractions of :24.99 and :50.25.

“There was obviously another horse up there on the pace. That's a tough post (10) to win from, the way they angle the gate at the quarter pole,” said Cox, who watched the race from his base in Louisville. “He had to overcome some things today. Laid in the two path around both turns. But overall, I was super pleased with the horse. He always shows up.”

Factor This put his neck in front of Phantom Currency past the half but just as that challenger began to drop back, Ry's the Guy started to come with his bid and drew even with the son of The Factor around the far turn.

The nimble turn of foot from Factor This allowed him to put a bit of daylight between himself and his rivals entering the lane but that reprieve was short lived as Hierarchy came to him in deep stretch. To Cox's relief, that's as far as an upset bid would get as Factor This hit the wire a half-length in front to capture the race for a second straight year.

“Our horse wears blinkers and I think wants he feels the pressure of the other horse, he's got a lot of fight in him,” Cox said. “He showed that this winter at the Fair Grounds and probably showed it more than ever this summer at Churchill in the Wise Dan.

“(The soft turf) was another thing he had to overcome today. There was some pace presence today, the post and he won this race last year and set the track record – I know the race has only been run a few times at that distance.”

The final time was 2:04.52 over a course rated soft. Split the Wickets was third, 3 ¾-lengths behind runner-up Hierarchy.

“He got a perfect trip saving a lot of ground and got out, but he was second-best,” said Corey Lanerie, jockey of Hierarchy. “We just couldn't go by him.”

Factor This has two fees-paid berths in $1 million races: the Grade 3 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup on Sept. 12 at 1 1/2 miles – a race he was fourth in last year – and the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on September 5 for winning the Fair Grounds' Grade 2 Muniz.

“We're going to let the dust settle. I think we'd like to take a shot in the Grade 1 on Derby Day,” Cox said. “I feel l like kept a pretty close eye on that division from a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter and I don't see anyone to be scared of, to be honest with you. I think this horse can win a Grade 1, given the right set up and the distance.”

Owned by Gaining Ground Racing and bred in Kentucky out of the Singspiel (IRE) mare Capricious Miss (GB), Factor This has won four of five starts in this his 5-year-old campaign with his lone defeat being a third-place run in the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes at Fair Grounds on January 18. He is also unbeaten in three starts at Ellis Park and improves his overall mark to 11 wins from 30 starts with $902,780 in earnings.

“He's a cool horse. I get along with him and he makes my job easy,” Bridgmohan said. “You just have to get him in position and he usually does it all. They come to him and he fights. He makes me look good every time. He's a hard-trying horse and as gutsy as they come. I'm just a passenger on him. He does all the work.”

Background: Factor This taking owners on “pretty crazy” ride

Quotes
Brad Cox, winning trainer, Factor This (by phone from Louisville): “There was obviously another horse up there on the pace. That's a tough post (11) to win from, the way they angle the gate at the quarter pole. He had to overcome some things today. Laid in the two path around both turns. But overall, I was super pleased with the horse. He always shows up. Very happy with Shaun and the position he put him in. We talked it over this morning how we thought the race would come up. Shaun had a good feeling the horse next to us on the lead would be right there, so he was prepared for that. He did a good job evaluating that. He really gets the most out of this horse.”

(On 1 Hierarchy coming on late) “Yeah he was. Our horse wears blinkers and I think wants he feels the pressure of the other horse, he's got a lot of fight in him. He showed that this winter at the Fair Grounds and probably showed it more than ever this summer at Churchill in the Wise Dan.”

Factor This has two fees-paid berths in $1 million races: the $1 million, Grade 3 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup on Sept. 12 at 1 1/2 miles (a race he was fourth in last year after setting the pace) from winning the Ellis race, and the 1 1/8-mile Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5, Derby Day for winning the Fair Grounds' Grade 2 Muniz.

“We're going to let the dust settle. We'll talk to Tom and Brian Cutshall. I think we'd like to take a shot in the Grade 1 Derby Day. People are going to say it's a Grade 1. I feel l like kept a pretty close eye on that division from a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter and I don't see anyone to be scared of, to be honest with you. I think this horse can win a Grade 1, given the right set up and the distance.”

