Grade I Clark Field Begins to Take Shape

Nov 13, 2020

The marquee race of the 2020 Fall Meet is the Grade I, $500,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare on Friday, Nov. 27. Nominations for the 1 1/8-mile race are due Saturday but several horses are ramping up their preparation for the race including two-time Grade I winner Code of Honor and multiple graded stakes winners Mr Freeze and Owendale.

The Clark is one of six graded stakes events that are staged on closing week of the Fall Meet at Churchill Downs:

Thursday, Nov. 26:

o$200,000 Falls City (GII) for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles

o$100,000 Cardinal (GIII) for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf

Friday, Nov. 27:

o$500,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles

o$100,000 River City (GIII) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf

Saturday, Nov. 28:

o$200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles

o$200,000 Golden Rod (GII) for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles

“This year the Clark is only three weeks removed from the Breeders’ Cup because of the way the calendar fell but Mr Freeze

just looks phenomenal after the Dirt Mile,” trainer Dale Romans said.

Mr Freeze finished sixth in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI) and was defeated 5 ¾ lengths by front-running Knicks Go. Finishing just ahead of Mr Freeze in the race was the six-time winner Owendale. The Into Mischief colt was the runner-up in last year’s edition of the Clark behind Tom’s d’Etat.

One of the other early top contenders for the Clark is Bill Farish’s two-time Grade I winner Code of Honor. Based at Belmont Park with trainer Shug McGaughey, Code of Honor most recently finished second behind Complexity in the one-mile $150,000 Kelso (GII). Code of Honor was a top 3-year-old in 2019 after recording victories in the $1.25 million Travers (GI), $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) and $250,000 Dwyer (GIII). The homebred son of Noble Mission finished second in the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) behind Country House.

Nominations to all six races close Saturday and will be released early next week. To nominate, visit

www.churchilldowns.com/horsemen or call (502) 636-3806.

PACE COULD MAKE THE RACE IN SATURDAY’S $200,000 MRS. REVERE – The early pace scenario of Saturday’s $200,000 Mrs. Revere (Grade II) could hold the major key to victory as six of the seven 3-year-old fillies that were entered in the 1 1/16-mile race have closed from off the pace in their previous starts.

“I’m not sure we’ll get the same sort of pace that we saw in the Valley View,” said trainer Mike Maker, who will saddle the 5-2 morning line favorite Stunning Sky. “I sure hope a couple in front of us go fast but we’ll get to a good spot.”

The top four finishers to the aforementioned Valley View will faceoff once again in the Mrs. Revere. Stunning Sky was able to close from more than six lengths behind swift opening fractions of :22.60 and :46.20 to get up in the last jump over Princess Grace. Third-place finisher How Ironic closed from more than seven lengths back to finish third and fourth-place runner Witez was about six lengths behind the early leaders.

The lone horse entered in the Mrs. Revere that has run on the lead in her previous starts is 15-1 longshot Positive Danger. The bay filly by Uncle Mo led wire-to-wire in her two lifetime victories including a one-length allowance score in her last start at Indiana Grand.

Saturday’s Mrs. Revere is the headliner of the 11-race program beneath the Twin Spires. First post is 1 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Mrs. Revere will go as Race 10 with a post time of 5:36 p.m. Run at 1 1/16 miles over the Matt Winn Turf Course, the Mrs. Revere is the lone graded stakes race in North America this weekend.

The Mrs. Revere field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Hendy Woods (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse, 3-1); Positive Danger (Brian Hernandez Jr., Tony Granitz, 15-1); Stunning Sky (Ricardo Santana Jr., Maker, 5-2); Princess Grace (Florent Geroux, Mike Stidham 3-1); How Ironic (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver, 4-1); Pass the Plate (Joe Talamo, Paul McGee, 8-1); and Witez (Julien Leparoux, Ian Wilkes, 8-1).

The Mrs. Revere is named in tribute to the highly competitive filly who collected a total of four Churchill Downs stakes during the two-year span of 1984-85. Mrs. Revere won three stakes in total during her 3-year-old season, thus providing the appropriate name for this stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf. Mrs. Revere was owned by the partnership of Dr. Hiram Polk and Dr. David Richardson.

CHURCHILL DOWNS TO PARTNER WITH NYRA FOR CROSS COUNTRY PICK 5 – Churchill Downs has once again partnered with the New York Racing Association for a Cross Country Pick 5 this week.

Friday’s race order and approximate post times (all times eastern):

Leg A: Aqueduct Race 7 (3:17 p.m.)

Leg B: Churchill Race 6 (3:36 p.m.)

Leg C: Aqueduct Race 8 (3:47 p.m.)

Leg D: Aqueduct Race 9 (4:17 p.m.)

Leg E: Churchill Race 9 (5:06 p.m.)

Saturday’s race order and approximate post times (all times eastern):

Leg A: Aqueduct Race 8 (3:17 p.m.)

Leg B: Churchill Race 6 (3:36 p.m.)

Leg C: Aqueduct Race 9 (3:47 p.m.)

Leg D: Churchill Race 7 (4:06 p.m.)

Leg E: Aqueduct Race 10 (4:17 p.m.)

Sunday’s race order and approximate post times (all times eastern):

Leg A: Aqueduct Race 8 (3:17 p.m.)

Leg B: Churchill Race 6 (3:36 p.m.)

Leg C: Aqueduct Race 9 (3:47 p.m.)

Leg D: Churchill Race 7 (4:06 p.m.)

Leg E: Churchill Race 9 (5:06 p.m.)

The 50-cent minimum wager has a 15% takeout and can be placed at simulcast centers and ADWs including TwinSpires.com.

TV SCHEDULE – Racing at Churchill Downs continues every Wednesday-Sunday through Nov. 29 daily first post at 1 p.m. (except 11:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day). Below is this week’s TV schedule on the Fox Sports family of networks:

Friday: FS2 (12-6 p.m.) | MSG+ (12:30-6 p.m.)

Saturday: FS2 (12-2:30 p.m.) | MSG+ (12-6 p.m.)

Sunday: FS1 (12-6 p.m.) | MSG+ (12:30-6 p.m.)

DOWN THE STRETCH – There was a $106,481 carryover in the 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot for racing on Friday. First post was 1 p.m. and the Single 6 spanned Races 5-10. … “Inside Churchill Downs” will air Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN 680/105.7. Those outside the Louisville area can listen live on www.espnlouisville.com. Friday night’s guest will be Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning trainer Bob Baffert. … Happy Birthday wishes are extended to jockey Corey Lanerie who turned 46-years-old on Friday. … For more information and to purchase tickets for the Fall Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.