Churchill Downs Update: Hit Show, Most Wanted Lead Cox's Strong Hand in Friday's Clark

Nov 27, 2024

Trainer Brad Cox has stacked the entry box for the final week of Churchill Downs’ 2024 Fall Meet with 16 horses entered from Thursday through Sunday, including the top two choices in Friday’s $600,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade II): Wathnan Racing’s multiple graded stakes winner Hit Show (3-1) and Gary and Mary West’s undefeated 3-year-old Most Wanted (7-2).

“It should be a fun weekend of racing. We’ve got a lot of nice horses entered,” Cox said. “The Clark is always a marquee race in the fall, and both horses fit the race well. We’re expecting top efforts from them both.”

Hit Show, a 4-year-old son of Candy Ride (ARG), enters the Clark on a three-race win streak with victories in the Fayette (GII), Lukas Classic (GII) and West Virginia Governor’s Cup (GIII). He has earned more than $1.2 million with seven wins in 14 starts. As a 3-year-old, Hit Show finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) and fourth in the Belmont Stakes (GI), just 2 ¼ lengths behind winner Arcangelo. Tyler Gaffalione will ride Hit Show from post 6.

“He’s a really good horse and has trained well going into this race,” Cox said. “He’s won three in a row and we’re very proud of what he’s accomplished so far in his career.”

Most Wanted has also accomplished a lot in just four starts, winning the Ellis Park Derby and Oklahoma Derby (GIII). Jockey Florent Geroux, who has been aboard Hit Show in his last five starts, opted to ride Most Wanted in the Clark from post 5.

For owners Gary and Mary West, the Clark will feature a special rooting interest as they bred and previously campaigned Hit Show before privately selling him to Wathnan Racing this summer.

Run at 1 1/8 miles, the Clark is scheduled as Race 11 on Churchill Downs’ 12-race Black Friday card, with a post time of 5:48 p.m. ET. First post is at 1 p.m.

The field for the Clark from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

·        Bolzy (Frankie Dettori, Donnie K. Von Hemel, 12-1)

·        Grand Aspen (Gerardo Corrales, Jonathan Thomas, 20-1)

·        Crupi (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher, 4-1)

·        Piroli (Edgar Morales, Michael McCarthy, 20-1)

·        Most Wanted (Geroux, Cox, 7-2)

·        Hit Show (Gaffalione, Cox, 3-1)

·        Rattle N Roll (Hernandez, McPeek, 5-1)

·        Red Route One (Cristian Torres, Steve Asmussen, 8-1)

·        Cooke Creek (Luis Saez, Mike Maker, 6-1)

·        Uno Mas Bourbon (Francisco Arrieta, Ian Wilkes, 20-1)

Along with Hit Show and Most Wanted, Cox is also poised for stakes success in Thursday’s $400,000 Falls City (GIII) with 9-5 morning line favorite Tarifa and Saturday’s $400,000 Golden Rod (GII) with undefeated Good Cheer (4-5) and Eclatant (5-2)

The Clark is one of two stakes on Friday’s card, which also features the $300,000 Mrs. Revere (GII) for 3-year-old fillies on turf. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a 2025 Churchill Downs calendar sponsored by Humana.

Fans at Churchill Downs on Black Friday will have the opportunity to honor one of the brightest stars in horse racing, Thorpedo Anna, the 2024 Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) winner and one of the favorites to win 2024 Horse of the Year honors.

The standout 3-year-old filly will be paraded in the Churchill Downs paddock during Race 7, from approximately 3:30-3:50 p.m. Thorpedo Anna will join the field for Race 9 during the walkover to the paddock and remain there throughout the race, giving fans a unique opportunity to celebrate her historic campaign up close.

Owned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing, Thorpedo Anna has assembled a dazzling resumé this season under the guidance of trainer Kenny McPeek. Her dominance in the 3-year-old division includes Grade I victories in the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, Cotillion Stakes and most recently, the Breeders' Cup Distaff (GI) against older horses at Del Mar.

 

JONATHAN’S WAY LOOKS TO GET BACK ON TRACK IN KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB – Rigney Racing’s highly regarded 2-year-old Jonathan’s Way will attempt to rebound from a disappointing effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile when he headlines a field of 10 promising juveniles in Saturday’s $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade II) at Churchill Downs. The 1 1/16-mile race is a key stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Tabbed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, Jonathan’s Way caught attention in mid-August at Saratoga when he broke his maiden by 4 ¼ lengths. Despite a slow start, he circled the field of eight rivals around the far turn to secure an impressive victory. He followed that effort by launching his Road to Kentucky Derby 151 campaign with a victory in the Iroquois Stakes (GIII) 10 weeks ago at Churchill Downs.

However, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Jonathan’s Way, sent off at 5-1 odds, faltered after chasing the early pace set by Citizen Bull, finishing a disappointing seventh.

“We were obviously pretty disappointed with how he ran in the Breeders’ Cup after what he showed us in his first two starts,” trainer Phil Bauer said. “This race on Saturday will give us a good idea of how to plan his starts over the winter. We got him back to Churchill after the Breeders’ Cup and he came out of the race in great shape. When we returned him to the work tab, he posted a sharp five-furlong work in 58-and-change. If he breaks like he did in the Iroquois, I’d expect him to be close to the early pace.”

The Kentucky Jockey Club will go as Race 11 on the 12-race program, with a post time of 5:48 p.m. ET. First post is at 1 p.m. The day’s card will also feature its filly counterpart, the $400,000 Golden Rod (GII), in Race 9, a Road to the Kentucky Oaks Prep Season event. Additional stakes include the $225,000 Ed Brown in Race 6 and the $225,000 Fern Creek in Race 10.

The field for the Kentucky Jockey Club in order of post position (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

·        He’s Not Joking (Florent Geroux, Josie Carroll, 8-1)

·        Jonathan’s Way (Rosario, Bauer, 5-2)

·        Tiztastic (Cristian Torres, Steve Asmussen, 5-1)

·        Dapper Moon (Ricardo Santana Jr., Dallas Stewart, 8-1)

·        Filoso (John Velazquez, Chad Summers, 8-1)

·        Clock Tower (Gerardo Corrales, Wesley Ward, 10-1)

·        Sonic Skidaddle (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh, 6-1)

·        First Resort (Luis Saez, Eoin Harty, 9-2)

·        Render Judgment (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 12-1)

·        Redacted (Edgar Morales, Dallas Stewart, 30-1)

The Kentucky Jockey Club is a Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season race, offering qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale toward a spot in the starting gate for the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI).

 

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER POOL 2, SIRE FUTURE WAGER OPENS THURSDAY – Fans will have their second of six opportunities to bet on the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) Thursday-Sunday with Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager where Grade I winners Chancer McPatrick and East Avenue were made the 10-1 co-individual favorites with All Other Colts and Geldings Foaled in 2022 not listed within the 38 individual interests listed as the heavy 4-5 favorite.

Running concurrently with Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is the lone Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, where fans can wager on sires of Derby prospects.

The four-day pools, featuring $2 Win and Exacta wagering, will open Thursday at noon (all times Eastern) and close Sunday at 6 p.m.

The Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager allows fans to bet on 39 individual sires, as well as an option for “All Other Sires.” Horses sired by Into Mischief were made the 12-1 individual favorite, while “All Other Sires” was also tabbed as the 12-1 co-favorite.

The complete field for Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (with trainer, sire and odds):

 

#1 Admiral Dennis (Brad Cox, Constitution, 50-1)
#2 Barnes (Bob Baffert, Into Mischief, 25-1)
#3 Bullard (Michael McCarthy, Gun Runner, 30-1)
#4 Calling Card (Mike Maker, Complexity, 99-1)
#5 Chancer McPatrick (Chad Brown, McKinzie, 10-1)
#6 Citizen Bull (Bob Baffert, Into Mischief, 20-1)
#7 Disco Time (Brad Cox, Not This Time, 30-1)
#8 Donut God (Brian Lynch, Into Mischief, 99-1)
#9 East Avenue (Brendan Walsh, Medaglia d’Oro, 10-1)
#10 Ferocious (Gustavo Delgado, Flatter, 25-1)
#11 Filoso (Chad Summers, City of Light, 99-1)
#12 First Resort (Eoin Harty, Uncle Mo, 99-1)
#13 Gaming (Bob Baffert, Game Winner, 25-1)

