Control System Wins Sunday Feature

Nov 23, 2008 Gary Yunt

(November 23, 2008) – Naveed Chowhan’s Control System took control in deep stretch and then held off a late charge from Awsugahnow to win Sunday’s featured $44,260 Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation purse at Churchill Downs by three-quarters of a length.

            Trained by Bernie Flint and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Control System ran the seven furlongs on the fast main track in 1:23.95. The victory was the seventh in 12 career starts for Control System, a 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Lion Hearted. Her career bankroll swelled to $368,844 with Sunday’s winner’s check of $25,544.

            Sent off as the favorite in the field of eight, Control System returned $7.60, $4.20 and $3.20. Awsugahnow, ridden by Calvin Borel, returned $4.20 and $3.20 and Victorianna, under Julien Leparoux, finished another three-quarters of a length back in third and paid $3.80 to show.

            Leparoux rode three winners on the Sunday card to increase his Fall Meet-leading total to 50 with four days remaining in the meet that ends Saturday. The Churchill Downs Fall Meet record for victories by a jockey is 55, set by Pat Day in 1985. Robby Albarado is second in the standings with 33 winners.

            Live racing resumes Wednesday at Churchill Downs with a 10-race program that begins at 12:40 p.m. ET. There’s a $15,063 carryover in the Race 3 Z-5 (Super Hi-5), which requires bettors to pick the top five finishers in order.

Action over the final three days – 12-race cards on Thanksgiving Day, Friday and Saturday – will start early at 11:30 a.m. ET.

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