Sum Of The Parts Among 11 in 110th Running of Grade III Bashford Manor

Jun 30, 2011 John Asher

Klaravich Stables Inc and William H Lawrence’s Sum of the Parts, an impressive son of Speightstown who was a convincing winner in his lone career start, heads a field of 11 2-year-olds entered to compete in Saturday’s 110^th running of the $100,000-added, Grade III Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs.

The six-furlong race, the first graded stakes race of the year for 2-year-olds, is scheduled as the 12^th and featured event on a special 13-race program on the final Saturday of the historic track’s 38-day Spring Meet.  Post time for the first race is 12:45 p.m. (all times EST) and the Bashford Manor is set for 6:23 p.m. start.

The Bashford Manor Stakes, which was first run in 1902, is named in honor of the prominent Louisville Thoroughbred breeding farm owned by George James Long, who bred three winners of the Kentucky Derby on the property.  The farm bred and raced Derby winners Azra (1892) and Sir Huon (1906) and bred 1899 winner Manuel.  Bashford Manor also owned Kentucky Oaks winners Selika (1894) and Kathleen (1916).

The Tom Amoss-trained Sum of the Parts turned heads early in the Spring Meet with a flashy 2 ¾-length victory as the favorite in his 4 ½-furlong racing debut on May 14.  That is the lone start for the colt that is bidding to join Lone Star Sky (2002) and Backtalk (2009) as Bashford Manor winners saddled by Amoss.

“He’s a horse we’re very excited about,” Amoss said.  “I thought his race was really good, and the horse that ran second to him, Exfactor, won his next race.  Exfactor won a split (maiden) race and he ran a lot faster than the other division, so that was encouraging.”

Leandro Goncalves had the mount on Sum of the Parts in his debut and will be in the irons again on Saturday.  Sum of the Parts will carry 118 pounds in his stakes debut.

Stoneway Farm’s Exfactor, a gray/roan son of Exchange Rate trained by Bernie Flint, will get a shot at turning the tables on Sum of the Parts in the Bashford Manor.  After his runner-up finish in his debut, Exfactor returned to score an easy 4 ½ length victory at 5 ½ furlongs in his most recent outing on June 9 at Churchill Downs.  Exfactor will carry 118 pounds and Calvin Borel will ride Flint’s colt for the third time in as many starts.

Stoneway Farm and Flint will also be represented by Bonaparte, a speedy son of Touch Gold who rolled to a front-running 5 ½-length victory at 4 1/2 furlongs in his lone start on May 30.  Jon Court has the return call on Bonaparte, who will also carry 118 pounds.

Ed Few’s unbeaten Texas invader Lil Cherokee is the only member of the 11-horse field for the Bashford Manor has stakes experience on his resume.  Lil Cherokee won the colts and geldings division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity for trainer Bret Calhoun on June 11 at Lone Star Park.  The Texas-bred son of Cherokee Run, an easy winner in his racing debut at Lone Star on May 12, will carry high weight of 120 pounds in the Bashford Manor and Miguel Mena will ride.

Other contenders include Courtlandt Farm’s homebred Power World, a Distorted Humor colt who overcame traffic problems to win his June 11 career debut at Churchill Downs at odds of 14-1; Mike Tarp’s Tarpy’s Goal, a son of High Cotton who won his May 19 Churchill Downs debut for trainer Dale Romans;  Hot Speed, a Florida-bred son of Burning Roma who has one win in two starts at Florida’s Calder Race Course; Dunbarton Stable’s Friscan, who won his only start for trainer Al Stall Jr. at Keeneland on April 14; and Denzik Racing LLC and Meritage Racing LLC’s Green Mouse, a Cherokee Run colt who was a 3 1/2-length winner over a sloppy track in his second career start on May 26 at Churchill Downs.

Two colts will bid to score their first career victory in the Bashford Manor.  Willis Horton’s Laurie’s Rocket finished second his lone start for trainer Dallas Stewart at Churchill Downs on May 30.  And Bluegrass Hall’s Chalybeate Springs ran fifth over a sloppy track in his debut on June 18 of Hall of Fame trainer and five-time Bashford Manor winner D. Wayne Lukas.

Another event of note on Saturday’s 13-race program is the 11^th:  a 6 ½ furlong allowance optional claiming race with a purse of $65,200 with a field of nine that includes Vinery Stables and Mrs. Susan Roy’s Awesome Act and Robert Baker and William Mack’s Dublin.  Both competed in the 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) won by WinStar Farm’s Super Saver.

The race will launch a comeback for the Lukas-trained Dublin, the winner of the 2010 Hopeful (GI) at Saratoga who finished seventh in the Derby.  Dublin has not competed since a fifth-place run behind Lookin At Lucky in the Preakness (GI). Awesome Act, a British import who won the 2010 Gotham (GIII), was injured in a 19^th-place finish in the Derby and has not been close in a pair of 2011 starts for trainer Steve Asmussen.

The field for the 111^th running of the Bashford Manor, in post position order from the rail out (with jockey, weight) includes:  Laurie’s Rocket (Brian Hernandez Jr., 116), Lil Cherokee (Mena 120), Power World (Corey Lanerie, 118), Exfactor (Borel, 118), Chalybeate Springs (Jesus Castanon, 116), Bonaparte (Court, 118), Sum of the Parts (Goncalves, 118), Hot Speed (Robby Albarado, 120), Tarpy’s Goal (Kent Desormeaux, 118), Green Mouse (Manoel Cruz, 118) and Friscan (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118).