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Mott-Trained Du Jour Headlines Full Field Of 3-Year-Olds For $750,000 Dueling Grounds Derby

Du Jour, winner of Churchill Downs' Grade 2 American Turf on Kentucky Derby Day, heads a capacity field of twelve 3-year-olds entered for Sunday's $750,000 Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby on opening day of the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs.

The Vicki Oliver-trained Core Values, fresh off beating boys in Ellis Park's prep for the Dueling Grounds Derby, goes back in against fillies while putting her three-race win streak on the line in the co-featured $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks. Both stakes are 1 5/16 miles, one lap around Kentucky Downs' undulating, kidney-shaped course.

A total of 145 horses are on the program for Sunday's 11-race card, with an extra race added because of the strong demand. There are 124 horses in the body of the races, with another 21 needing defections in order to run. Seven races attracted at least 12 entries. The Dueling Grounds Oaks' field of nine is the smallest field, with an 11-horse field and a pair of 10-horse fields rounding out the card.

Du Jour most recently was third in Saratoga's $1 million, Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational after finishing fourth in the $1 million, Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational in his first two races for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The colt previously was trained by California-based Bob Baffert, whose wife, Jill, is Du Jour's co-owner. Du Jour's American Turf was part of a huge day at Churchill Downs for Baffert, who finished first with Medina Spirit for what seemed to be his record-breaking seventh Kentucky Derby victory. That victory is in doubt, however, with Medina Spirit facing potential disqualification after subsequently testing positive for a therapeutic medication at more than the permitted level on race day.

Reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox has a strong tandem in the 3-year-old stakes with Royal Prince in the Dueling Grounds Derby and Adventuring in the Dueling Grounds Oaks.

Royal Prince lost Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Derby by a nose to Core Values after garnering a second and third in a pair of $75,000 stakes at the Fair Grounds and Sam Houston earlier in the year. Royal Prince has the distinction of finishing first in his debut at Kentucky Downs a year ago, only to have the race declared a no-contest because of a gate malfunction.

Modern Science gets another crack at Royal Prince after leading all the way in the Ellis Park prep only to get passed late to finish third by a total of a neck.

Among other Dueling Grounds Derby contenders: Kelly Breen ships Delaware's Grade 3 Kent Stakes victor Yes This Time in from Saratoga where the colt's five-race win streak ended with an eighth place in the Saratoga Derby after being pinched off at the start.

The Rusty Arnold-trained Cellist was sixth in the Saratoga Derby and third in the Belmont Derby after defeating Dueling Grounds Derby entrant Palazzi and Royal Prince in Churchill Downs' Audubon Stakes. Arnold also has Grey Streak in the Dueling Grounds Derby, with both colts owned by Calumet Farm.

Adventuring was third, by a total of a half-length, as the favorite in Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs TVG Preview Dueling Grounds Oaks, won by Core Value's stablemate Flippant in a stakes sweep for Oliver. The winner of Turfway Park's Bourbonette, Adventuring worked a half-mile in a sparkling 47 2/5 seconds on Monday – the fastest of the morning — in company with Royal Prince.

Also back from Ellis Park's Preview Dueling Grounds Oaks is fourth-place finisher Oliviaofthedesert. Trainer Kenny McPeek has enjoyed a lot of success in the Dueling Grounds Oaks, winning in 2019 with Princesa Carolina and in 2017 with Daddys Lil Darlin and coming in second in 2018 with Princess Warrior.

Mark Casse, voted into racing's Hall of Fame last year and formally inducted this year after a COVID delay, sends out the entry of Woodbine allowance winner Inthewinnerscircle and Earth Strike in the Dueling Grounds Oaks among his seven horses in on Sunday.

Joel Rosario comes in from Saratoga to ride the opening card and has been named on 10 horses, including Du Jour and Adventuring. Also leaving Saratoga early is defending meet champion Tyler Gaffalione, who likewise is in every race but one.

Mike Maker, Kentucky Downs' all-time win leader who captured his fifth training crown last year, has a relatively calm opening day by the frenetic standards he's set at the entry box for the track. Maker has six horses in the entries, two of which are on the also-eligible list and will need defections to run. Among those assured of being in the race is Hilliard, a $40,000 claim at Saratoga in his last start. Maker will try to make the gelding his latest stakes winner by running him longer distances on turf.

