St. Louis Derby Runner-Up Irish Unity Headlines $275,000 Harrods Creek

Sep 22, 2021

Clearview Stable’s recent $250,000 St. Louis Derby runner-up Irish Unity tops a competitive field of 10 3-year-old colts and geldings that was entered in Saturday’s first-running of the $275,000 Harrods Creek at Churchill Downs.

The seven-furlong Harrods Creek will go as Race 10 with a post time of 5:26 p.m. First post for the 11-race program is 12:45 p.m. Along with the Harrods Creek, the Saturday card will feature the $275,000 Dogwood (Listed) and the $275,000 Bourbon Trail.

Irish Unity, conditioned by North American and Churchill Downs’ all-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen, has not finished worse than second in four career starts. The consistent son of Pioneerof the Nile won his first two starts in June at Lone Star prior to shipping to Asmussen’s Kentucky string. The homebred finished second to Beaver Hat in a conditioned allowance event at Ellis Park before his runner-up effort to Flash of Mischief in last month’s St. Louis Derby. Brian Hernandez Jr. will have the return mount from post No. 7.

Also entered in the Harrods Creek is Wayne Davis’ four-time Louisiana-based gelding Emerald Forest. Trained by Shane Wilson, Emerald Forest dominated his two most recent starts by a combined 18 lengths at Evangeline Downs and Louisiana Downs. In those starts, Emerald Forest earned stout Brisnet.com speed ratings of 100 and 105, respectively. Jose Guerrero, who’s based at Louisiana Downs, will travel to Kentucky for the mount and will break from post 5.

The complete field for the Harrods Creek from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Dreamer’s Disease (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro); Ram (Rafael Bejarano, D. Wayne Lukas); Bob’s Edge (Adam Beschizza, Larry Jones); He’smyhoneybadger (Martin Garcia, Brad Cox); Emerald Forest (Guerrero, Wilson); Shadow Matter (Corey Lanerie, Dallas Stewart); Irish Unity (Hernandez, Asmussen); Wolfie’s Dynaghost (Tyler Gaffalione, Tom Albertrani); Flags Up (James Graham, Jimmy Baker); and Everett’s Song (Pablo Morales, Dale Bennett).