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Tom Rides Hot Streak Into Foster

Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike) has been on a streak over the last few months and is heavily favored on the morning-line to secure his fourth straight victory in Saturday’s GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill Downs, which grants the winner a spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Capturing a sloppy renewal of the GII Fayette S. at Keeneland in October, the bay followed suit with a decisive score in the track-and-trip GI Clark S. Nov. 29. He kicked off 2020 with a 3/4-length score in the Oaklawn Mile Apr. 11 on a wet track.

“I’m not worried about he’s going to show up in the Foster; he runs very well fresh,” trainer Al Stall Jr. told the Churchill notes team. “This race will feed us into the rest of the year, which looks like it’s setting up well with the schedules in New York and elsewhere. This is his home track and has a visual of it in front of his stall, sort of like Blame did.”

By My Standards (Goldencents) also rides a hot streak into this race and will give his elder some competition. Kicking off 2020 with a six-length romp in a Fair Grounds optional claimer Feb. 9, the 4-year-old scored a decisive victory in the GII New Orleans Classic S. Mar. 21 and captured the GII Oaklawn H. last time May 2, earning a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

“[By My Standards] has shown every positive development from his 3-year-old season to this year,” trainer Bret Calhoun said. “He’s a very talented racehorse and we saw that with his strong campaign last year. He’s just bigger and stronger this year.”

Three-time Grade III winner Owendale (Into Mischief) takes another shot at Tom’s d’Etat here after finishing second to that rival in the Clark. The bay rallied from well back to captured the one-mile Blame S. at this oval last time May 2.

Another runner of interest at more of a price is the Todd Pletcher-trained Fearless (Ghostzapper). Opening his account with a pair of good-looking scores at Gulfstream this winter, the $725,000 KEESEP buy was off the board in the New Orleans Classic and closed strongly for second next out in an Oaklawn optional claimer May 2. The bay returned to winning ways last time in an optional claimer at this venue May 30.

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Rising Star Cazadero Headlines Bashford Manor

Stonestreet Stables homebred Cazadero (Street Sense) looks to make good on his ‘TDN Rising Star’-worthy debut in the GIII Bashford Manor S. at Churchill Downs Saturday, the first graded event of the season for juveniles. The Steve Asmussen trainee demolished the field in his five-panel unveiling here, earning his diploma by 8 3/4 lengths May 29, good enough to earn an 81 Beyer Speed Figure. The Hall of Fame conditioner also saddles Hulen (Tapiture), a 1 1/2-length debut graduate beneath the Twin Spires June 12.

Peter Miller ships Herd Immunity (Union Rags) in from California for a shot at black-type. Breaking a step slow in his career bow at Santa Anita June 6, the chestnut fought his way to the front and drove clear to earn his diploma.

Todd Pletcher also makes the trip to Louisville with Hyperfocus (Constitution). The Repole homebred rallied to victory after a slow start in his debut at Gulfstream May 9.

County Final (Oxbow) graduated by four lengths in his unveiling on the turf here June 5 and his pilot James Graham said he thinks the surface switch won’t be an issue.

“I really like that we’ll be the last horse to load in the gate,” Graham told the Churchill media team. “If he breaks well, we’ll be able to see what the other horses to our inside are doing in the early stages. He has speed and he trains well on the dirt. So, the switch fromthe turf to the dirt should be no problem either.”

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Midnight Bisou Makes Stateside Return in Fleur de Lis

After finishing a valiant second to fellow champion Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) in the G1 Saudi Cup Feb. 29, Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) makes her first start back on U.S. soil in Saturday’s GII Fleur de Lis H. at Churchill Downs, a “Win and You’re In” event for the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The dark bay dominated the distaff division last season, winning seven straight graded races, including the GI Apple Blossom H., GI Ogden Phipps S. and GI Personal Ensign S. The Eclipse winner suffered her only loss of 2019 when rallying from well-back to be second to Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize) in the Distaff at Santa Anita Nov. 2 and made a bold move up the rail to be second by just 3/4 of a length in the Saudi Cup.

Distaff third-place finisher and GI Kentucky Oaks victress Serengeti Empress (Alternation) will take another crack at the champ here. Setting the pace in the GIII Houston Ladies Classic Jan. 26, she was run down late by Lady Apple (Curlin) and forced to settle for second. Returning to winning ways with a front-running 6 1/4-length demolition in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn’s GII Azeri S. Mar. 14, the dark bay never made the front in the Apr. 18 Apple Blossom and faded to 11th. Don’t count her out off that performance, however. Serengeti Empress won the Oaks after being vanned off in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks last spring.

“If you want to talk about a challenge, this is it,” trainer Tom Amoss told the Churchill notes team. “We face a challenge with champion Midnight Bisou. We have great respect for her but we also have a ton of confidence in our filly. Her preparation has been great for this race and we’ll be ready.”

Also exiting the Apple Blossom is seventh-place finisher Go Google Yourself (Into Mischief), who won Oaklawn’s GIII Bayakoa S. prior to that effort. The bay also won the Groupie Doll S. and GIII Locust Grove S. last summer and was second in the GII Falls City S. in November.

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Saturday’s Belmont Headliner is Brown’s ‘Game’ to Lose

Chad Brown saddles a trio so strong in Belmont’s GI Just a Game S. Saturday that it would be quite surprising if he does not take home his fourth straight renewal of the event. Leading the Brown contingent is Uni (GB) (More Than Ready), who makes her first start of 2020 after a championship 2019 season. Winner of the 2018 GI Matriarch S., the chestnut kicked off last term with a win in the Perfect Sting S. over course and distance June 29 and was third to the re-opposing Got Stormy (Get Stormy) when facing males in Saratoga’s GI Fourstardave H. in August. Returning to winning ways in Keeneland’s GI First Lady S. Oct. 5, Uni got the better of Got Stormy last tie with a 1 1/2-length score when facing the boys again in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita Nov. 2. Got Stormy won last year’s Matriarch, but is winless in three starts this season, most recently finishing fourth in Belmont’s GIII Beaugay S. June 3.

“She’s doing well,” Brown told the NYRA notes team in reference to Uni. “There’s a little uncertainty with the layoff, but she seems to be training well. She has a great turn of foot and we’ll just see how it plays out.”

Uni’s biggest competition will likely come from her own shedrow in Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). A perfect three-for-three during her 2019 juvenile seasonal capped by a win at the Breeders’ Cup, the bay was winless in 2019, starting with a pair of runner-up efforts in the GIII Edgewood S. and GIII Wonder Again S. Fading to ninth in the GI Belmont Oaks last July, she was subsequently shelved for the season and appeared back to her old self when next seen in the seven-panel GIII Intercontinental S. over a yielding course at Belmont June 6. Newspaperofrecord seemed to relish the cutback in trip last time–registering a 103 Beyer Speed Figure–after racing over distances from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/4 miles last season and a repeat of that performance would make her a strong contender here.

“She seems very settled in the mornings,” Brown said of Newspaperofrecord. “She went fast fractions last time, which wasn’t really what I wanted, but she doesn’t need to do that. She’s been pretty relaxed and settled.”

The third Brown runner Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) will likely be much higher odds than her two stablemates, but it would be no surprise to see her get a piece. The chestnut captured both the GIII Lake George S. and GII Lake Placid S. last summer, but could only manage sixth behind another stablemate Cambier Parc (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI QEII Cup Oct. 12. She finished second to Newspaperofrecord last out in the Intercontinental.

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