Churchill Downs Update: Sunday, May 17, 2020

May 17, 2020 Kevin Kerstein,Churchill Downs Communications

Multiple Grade I-winning sprinter Spiced Perfection has been privately purchased and transferred from trainer Peter Miller to Mark Casse. The 5-year-old mare will now target the $100,000 Winning Colors (Grade III) at Churchill Downs on May 31, according to Casse.

“She was privately purchased by Haruya Yoshida over the winter and she’s been a great addition to our barn,” Casse said. “I think we’re going to be on target for the Winning Colors and get her 5-year-old campaign going at Churchill.”

Spiced Perfection recorded a bullet half-mile move in :47 Sunday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for the six-furlong race. The California-bred filly by Smiling Tiger worked in an opening quarter-mile split of :22.60 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.

Under her previous ownership of Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Peter Deutsch and the care of Miller, Spiced Perfection earned a stout $1.2 million in purses with Grade I wins in the $300,000 La Brea and $300,000 Madison. She also scored a narrow victory in the $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (GII).

Nominations for the Winning Colors along with the $100,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (GIII) closed Saturday. The full list of nominations will be available at www.churchilldowns.com in the coming days.

SUNDAY WORK TAB FEATURES 181 HORSES INCLUDING FOUR GRADE I WINNERS – Normalcy appeared to be restored for training Sunday morning at Churchill Downs with 181 horses recording public workouts including some of racing’s brightest stars such as Grade I winners Dunbar Road, Henley’s Joy, Mia Mischief and Spiced Perfection.

The action began early Saturday morning with Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt, Heider Family Stables and Madaket Stables’ $500,000 Churchill Downs Distaff (GI) winner Mia Mischief recording a five-furlong move in 1:00.60 under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. Mia Mischief is a perfect 2-for-2 to start her 5-year-old season with a recent win in the $125,000 Carousel at Oaklawn.

Haruya Yoshida’s multiple Grade I winner Spiced Perfection clipped through a half-mile move in :47, the fastest of 134 horses at the distance. Meanwhile, Peter Brant’s Dunbar Road worked for the first time beneath the Twin Spires tabbing a half-mile breeze in :48. A winner of the $600,000 Alabama (GI) at Saratoga as a 3-year-old, Dunbar Road will make her first start of the year in Saturday’s $100,000 Shawnee.

Other top horses recording workouts Sunday morning were: Lothenbach Stables’ $250,000 Raven Run (GII) winner Bell’s the One (5F, :59.60); Klein Racing’s $250,000 Eight Belles (GII) winner Break Even (4F, :49.20); Bloom Racing Stable’s $1 million Belmont Derby (GI) winner Henley’s Joy (4F, :51.60); Flurry Racing, Qatar Racing Limited and Big Aut Farms’ Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) contender Shedaresthedevil (4F, :50); Mark and Nancy Stanley’s $400,000 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) runner-up Tempers Rising (4F, :49.20); Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables $1.5 million Preakness (GI) fourth-place finisher Warrior’s Charge (4F, :47); Clint and Lance Gasaway, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables’ $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (GII) hero Wells Bayou (4F, :50.40); Coffeepot Stables and Phillips Racing Partnership’s multiple stakes winner Winter Sunset (5F, :59.20).

There was no turf training Sunday morning due to inclement weather throughout the morning on Saturday. Turf training is scheduled for Tuesday, weather permitting.

ELEVEN JOCKEYS, 10 TRAINERS RECORD VICTORIES ON SATURDAY’S OPENER – The competitive nature of the Churchill Downs jockey and trainer colonies was on display Saturday when 11 different jockeys and 10 different trainers recorded victories on the 11-race program.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux was the only person to record multiple wins on the card with victories in Races 8 and 11 with Dinar and Reagan’s Edge, respectively. Other trainers recording wins were Bill Mott, Brad Cox, Ian Wilkes, Eddie Kenneally, Robertino Diodoro, Bernie Flint, Keith Desormeaux, Larry Rivelli and Charles Zehnder, who recorded his first win beneath the Twin Spires in Race 6.