The post Mott-Trained Du Jour Headlines Full Field Of 3-Year-Olds For $750,000 Dueling Grounds Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Top Executive Completes Sweep Of Emerald Downs’ Sophomore Stakes

Top Executive outfought Coastal Kid in an epic stretch duel and notched a head victory Sunday in the $50,000 Muckleshoot Derby for 3-year-olds at Emerald Downs.

Ridden by Kevin Orozco at 123 lbs., Top Executive ran a mile and one-sixteenth in 1:42.25 and paid $5.80 as the betting favorite. With the victory, Top Executive completed a season sweep of the 3-year-old colts and geldings division at Emerald Downs, winning in order the Auburn Stakes at six furlongs, Irish Day Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs and Muckleshoot Derby at eight and a half furlongs.

A Kentucky-bred by Street Boss, Top Executive earned $27,500 to boost his career bankroll to $115,198. His overall record is 5-0-0 in eight starts including four stakes victories at Emerald Downs. Blaine Wright, now tied with Bud Klokstad for fourth all-time with 46 stakes wins at Emerald Downs, is the winning trainer.

Top Executive stalked Coastal Kid through fractions of :22.50, :45.58 and 1:09.53, swept to the lead into the lane and was fully extended to hold Coastal Kid at bay.

“(Top Executive) wanted to get to the lead and I had to kind of strangle him early,” Orozco said. “He was pulling me forward and I just let him go. It was a tough race, the other horse kept battling too.”

Coastal Kid, the 3 to 1 third choice ridden by Wayne Barnett at 123 lbs., did everything but win the race. Despite setting fast early fractions the son of Coast Guard was resilient through the lane, battling head and head with Top Executive every inch of the stretch run before settling for second.

Slew's Tiz Whiz, a 13 to 1 longshot ridden by Jose Zunino at 123 lbs., rallied late for third place, 1 ½ lengths behind Coastal Kid.

House of Lords finished fourth, followed by 5 to 2 second choice Bobby Brinkley, Naval Escort, Falsely Accused, Nationheart, Ididntseethatcomin and Kowboykabin.

John Loftus of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe presented the winning trophy to the owners in the winner's circle.

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Canadian shipper Bayakoas Image powered to the lead into the stretch and drew off for a 5 ¾-length victory in the $50,000 Washington Oaks for 3-year-old fillies.

Ridden by Alexander Marti at 121 lbs. Bayakoas Image covered the mile and one-sixteenth in 1:42.74 and paid $7.80 as the second choice in the wagering. Kay Cooper handled saddling chores at Emerald Downs for owners Brian O'Connell and Joanne Todd of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The winner stalked Curious Sensation through six furlongs in 1:11.99, took command a quarter mile from home and drew off to win with complete authority.

“When I asked her at the quarter-pole, she flew home,” Marti said. “She's such a good filly.”

A British Columbia-bred by Lent, Bayakoas Image won three of four starts this summer at Hastings Racecourse including a recent allowance victory at Sunday's Oaks distance. Her overall record is 4-2-0 from seven starts with earnings of $71,994 including $27,500 for Sunday's triumph.

Broad Approval, the 2 to 1 favorite ridden by Leslie Mawing at 121 lbs., rallied from eighth to take second place for trainer Sandi Gann and owner Glen Todd. A Daughter of Carpe Diem, Broad Approval finished runner-up to Bayakoas Image twice this summer at Hastings and most recently second to Blazingbellablu in the Kent Stakes at Emerald Downs.

Ms Lynn, a 16 to 1 outsider ridden by Julien Couton at 121 lbs, edged Blazingbellablu for third place.

Blazingbellablu, co-second choice at 5 to 2, had her three-race winning streak snapped while settling for fourth. Rounding out the order of finish were Our Lyla Grace, Curious Sensation and Stellaczar (dead heat for seventh), La Una, Aquinas, and Street Shadow.

Tempered Steel, dam of Bayakoas Image, was a triple stakes winner at Hastings Racecourse while Marti currently ranks third with 31 wins at the Vancouver track.

The post Top Executive Completes Sweep Of Emerald Downs’ Sophomore Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Key Takeaways from Travers Stakes Weekend

Tom Pedulla presents five takeaways from the $1.25 million Runhappy Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course and other major developments this weekend:

Medina Spirit Wins Shared Belief Stakes in Return

Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit made his first race appearance in over three months a winning one as he cruised to a front-running 1 ¼-length victory in the $100,500 Shared Belief Stakes Aug. 29 at Del Mar.