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Son Of Twirling Candy Swipes Churchill Finale

9th-Churchill Downs, $123,240, Msw, 5-21, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.89, fm, 1 3/4 lengths.
TAKING CANDY (c, 3, Twirling Candy–Taking Aim, by Trappe Shot), not seen since his debut last August at Saratoga in a route over the turf where he finished a well-beaten sixth, returned here as the 8-1 choice.

The bay colt settled mid-pack as the leaders tried to slow the pace down the backstretch. Into the far turn, Taking Candy looked for running room along the rail, cut to the three path at the top of the lane, but finding a gap past the eighth pole, dove towards the fence and rallied past 2-1 favorite St. Neots (Flintshire {GB}) for a 1 3/4-length victory.

Second dam Winning Call (Deputy Minister) is responsible for the terribly missed GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile hero Tapizar (Tapit) and his full-sister Tamboz, who produced the likes of GISP Creative Minister (Creative Cause) and MGSP Oceanwave (Harlan's Holiday).

The winner is his dam's first offspring, but the $200,000 '19 Fasig-Tipton Winter sale purchase by KatieRich Farms has produced an unraced 2-year-old named Rascality (Into Mischief). That filly, who worked out at Santa Anita on Sunday going three furlongs (:38.40, 21/31), was bought by Legacy Ranch at the '22 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling sale for $190,000. Taking Aim also has yearling filly by Speightstown.

Sales History: $155,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL; $400,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $70,050. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Lael Stables; B-KatieRich Farms (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux.

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Turf Racing Suspended at Churchill

Churchill Downs Racetrack has suspended racing over its Matt Winn Turf Course for at least two weeks, according to a release from the track. The move comes five days after they announced that they would limit usage of the course to two races per day, and a day after Gingrich (Mr Speaker), the 9-5 second choice in Friday's second race, was vanned off after he “went wrong” according to the Equibase chart. He was subsequently euthanized.

The Matt Winn Course was newly installed for the current meeting which opened April 30.

“In order to allow our new turf course to continue to develop its root system, we have suspended turf racing for the next two weeks,” said Churchill Downs President Mike Anderson. “The new Bermuda-hybrid grass was installed last fall and will continue to mature during the very warm days and weeks ahead. We've made a long-term investment in our turf course, and we're confident this brief pause will allow it to become more robust.”

Earlier this week in the TDN, T. D. Thornton detailed some of the issues the course had had, and some of the efforts to try to ameliorate those issues.

“We've decided it's best to limit turf racing to two races per day for the remainder of the Spring Meet (starting June 11) to allow the new turf course to continue to mature and become more robust,” Churchill's Senior Director of Communications Darren Rogers wrote at the time. “We've had good, open dialogue with the riders. The grass has been cut short to promote the continued root growth. We've had the flexibility to adjust the temporary rail positions to four different lanes. We have complete confidence it'll be more robust for additional turf racing later this year with just a little more time.”

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Churchill Downs To Install New Turf Course

A new $10-million turf course that will widen the running surface and increase durability to allow for an increased number of races will be installed at Churchill Downs following the Spring 2021 meet at the historic Louisville oval. Officials expect that the new course will be ready for use in the Spring of 2022, but did not rule out the possibility that turf racing could resume in November 2021.

The current Matt Winn Turf Course is a seven-eighths mile oval situated inside the dirt track and has been in use since the introduction of turf racing in 1985. It is comprised of four-inch high Kentucky 31 Fescue (90%) and Bluegrass (10%) grown in a three-inch topsoil layer over a 13-inch course masonry sand base.

The new and more robust turf course will be a similar blend of fescue and bluegrass and will have a redesigned subsurface. The growing medium will contain a six-inch upper root zone layer created with a blended mix of topsoil and grit sand which will sit on a six-inch lower sand layer constructed with masonry sand. Churchill Downs planted several test plots in the spring of 2019 and selected the best for use in the new turf course.

A state-of-the-art irrigation and drainage system and will be widened to 85 feet. The new course will allow for a variety of rail positions from 0 to 36 feet and will accommodate a field size of up to 14 horses.

Because of the project, there will be no stabling at Churchill in July and August 2021 and no racing will take place in September 2021 so as to allow for the turf course to take hold.

Of the 700 races staged annually at Churchill, approximately 25% are written for the grass. In 2019, there were 169 races carded for the turf, but 43 of those were transferred to the main track due to weather and/or sub-optimal turf conditions. Officials at Churchill were forced to cancel turf racing for the final two weeks of the current meeting.