Jockeys recording victories on Saturday’s card were Rafael Bejarano, Gerardo Corrales, David Cohen, Tyler Gaffalione, Florent Geroux, James Graham, Albin Jiminez, Julien Leparoux, Jose Lezcano, Jose Ortiz and John Velazquez. Defending leading rider Corey Lanerie had eight mounts with two runner-up efforts.

CHURCHILL DOWNS TO OFFER FREE BRISNET PAST PERFORMANCES THE ENITRETY OF THE SPRING MEET – Churchill Downs will offer handicappers free Brisnet past performances throughout the Spring Meet.

Horseplayers can visit www.churchilldowns.com/racing-handicapping/handicapping/expert-picks for complementary Brisnet past performances along with daily expert selections from Ed DeRosa, Joe Kristufek and Scott Shapiro of TwinSpires.com and several other handicapping tips including workouts of the day from expert clocker Bruno DeJulio.

CHURCHILL DOWNS RACING TO AIR ON ‘AMERICA’S DAY AT THE RACES’ ON FS1, FS2 EVERY RACE DAY – The racing action from Churchill Downs Racetrack throughout the 2020 Spring Meet will be broadcast on FOX Sports’ “America’s Day at the Races,” which will air every race day on either FS1 or FS2.

Upcoming coverage schedule (all times Eastern):

Sunday, May 17

1:00 -- 2:00 p.m. (FS2)

2:00 -- 6:00 p.m. (FS1)

6:00 -- 6:30 p.m. (FS2)

Thursday, May 21

1:00 -- 6:00 p.m. (FS2)

STAKES NOMINATIONS – Stephen Foster Preview Day on Saturday at Churchill Downs is highlighted by five stakes including the $150,000 Matt Winn (Grade III) worth 50-20-10-5 points to the Top 4 finishers on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Other stakes on the card are the $100,000 Blame (4-year-olds and up at one-mile); $100,000 War Chant (3-year-olds at one-mile on turf); $100,000 Tepin (3-year-old fillies at one-mile on turf); and $100,000 Shawnee (fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles).

Here are the early probable entrants, according to Churchill Downs’ assistant racing secretary and stakes coordinator Dan Bork (with trainers):

$150,000 Matt Winn (GIII): Crypto Cash (Kenny McPeek); Major Fed (Greg Foley); Max Player (Linda Rice); Maxfield (Brendan Walsh); Necker Island (Stanley Hough); Pneumatic (Steve Asmussen); Shake Some Action (Brad Cox).

$100,000 Blame: Alwaysmining (Kelly Rubley); Backyard Heaven (Mike Maker); Bourbon Resolution (Ian Wilkes); Global Campaign (Hough); Long Range Toddy (Dallas Stewart); Mr. Money (Bret Calhoun); Owendale (Cox); Wind of Change (Efren Loza Jr.).

100,000 Shawnee: Awe Emma (Stewart); Dunbar Road (Chad Brown); Motion Emotion (Richard Baltas).

$100,000 Tepin: Abscond (Eddie Kenneally); Dominga (Cox); Heir of Light (Norm Casse); Jezebel’s Kitten (Cox); Outburst (Kenneally); Pass the Plate (Paul McGee); Queen of God (Maker); Sharing (Graham Motion).

$100,000 War Chant: Fenwick Station (Kenneally); Field Pass (Maker); Hieronymus (Cox); Shared Sense (Cox); Street Ready (Wilkes); Turned Aside (Rice).

DOWN THE STRETCH – Trainer Brad Cox reported champion Monomoy Girl exited her victory Saturday afternoon in good shape. Cox said he would search for a two-turn race for her next start. … Janis Whitham’s potential future star filly Four Graces, who caught the eye of many with her fast-closing 1 ¾-length score Saturday, was doing well Sunday morning, according to trainer Ian Wilkes. “She’s a really nice filly. We’re not sure where she’ll end up next,” Wilkes said. … There is a $6,995 carryover in the 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot on Sunday. First post is 1 p.m. and the Single 6 kicks off in Race 6 with a post time of 3:36 p.m. … Racing will continue Thursday with a four-day week with a daily first post of 1 p.m.