Sweep of Fall Meet Juvenile Stakes Could Be In The Stars for Kentucky Jockey Club Favorite Astrology

Nov 24, 2010 Gary Yunt

Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton’s Astrology, an impressive 2 ¾-length winner of Churchill Downs’ Iroquois (Grade III) on Oct. 31, heads a field of seven 2-year-olds entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 84th running of the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (GII) at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

The Kentucky Jockey Club is co-featured on Saturday’s Churchill Downs racing card with the $150,000-added Golden Rod (GII) for juvenile fillies.  It is scheduled as the 11th event on a 12-race “Stars of Tomorrow II” program devoted exclusively to races for 2-year-olds. Post time for the Kentucky Jockey Club is 5:42 p.m. (all times Eastern) with first post time Saturday at 12:40 p.m.

Last year’s renewal of the Kentucky Jockey Club was won by WinStar Farm’s homebred Super Saver, who returned this spring to take the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

Astrology, a clear 6-5 favorite in Churchill Downs handicapper Mike Battaglia’s morning line odds for the Kentucky Jockey Club, is a son of A.P. Indy who has won two of four career starts and will break from post position five.  He will be ridden by Garrett Gomez, who was aboard Astrology for his victory in the Iroquois and won the Kentucky Jockey Club in 1993 aboard War Deputy.

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmussen, who is closing in on 500 wins for the year to lead the nation’s trainers in total victories in 2010, will saddle Astrology.  He is bidding for a second victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club after saddling Private Vow to win the race in 2007.

The only other graded stakes winner in the field is Gary and Mary West’s Major Gain, who took the Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity on the synthetic Polytrack surface at Arlington Park on Sept. 11. Trained by Wayne Catalano, Major Gain will be ridden by Robby Albarado and breaks from post position four as the 4-1 co-third choice with Wind River Stable’s Cane Garden Bay.

Another runner of note is Tom Walters’ Santiva, the 7-2 second choice in the morning line. Although a maiden, Santiva ran second in the Breeders’ Futurity (GI) at Keeneland on Oct. 9.  Shaun Bridgmohan has the riding assignment on Santiva, who will break from post position two.

The field for the Kentucky Jockey Club, from the rail out (with jockey and odds), is as follows: Prideofthechapter (Rosemary Homeister Jr., 20-1), Santiva (Bridgmohan, 7-2), Cane Garden Bay (Julien Leparoux, 4-1), Major Gain (Albarado, 4-1), Astrology (Gomez, 6-5), Enable (Michael Baze, 20-1) and Halo’s Thunder (Kent Desormeaux, 10-1). All starters will carry 122 pounds.