Unbeaten Lou Brissie Faces Five Rivals in 109th Running of Churchill Downs' Bashford Manor Stakes

Jun 30, 2010 Gary Yunt

Dogwood Stable’s Lou Brissie will attempt to become the fifth horse complete a Kentucky Juvenile-Bashford Manor double Saturday when he faces five 2-year-old rivals in the 109th running of the $100,000-added Bashford Manor (GIII) at Churchill Downs.

The Bashford Manor, run at six furlongs on the main track, will go as the 10th race Saturday with an approximate post time of 5:26 p.m. (all times Eastern). The Locust Grove is the ninth race on the 11-race program with an approximate post time of 4:54 p.m. First post Saturday is 12:45 p.m.

The Bashford Manor shares the spotlight on the next-to-last day of the 42-day Spring Meet with the $100,000-added Locust Grove (GIII) for older fillies and mares on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Trained by Neil Howard, Lou Brissie broke his maiden in his first start on April 15 at Keeneland and came back 15 days later to win the Kentucky Juvenile (GIII) at Churchill Downs. Corey Lanerie will ride Lou Brissie for the first time Saturday and break from post position five.

Lou Brissie, who will carry high weight of 122 pounds, is a son of Limehouse, who won the 2003 Bashford Manor and came back to Churchill Downs the following spring to run fourth in the Kentucky Derby (GI) behind Smarty Jones.

The most recent horse to sweep the Kentucky Juvenile and Bashford Manor was Lunarpal in 2004. Others to do it were the Dogwood-owned and Howard-trained Summer Squall (1989), To Freedom (‘90) and Horse of the Year Favorite Trick (’97).

Expected to challenge Lou Brissie for favoritism is Stonestreet Stables’ Kantharos, trained by two-time Bashford Manor winner Steve Asmussen.  Kantharos won at first asking as an even-money chance by 11 ¾ lengths over a sloppy track here on May 13. Robby Albarado, who rode Limehouse to victory in the Bashford Manor, has the return call on Kantharos, who will break from post position three under 118 pounds.

Albarado rode Just Louise to victory in last Saturday’s Debutante (GIII) for 2-year-old fillies and will attempt to become the first rider since Pat Day in 1997 to sweep the Spring Meet’s most important 2-year-old races.

The field for the Bashford Manor, from the rail out, is as follows: Gold for Cash (Jon Court, 118 pounds), Speed Demon (Jamie Theriot, 118), Kantharos (Albarado, 118), Saturday Dance (Victor Lebron, 116), Lou Brissie (Lanerie, 122) and Thewayitusedtobe (Julio Felix, 118).