The theme is “Country Salon,” with guests encouraged to employ a western-inspired look, and festivities include live music and line dancing at Saturday’s Down After Dark program at Churchill Downs.
First post is 6 p.m. (ET) for the 11-race program.
Winning Colors (G3) – Race 5 (7:57 p.m. ET)
Grade 2 winners Frank’s Rockette and Sconsin lead a field of six female sprinters in the $150,000 Winning Colors S. (G3). The six-furlong event is one of two stakes on the card.
Winner of the American Beauty S. in her four-year-old opener, Frank’s Rockette exits a close second in the April 10 Carousel S. at Oaklawn Park. The five-time stakes heroine is 2-for-2 under the Twin Spires, breaking her maiden and winning a salty allowance last season, and Bill Mott trains the daughter of Into Mischief. Florent Geroux retains the assignment.
Sconsin earned her first stakes tally when romping in the 2020 Eight Belles S. (G2) at Churchill, and the four-year-old miss exits a good second to Gamine in the May 1 Derby City Distaff (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard. The late-running Include filly will make her third start of the season for Greg Foley, and Tyler Gaffalione picks up the mount.
Multiple Grade 3-placed Bayerness exits a sharp allowance over the track on the April 24 opening-day program, and the four-year-old Curlin filly has recorded two of her three career wins at Churchill. Brian Hernandez Jr. will be up for Cherie DeVeux.
Headland, Rising Seas, and Tipsy Gal round out the field.
Keertana S. – Race 9 (10:11 p.m. ET)
Three-time stakes queen Dalika is among 10 turf distaffers in the $110,000 Keertana Overnight S. A German-bred daughter of Pastorius, the five-year-old mare recorded wins in the Blushing K.D. S. and Al Stall Memorial S. at Fair Grounds over the winter, but the gray will need to rebound after weakening to fifth most recently in the Bewitch S. (G3) at Keeneland.
Dalika has shown an affinity for Churchill, recording a 2-0-1 mark from four starts, and Miguel Mena will be back up for Al Stall Jr.
Delta’s Kingdom and Pass the Plate, second and third in the Bewitch, merit serious respect. The Mott-trained Delta’s Kingdom is eligible to break through after placing in four of her last five stakes attempts, and Geroux will retake the reins. Stakes winner Pass the Plate ran well over the course last season for Paul McGee, recording close finishes in the Regret S. (G3) and Tepin S., and Rafael Bejarano will pilot the late runner.
Other contestants include Cambeliza, First Course, Sursum Corda, and Temple City Terror.
