Turf Specialists Set Piece (GB), Somelikeithotbrown Clash in Grade II, $300,00 Wise Dan

Jun 23, 2021 Kevin Kerstein,Churchill Downs Communications

Juddmonte’s multiple stakes winner Set Piece (GB) along with Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable’s two-time Grade II winner Somelikeithotbrown lead a field of 10 older horses that was entered in Saturday’s $300,000 Wise Dan (GII) at Churchill Downs.

Named after multiple champion and two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, the 32^nd running of the 1 1/16-mile turf event goes as Race 10 of 12 with a post time of 5:26 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 12:45 p.m. The Wise Dan is one of seven stakes events on the fantastic closing day card at Churchill Downs. The program also features the $600,000 Stephen Foster (GII), $300,000 Fleur de Lis (GII), $150,000 Bashford Manor (GIII), $150,000 Debutante (Listed), $150,000 Tepin and $150,000 War Chant.

Set Piece (GB), trained by Brad Cox, enters the Wise Dan on a two-race win streak. The 5-year-old gelded son of Dansili (GB) cruised to a dominating four-length victory in last month’s $85,000 Douglas Park Overnight Stakes, the local prep for the Wise Dan. In his previous start, Set Piece (GB) defeated a field of eight in the one-mile $105,000 Opening Verse. Set Piece (GB) was formerly under the care of Hugo Palmer in Europe prior to Juddmonte shipping him to the U.S. in 2020. Overall, Set Piece (GB) has recorded eight wins from 15 starts with earnings of $257,044. Florent Geroux has the return call from the rail.

Two posts to the outside of Set Piece (GB) is seven-time winner Somelikeithotbrown. Trained by Mike Maker, Somelikeithotbrown won the $200,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (GIII) at Turfway Park in 2019. More recently, the son of Big Brown recorded a one-length win in the $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes (GII) at Pimlico on the Preakness Stakes undercard. Jockey Jose Ortiz will have the call.

Other accomplished horses entered in the Wise Dan are Three Diamonds Farm’s three-time Grade III winner Field Pass; and John Oxley and My Meadowview Farm’s $175,000 Kennedy Road (GII) winner and $300,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (GI) runner-up Ride a Comet.

The complete field for the Wise Dan from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Set Piece (GB) (Geroux, Cox); Mutakatif (IRE) (Mitchell Murrill, Alberta Davies); Somelikeithotbrown (Ortiz, Maker); Super Sol (Gabriel Saez, Juan Cano); Hierarchy (Adam Beschizza, Joe Sharp); Kentucky Ghost (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver); Ride a Comet (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse); Field Pass (Ricardo Santana Jr., Maker); Spooky Channel (John Velazquez, Jason Barkley); and In Love (BRZ) (Joe Talamo, Paulo Lobo).