Team Valor's Meistersinger Rallies Late To Take Sunday Feature

Jun 05, 2011 Travers Manley

Team Valor International and Gary Barber’s Meistersinger rallied past Scotus and Alstom in the final few jumps to win the $49,470 Sunday afternoon feature at Churchill Downs by a head.

            Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Julien Leparoux, the 3-year-old son of Yes It’s True rated off the pace-setting duo of Scotus and Alstom through fractions of :25.34, :50.00 and 1:14.15 before being set down in the stretch to close on the leaders and prevailed just in time. Meistersinger covered the 1 1/16-miles on a fast main track in 1:44.53 and gave Leparoux his third victory of the afternoon.

            Breaking from the gate as the 8-5 favorite in the field of six, Meistersinger returned mutuels of $5.20, $2.80 and $2.60. Peter Callahan’s Scotus finished in second to return $3 and $2.60, with Iron Horse Racing Limited Partnership’s Alstom another half-length back in third returning $4.60.

Meistersinger, a former workmate of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) winner Animal Kingdom, picked up a winner’s check worth $30,600 to boost his career bankroll to $66,435 with a record of 2-0-1 in five races.

Spring Meet racing resumes at Churchill Downs on Thursday with a nine race program that features a three-day Pick-6 carryover of $7,524. Post time for the first race is 12:45 p.m. EDT with the Pick-6 scheduled to begin with the fourth race at 2:21 p.m.