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Factor This, Mr. Misunderstood Headline Cox Contingent For Sunday’s Kentucky Downs Preview

There have been nine total stakes run in the first two years of Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs Preview Day, with trainer Brad Cox winning three and no other trainer winning more than one. Cox can pad that stat Sunday as he sends out four horses in the five $100,000 turf stakes designed as launching pads to big-money races at Kentucky Downs' all-grass meet.

The Cox arsenal is headlined by Factor This, who will try to repeat in the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup, and Mr. Misunderstood, who won the inaugural Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile in 2018 and was third last year. (Cox also won the 2018 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup with Arklow, who in his next start captured Kentucky Downs' $750,000 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup.)

Gaining Ground Racing's Factor This, a $62,500 claim two years ago, has already surpassed last year's breakout season, when he won three races and finished fourth after setting the pace in the 1 1/2-mile Kentucky Turf Cup, whose purse was upped to $1 million last year. Factor This started his 5-year-old season with a third but has ripped off three stakes wins since, sweeping New Orleans' Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes and Grade 2 Muniz Memorial before taking Churchill Downs' Grade 2, 1 1/16-mile Wise Dan in his last start.

Cox is using the Ellis stakes as a prep for Churchill Downs' $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic on the delayed Kentucky Derby card Sept. 5. That Grade 1 stakes is 1 1/8 miles, with Cox believing the 1 1/4-mile at Ellis is a better setup than running in the mile stakes as a prep.

“We didn't want to go from the Wise Dan and give him all the time” in between, Cox said. “He had some time between the Muniz and the Wise Dan, and we believed the 1 1/4 mile-and-a-quarter race would fit in well on the schedule in terms of trying to make the race Derby Day. He likes to be able to break and clear off if given the opportunity, and you're going to be able to do that at a mile and a quarter more than a mile. I think his perfect distance is a mile and an eighth.”

Once put on turf, Mr. Misunderstood stamped himself among the best turf milers in the Midwest, winning eight stakes in 2017-2018. An illness hampered his 2019 season, but Mr. Misunderstood seemed to be back to form in winning Churchill Downs' Grade 3 River City for the second year in a row last November. Three races this year have been disappointments but have shown a progression, most recently a second in a tough Churchill Downs allowance race won by Preview Tourist Mile rival Spectacular Gem.

“He's run good,” Cox said. “He's had two races off the (four-month) layoff. The (handicapping) numbers are solid. He's won this race before. He's doing well. I'm happy with the way he's training. I think with a good trip, he'll be effective.”

Cox has Vanbrugh in the RUNHAPPY Preview Turf Sprint, Juddmonte Farm's 5-year-old gelding making his second start in the U.S. after racing in Europe. Vanbrugh was second in his American debut, a 1 1/16-mile Churchill allowance race that also was his first start in ninth months. Cox thinks the Ellis race's 5 1/2-furlong distance will be a bit short, but the goal is to get Vanbrugh to the $700,000 RUNHAPPY Turf Sprint at six furlongs at Kentucky Downs.

Meadow Dance comes into the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint for Cox off of a second in Prairie Meadows' Iowa Distaff at 1 1/16 miles. A six-furlong specialist, she's trying turf and 5 1/2 furlongs for the first time.

Looking ahead to Aug. 9, Cox said he and owner Godolphin are “leaning toward” running Indiana Derby winner Shared Sense in the $200,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Derby. “Right now I'd say we're pointing toward Ellis,” Cox said, adding of Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass winner Art Collector, “We'll have to step up. Maybe if we move forward and that horse regresses we can beat him.”

Shared Sense was second to Art Collector in an inordinately tough four-horse allowance race at Churchill Downs.

Ellis Park will stage an all-turf Pick 5 on Sunday's stakes, which on Thursday drew a total of 55 entries: an overflow 13 in the Preview Ladies Turf, capacity 12 in the Preview Turf Cup and Preview Tourist Mile, 10 in the Preview Ladies Sprint and eight in the Preview Turf Sprint.
The $100,000 purse for each race includes $25,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. The purse money for the stakes was generated at Kentucky Downs and transferred to Ellis Park in an arrangement with the horsemen's group at both tracks, the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association.

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