#14 Getaway Car (Bob Baffert, Curlin, 50-1)
#15 Grayscale (Saffie Joseph Jr., Frosted, 99-1)
#16 Guns Loaded (Jose D’Angelo, Gun Runner, 99-1)
#17 Hill Road (Adrian Murray, Quality Road, 30-1)
#18 Hot Property (Brad Cox, Medaglia d’Oro, 50-1)
#19 Jonathan’s Way (Phil Bauer, Vekoma, 20-1)
#20 Journalism (Michael McCarthy, Curlin, 99-1)
#21 Keewaydin (Chad Brown, Instagrand, 50-1)
#22 Kinetic Control (Dale Romans, Not This Time, 99-1)
#23 Magnitude (Steve Asmussen, Not This Time, 99-1)
#24 Mo Quality (Chris Davis, Mo Town, 99-1)
#25 Patch Adams (Brad Cox, Into Mischief, 50-1)
#26 Rated by Merit (Michael Yates, Battalion Runner, 50-1)
#27 Render Judgment (Kenny McPeek, Blame, 80-1)
#28 Romanesque (Bob Baffert, Practical Joke, 40-1)
#29 Sandman (Mark Casse, Tapit, 90-1)

#30 Smoken Wicked (Dallas Stewart, Bobby’s Wicked One, 80-1)
#31 Sovereignty (Bill Mott, Into Mischief, 20-1)
#32 Studlydoright (John Robb, Nyquist, 90-1)
#33 Tip Top Thomas (Todd Pletcher, Volatile, 80-1)
#34 Tiztastic (Steve Asmussen, Tiz the Law, 50-1)
#35 Tux (Bill Mott, Tapit, 99-1)
#36 Uncaged (Todd Pletcher, Curlin, 60-1)
#37 Uncle Jim (Brad Cox, City of Light, 50-1)
#38 Whiskey Shot (Rodolphe Brisset, Gun Runner, 99-1)
#39 All Fillies Foaled in 2022 (50-1)
#40 All Other Colts and Geldings Foaled in 2022 (4-5)

 

Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager (with morning line odds):

#1 Always Dreaming (99-1)
#2 American Pharoah (40-1)
#3 Audible (50-1)
#4 Authentic (99-1)
#5 Blame (99-1)
#6 Candy Ride (ARG) (99-1)
#7 City of Light (50-1)
#8 Constitution (80-1)
#9 Curlin (50-1)
#10 Flatter (40-1)
#11 Game Winner (30-1)
#12 Ghostzapper (90-1)
#13 Global Campaign (99-1)
#14 Goldencents (99-1)
#15 Good Magic (99-1)
#16 Gun Runner (30-1)
#17 Hard Spun (90-1)
#18 Into Mischief (12-1)
#19 Justify (40-1)
#20 Liam’s Map (99-1)
#21 Lookin At Lucky (99-1)
#22 Malibu Moon (90-1)
#23 McKinzie (15-1)
#24 Medaglia d’Oro (15-1)
#25 Munnings (99-1)
#26 Not This Time (80-1)

#27 Nyquist (60-1)
#28 Omaha Beach (50-1)
#29 Practical Joke (99-1)
#30 Quality Road (40-1)
#31 Street Sense (50-1)
#32 Tapit (40-1)
#33 Tiz the Law (30-1)
#34 Tonalist (99-1)
#35 Uncle Mo (40-1)
#36 Union Rags (60-1)
#37 Vekoma (15-1)
#38 Vino Rosso (80-1)
#39 Volatile (80-1)
#40 All Other Sires (12-1)

 

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager or Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager. If Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week’s pools that one of the wagering interests experiences an injury, illness, or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

Additional Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools are scheduled for Jan. 17-19 (Pool 3); Feb. 14-16 (Pool 4); March 14-16 (Pool 5) and April 3-5 (Pool 6). Pool 5 will include the Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager.

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pools open Thursday at KentuckyDerby.com.

 

DOWN THE STRETCH – Racing resumed Wednesday at Churchill Downs for the final five days of the season. First post was 1 p.m. and the Derby City 6 Jackpot spanned Races 5-10 with a carryover of $175,343. … Jockey Tyler Gaffalione was expected to return to the saddle Wednesday after missing the last four days of racing while recovering from a spill one week ago. … Piroli, a 20-1 longshot in the Clark, was cross-entered Sunday at Churchill Downs in a 1 1/16-mile allowance contest. … Artist Tyler Robertson will sign prints of his 2025 “Official Art of the Kentucky Derby” on Friday in the Churchill Downs Store, located just inside the Paddock Gate, between 2-4 p.m. … Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will make special appearances at Churchill Downs Friday and Saturday. Friday they will visit the Turf Club from 12:30-2;30 p.m., the Finish Line Suites from 2:50-3:50 p.m. and in the 2nd Floor Clubhouse from 4-5:30 p.m. Saturday they will be in the Jockey Club Suites from 12:30-2:30 p.m. and the 2nd Floor Clubhouse from 3-5 p.m. … For more information about the Fall Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.