Rags to Riches Winner Finite Headlines Grade II, $300,000 Golden Rod

Nov 27, 2019 Kevin Kerstein,Churchill Downs Communications

Winchell Thoroughbreds, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson and Deborah Easter’s impressive $123,859 Rags to Riches winner Finite tops a field of eight 2-year-old fillies that were entered in Saturday’s 76^th running of the $300,000 Golden Rod (Grade II) at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile race is the co-headliner on the second-to-last of the 26-day Fall Meet. Billed as “Stars of Tomorrow II,” each of the 12 races is exclusively for 2-year-olds.

The Golden Rod – a “Prep Season” race on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” in which the Top 4 finishers will receive 10-4-2-1 points, respectively – goes as Race 9 at 4:57 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 1 p.m. The co-featured $300,000 Kentucky Jockey (GII), which attracted 14 colts and geldings, is Race 11 at 5:56 p.m.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Finite scored an impressive six-length win in the Rags to Riches under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. The chestnut filly by Munnings broke her maiden two starts ago on the turf at Kentucky Downs. The Golden Rod will be Finite’s first test running at two turns. Santana will be in the saddle once again and the duo will break from the rail.

Chief among Finite’s rivals in the Golden Rod is Brereton Jones’ homebred Turtle Trax, who will test stakes company for the first time following an easy 2 ¾-length win one month ago in a first-level allowance contest. Trained by Ian Wilkes, Turtle Trax will be ridden by Julien Leparoux out of post position No. 2.

The complete field for the Golden Rod (with jockey and trainer): Finite (Santana, Asmussen); Turtle Trax (Leparoux, Wilkes); She Can’t Sing (Corey Lanerie, Chris Block); Bean (Florent Geroux, Larry Rivelli); Lady Glamour (Julie Burke, Larry Demeritte); His Glory (James Graham, Tom Amoss); Ivyetsu (Tyler Gaffalione, Rusty Arnold II); and Motu (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek).

All fillies will carry 119 pounds.