Competitive Field Of 14 Sprinters To Battle For $70,000 Kelly's Landing

Jun 24, 2015 Darren Rogers

Churchill Downs’ Spring Meet winners Agent Di Nozzo, Guns Loaded, Ruble and Viva Majorca clash in a competitive sixth renewal of the $70,000-added Kelly’s Landing overnight stakes, one of four stakes events on the 11-race “Downs After Dark” closing night program.

The seven-furlong sprint, which goes as Race 9 at approximately 10:11 p.m. ET lured a field of 11 3-year-olds and up.

Marylou Whitney Stables’ Viva Majorca (11-3-1-1—$153,040) and Live Oak Plantation’s Souper Knight (15-4-4-3—$192,490) ran fourth in Grade III six-furlong sprints in their previous starts. Viva Majorca, trained by Ian Wilkes, was beaten 7 ½ lengths by Alsvid in the $100,000 Aristides on May 30 at Churchill Downs. Trainer Mike Trombetta’s Maryland invader Souper Knight finished 5 ½ lengths back of Sandbar in the $150,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap on the May 16 Preakness Stakes undercard at Pimlico.

The field from the rail out (with jockeys): Good Lord (Miguel Mena); Schivarelli (Corey Lanerie); Souper Knight (Robby Albarado); Stealcase (Rafael Hernandez); Guns Loaded (Jon Court); Ruble (Julien Leparoux); Agent Di Nozzo (Joe Rocco Jr.); Russellin (Francisco Torres); Brewing (James Graham); Viva Majorca (Brian Hernandez Jr.); and 3-year-old Championofjustice (Jack Gilligan).

The race is named in honor of Summerplace Farm’s Kelly’s Landing, who earned $1,853,831 from a record of 10-3-2 in 27 starts for trainer Eddie Kenneally between 2004-09. The gelding won the six-furlong Aristides Handicap (GIII) at Churchill Downs in 2005 by stopping the teletimer in a track record 1:07.55 (since eclipsed). His biggest victory came in the 2007 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Nad Al Sheba in the United Arab Emirates. Kely’s Landing also won the 2006 Phoenix (GIII) at Keeneland and 2007 Mr. Prospector Handicap (GIII) at Gulfstream Park.