Stephanie’s Kitten Takes on Males in Woodford Reserve, Champion Judy The Beauty Faces Seven in Humana Distaff, Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Bayern Returns in Churchill Downs, Coffee Clique Eyes Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Repeat

Apr 29, 2015

Stephanie’s Kitten Takes on Males in Woodford Reserve, Champion Judy The Beauty Faces Seven in Humana Distaff, Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Bayern Returns in Churchill Downs, Coffee Clique Eyes Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Repeat, Conquest Typhoon Headlines American Turf, Undefeated Competitive Edge Tops Pat Day Mile

A well-matched field of 12 grass specialists including the ultra-consistent mare Stephanie’s Kitten in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) and the 2015 debuts of Judy the Beauty and Bayern highlight a delicious Saturday appetizer leading up to the 141st running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) at Churchill Downs.

Saturday’s 13-race program begins at 10:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) and will be highlighted by the Kentucky Derby that goes as the day’s 11th race at 6:44 p.m.

The race preceding the Kentucky Derby will be the 28th running of the $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic that attracted a field of 12 for the 1 1/8-mile test. Post time for the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic is 4:44 p.m.

Topping the field is Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Stephanie’s Kitten. Trained by Chad Brown, Stephanie’s Kitten is a three-time Grade I winner and earner of $2,724,104 with a record of 20-9-3-4.

Runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (GI) to close out 2014, Stephanie’s Kitten started 2015 with a victory in the Hillsborough (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs in March. At Churchill Downs, Stephanie’s Kitten has won all three of her starts: the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII) in 2011, the Edgewood in 2012 and last year’s Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Presented by Longines (GII).

Stephanie’s Kitten will be ridden by John Velazquez and break from post position eight.

Other top contenders include Finnegans Wake, Seek Again and Jack Milton.

Donegal Racing and Rockingham Ranch’s Finnegans Wake is trained by Peter Miller. Finnegans Wake strung together consecutive Grade II wins in the Hollywood Turf Cup, San Gabriel and San Marcos before finishing second in the San Luis Rey (GII) in his most recent start.

Victor Espinoza, who will ride probable morning-line favorite American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby, has the mount and will break from post position five.

Returning for a second run in the race is Juddmonte Farms’ Seek Again. Trained by Bill Mott and to be ridden by Joel Rosario, Seek Again came within a head of upsetting reigning two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan in last year’s race.

Unraced since last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI), Seek Again will break from post position nine.

Jack Milton is owned by Gary Barber and trained by Todd Pletcher. In his most recent start, he won the Maker’s 46 Mile (GI) at Keeneland. Javier Castellano returns to ride and will break from post position seven.

The field for the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic with jockeys and weights from the hedge out is: Optimizer (Corey Lanerie, 120), Sky Captain (Shaun Bridgmohan, 120), Umgiyo (AUS) (Florent Geroux, 118), Scrumpdilicious (Joe Rocco Jr., 118), Finnegans Wake (Espinoza, 120), Coalport (Miguel Mena, 120), Jack Milton (Castellano, 124), Stephanie’s Kitten (Velazquez, 115), Seek Again (Rosario, 118), Chocolate Ride (Joe Talamo, 120), Slumber (GB) (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118) and Grand Arch (Rafael Hernandez, 118).

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Wesley Ward’s champion female sprinter of 2014, Judy the Beauty, will face seven rivals when she makes her 2015 debut in the 29th running of the $300,000 Humana Distaff (GI).

The Humana Distaff will go as the seventh race with a 2:08 p.m. post time.

A winner of four of five starts last year highlighted by a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (GI), Judy the Beauty will seek to make amends for a fourth-place finish in this race last year. It marks her only off-the-board finish in 18 career starts.

Mike Smith, who has been aboard in her past two starts, has the call Saturday and will break from post position eight.

Chief competition figures to come from the Treadway Racing Stable’s Sweet Reason. Trained by Leah Gyarmati, Sweet Reason is a three-time Grade I winner and will be making her first start since finishing to Judy the Beauty at the Breeders’ Cup.  Irad Ortiz Jr., has the mount and will break from post position one.

Other top contenders include the 2-3 finishers from the Inside Information (GII) at Gulfstream Park: You Bought Her and Sweet Whiskey and Madison (GI) winner Princess Violet.

The field for the Humana Distaff with jockeys and weights from the inside out is: Sweet Reason (Ortiz Jr., 118), Thank You Marylou (Joel Rosario, 118), Dame Dorothy (Javier Castellano, 120), Clearly Confused (Julien Leparoux, 118), You Bought Her (Corey Lanerie, 118), Moonlit Stroll (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Sweet Whiskey (John Velazquez, 118) and Judy the Beauty (Smith, 123).

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Kaleem Shah’s Bayern, winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) in his most recent start, kicks off his 2015 campaign against six rivals in the 81st running of the $500,000 Churchill Downs (GII).

The Churchill Downs, contested at seven furlongs on the main track, will go as the ninth race with a 3:43 p.m. post time.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Bayern also won the Haskell Invitational (GI), Pennsylvania Derby (GII) and the Woody Stephens (GII) and was disqualified from a victory in last year’s Derby Trial (GIII) here. His career record stands at 10-6-1-1 with earnings of nearly $4.4 million.

Martin Garcia, who has ridden Bayern in his past four starts, has the mount Saturday and will break from post position two.

Two other millionaires are in the field: Good Friends Stable’s Private Zone and George and Lori Hall’s Pants On Fire.

Trained by Jorge Navarro, Private Zone is a two-time winner of the Vosburgh Invitational (GI) and won last year’s Cigar Mile (GI). An earner of $1,581,220, Private Zone opened 2015 with a runner-up finish to Honor Code in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (GII).