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Kentucky Derby Week Stakes Purses Remain Even; $9.85 Million September Stakes Schedule Announced

A total of 18 stakes events, topped by the 146th runnings of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) and $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), are on tap for the 2020 September Meet at Churchill Downs.

The September Meet stakes schedule is led by the revised Kentucky Derby Week, which was moved from April 25-May 2 to Sept. 1-5 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spectacular week of racing will feature 14 graded stakes, including five Grade I races that will be headlined by the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, Sept. 5 and Kentucky Oaks on Friday, Sept. 4.

Kentucky Derby Day will showcase seven graded stakes races including the Grade I, $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course for older horses and the Grade I, $500,000 Derby City Distaff (formerly known as the Humana Distaff) for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

A new addition to the revised Kentucky Derby Day stakes schedule is the $200,000 Iroquois presented by Ford (GIII), the launch of the Road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby (Top 4 points: 10-4-2-1) and a “Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Juvenile Division” race for 2-year-olds that will be run at one-mile. The winner will receive an automatic berth to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) held on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

Other stakes on Kentucky Derby Day are the $500,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (GII) for fillies and mares at one-mile on turf; the $500,000 American Turf (GII) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf; and the $500,000 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU (GII) for 3-year-olds at one mile.

Kentucky Oaks Day will feature six graded stakes events which includes the Grade I, $500,000 La Troienne for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. Other stakes on the program are the $400,000 Alysheba (GII) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles; the $300,000 Eight Belles presented by Smithfield Foods (GII) for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs; the $300,000 Edgewood presented by Forcht Bank (GII) for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf (shortened from its previous 1 1/16 miles on turf); and the $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint presented by Sysco (GII) for 3-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs on turf.

While the Iroquois is set for Kentucky Derby Day, its filly counterpart, the $200,000 Pocahontas (GIII), will be run two days prior on “Thurby.” The one-mile event for 2-year-old fillies kicks off the Road to the 2021 Kentucky Oaks (Top 4 points: 10-4-2-1) and is a “Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Division” contest with the winner receiving an automatic berth to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

The Grade I Churchill Downs Stakes, which was previously run on Kentucky Derby Day, is tentatively scheduled to be run during the Fall Meet.

After the Sept. 1-5 Kentucky Derby Week, Churchill Downs will stage its annual nine-day September Meet from Sept. 17-27. The lone stakes event will be the $100,000 Ack Ack for 3-year-olds and up at one mile on Sept. 26.

For more information, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

Day/Date	Running	Grade	Purse	Race	Age/Sex	Distance	Surface
Champions Day
Tuesday, Sept. 1	2^nd		$100,000	Champions Day Marathon Overnight Stakes presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance	3&up	1 ½ M	Dirt

Wednesday, Sept. 2	10^th		$150,000	Unbridled Sidney	3&up f/m	5 ½ F	Turf
Thurby *Presented By Old Forester*
Thursday, Sept. 3	52^nd	III	$200,000	Pocahontas	2yo f	1 M	Dirt
Thursday, Sept. 3	15^th		$100,000	Opening Verse Overnight Stakes	3&up	1 M	Turf
Longines Kentucky Oaks Day Six stakes races cumulatively worth $3 million
Friday, Sept. 4	146^th	I	$1,250,000	Longines Kentucky Oaks	3yo f	1 1/8 M	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	35^th	I	$500,000	La Troienne	4&up f/m	1 1/16 M	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	17^th	II	$400,000	Alysheba	4&up	1 1/16 M	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	65^th	II	$300,000	Eight Belles presented by Smithfield Foods	3yo f	7 F	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	36^th	II	$300,000	Edgewood presented by Forcht Bank	3yo f	1 M	Turf
Friday, Sept. 4	26^th	II	$250,000	Twin Spires Turf Sprint	3&up	5 ½ F	Turf
Kentucky Derby Day *Presented by Woodford Reserve* Seven stakes races cumulatively worth $6.2 million
Saturday, Sept. 5	146^th	I	$3,000,000	Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve	3yo	1 ¼ M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 5	34^th	I	$1,000,000	Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic	4&up	1 1/8 M	Turf
Saturday, Sept. 5	34^th	I	$500,000	Derby City Distaff	4&up f/m	7 F	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 5	35^th	II	$500,000	Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile	4&up f/m	1 M	Turf
Saturday, Sept. 5	96^th	II	$500,000	Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU	3yo	1 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 5	29^th	II	$500,000	American Turf	3yo	1 1/16 M	Turf
Saturday, Sept. 5	39^th	III	$200,000	Iroquois presented by Ford	2yo	1 M	Dirt

Saturday, Sept. 26	28^th	III	$100,000	Ack Ack	3&up	1 M	Dirt

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