Churchill Downs Winner Atta Boy Roy Heads Aristides; Eight 3-Year-Old Fillies in Saturday's Dogwood

May 27, 2010 Gary Yunt

R.E.V. Racing’s Atta Boy Roy, who scored a wire-to-wire victory in the seven-furlong Churchill Downs (GII) on Kentucky Derby Day, will face five rivals Saturday in the 22nd running of the $100,000 Aristides (GIII) for older sprinters.

The six-furlong Aristides shares top billing on Saturday with the 36th running of the $100,000-added Dogwood (GIII) for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on the main track. The Dogwood drew a field of eight, including two runners that competed four weeks ago behind the victorious Blind Luck in the 136th Kentucky Oaks (GI).

The Aristides goes as the eighth race on the 11-race program with an approximate post time of 4:29 p.m. (EDT). The Dogwood is the 10th race with a 5:29 p.m. post time. First post time Saturday is 12:45 p.m.

Trained by Valorie Lund, Atta Boy Roy drew the rail for the Aristides and will carry high weight of 124 pounds. Calvin Borel, who was aboard for the Derby Day victory, has the call Saturday as he shoots for his second Aristides win. Borel rode Bet On Sunshine to victory in 2001.

Second high weight in the Aristides belongs to Bertram, Richard and Elaine Klein’s Cash Refund, who will carry 122 pounds and break from post position five under Brian Hernandez Jr. Trained by Steve Margolis, Cash Refund has won five of six career starts and captured two sprint stakes this winter at Fair Grounds.

Bold Start won last year’s Aristides for trainer Ken McPeek with Robby Albarado riding.

The field for the Aristides, from the rail out, is as follows: Atta Boy Roy (Borel, 124 pounds), Chief of Affairs (Miguel Mena, 120), Lissa’s Star (Corey Lanerie, 118), Riley Tucker (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), Cash Refund (Hernandez Jr., 122) and Cassoulet (Francisco Torres, 118).

Starlight Partners’ Ailalea, fifth in the Kentucky Oaks, and Twin Creeks Farm, Sky Chai Racing and Bluegrass Equine Center’s Age of Humor, 12th in the America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies, headline the Dogwood field.

lalea, trained by Todd Pletcher, won the Tempted (GIII) at Aqueduct last fall and this year, prior to the Oaks, finished sixth in the Forward Gal (GII) at Gulfstream Park and sixth in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII). Ailalea, breaking from post position four, will carry top weight of 123 pounds and be ridden by Calvin Borel, who won the Dogwood in 2007 on Lady Joanne.

Age of Humor, trained by Mike Maker, opened the year with a victory in the Busanda at Aqueduct and followed that up with a third-place finish in the Silverbulletday (GIII) at Fair Grounds and a runner-up finish in the Bourbonette Oaks (GIII) at Turfway Park. Francisco Torres has the call on Age of Humor, who will carry 117 pounds and break from post position two. Torres won the 2000 Dogwood on Welcome Surprise.

Hightap won last year’s Dogwood for trainer Steve Asmussen with Shaun Bridgmohan riding. That duo is represented Saturday by the Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s Vertical Vision, a two-time stakes winner in 2009. Vertical Vision will carry 119 pounds and break from post position six.

The field for the Dogwood, from the rail out, is as follows: Tap Tap Tapping (Freddie Lenclud, 117 pounds), Age of Humor (Torres, 117), Fuzzy Britches (Corey Lanerie, 119), Ailalea (Borel, 123), Helen Belen (Sal Gonzalez Jr., 119), Vertical Vision (Bridgmohan, 119), Visavis (Jamie Theriot, 117) and Bell’s Shoes (Jon Court, 117).