Martin Pedroza will ride Private Zone and break from post position four.

Pants On Fire, ninth in the 2011 Kentucky Derby behind Animal Kingdom, is a multiple graded stakes winner trained by Kelly Breen. An earner of nearly $1.5 million, Pants On Fire will be ridden by Paco Lopez and break from post position five.

The field for the Churchill Downs with jockeys and weights from the inside out is: C. Zee (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Bayern (Garcia, 123), Brewing (Ramon Vazquez, 118), Private Zone (Pedroza, 123), Pants On Fire (Lopez, 118), Gentlemen’s Bet (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118) and Nates Mineshaft (Florent Geroux, 118).

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Amerman Racing Stables’ Coffee Clique will attempt to become the second mare to score a repeat victory in $300,000 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Presented by Longines (GII) when she takes on 12 rivals.

The Churchill Distaff Turf Mile will go as the eighth race with a 2:59 p.m. post time.

Trained by Brian Lynch, Coffee Clique will try to join Foresta (1990-91) as the race’s only repeat winner.

Following her victory here last year, Coffee Clique won the Just A Game (GI) but then was off for more than nine months before running third in the Honey Fox (GII) at Gulfstream Park on March 28.

John Velazquez has the mount on Coffee Clique and will exit post position five.

The two horses that finished in front of Coffee Clique in the Honey Fox, Lady Lara (IRE) and Sandiva (IRE), will be in the gate Saturday.

Trained by four-time race winner Bill Mott, Swettenham Stud’s Lady Lara has won two of three starts in the U.S. with her lone setback coming in the Mrs. Revere (GII) here last fall.

Junior Alvarado has the mount on Lady Lara and will break from post position four.

Prior to her runner-up finish in the Honey Fox, the Todd Pletcher-trained Sandiva won the Tropical Park Oaks and the Suwanee River (GIII). Javier Castellano will have the mount and break from post position eight.

The field for the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile with jockeys and weights from the hedge out is: Personal Diary (Joel Rosario, 118), Grand Elmendorf (James Graham, 118), Tepin (Julien Leparoux, 118), Lady Lara (IRE) (Alvarado, 120), Coffee Clique (Velazquez, 118), I’m Already Sexy (Florent Geroux, 118), Solid Appeal (Rafael Hernandez, 118), Sandiva (IRE) (Castellano, 118), Strike Charmer (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Main On a Mission (Didiel Osorio, 118), Water Hole (IRE) (Gary Stevens, 118), Kitty Wine (Jose Oritz, 118) and Kiss Moon (Corey Lanerie, 118).

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Conquest Stables’  Conquest Typhoon, a two-time graded stakes winner on the grass, headlines a field of 14 3-year-olds for the 24th running of the $250,000 American Turf Presented by Ram Trucks (GII).

The American Turf, run at 1 1/16 miles will go as the sixth race with a 1:19 p.m. post time.

Trained by Mark Casse, Conquest Typhoon broke his maiden in the Summer Stakes (GII) at Woodbine and closed out 2014 with a victory in the Cecil B. DeMille (GIII) at Del Mar. In his most recent start, Conquest Typhoon finished second in the Spiral (GIII) at Turfway Park on Polytrack.

Mike Smith has the mount on Conquest Typhoon and will break from post position eight.

Chief among his competition is Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Luck of the Kitten.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Luck of the Kitten finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (GI) to close out 2015 and ran second in his 2015 debut in the Transylvania (GIII) at Keeneland two weeks ago. Joel Rosario will ride and break from post position one.

The field for the American Turf with jockeys and weights from the hedge out is: Luck of the Kitten (Rosario, 120), Wireless Future (Florent Geroux, 118), Granny’s Kitten (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Royal Son (Gary Stevens, 118), Another Lemon Drop (Joe Rocco Jr., 118), A Lot (John Velazquez, 118),  Nun the Less (Jose Lezcano, 118), Conquest Typhoon (Smith, 123), Firespike (Javier Castellano, 120), Indianaughty (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Divisidero (Rafael Hernandez 118), Majestico (Luis Saez, 118), Tuba (Rafael Mojica Jr., 118) and World Approval (Julien Leparoux, 120).

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Nancy Favreau, Kathy Psoinos and Michael Tabor’s undefeated Competitive Edge heads a field of eight 3-year-olds slated to go postward in the $200,000 Pat Day Mile Presented by LG&E and KU (GIII).

Formerly run as the Derby Trial, the Pat Day Mile will go as the day’s fifth race with a12:38 p.m. post time.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Competitive Edge has won his three starts by a combined 24 ¼ lengths. His biggest victory came in the Hopeful (GI) that he won by 5 ¾ lengths.

John Velazquez, who has been aboard in all three starts, has the mount Saturday and will break from post position six.

Chief among his competition is Peachtree Stable’s Lord Nelson. Trained by Bob Baffert, Lord Nelson won the San Vicente (GII) in February and will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano. Lord Nelson breaks from post position five.

The field for the Pat Day Mile, from the rail out with jockeys and weights, is: Where’s the Moon (Robby Albarado, 120), Gimme Da Lute (Martin Garcia, 118), The Truth Or Else (Joel Rosario, 118), Hillbilly Royalty (Luis Quinoez, 118), Lord Nelson (Bejarano, 123), Competitive Edge (Velazquez, 118), Pain and Misery (Julien Leparoux, 118) and Peace and War (Javier Castellano, 113).

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN), which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands on May 2, 2015. The track’s 2015 Spring Meet is scheduled for April 25-June 27. The track has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record eight times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.ChurchillDowns.com.