After opening his racing career with maiden and entry-level allowance wins, South Bend will be the one to beat in Sunday’s $120,000 Street Sense at Churchill Downs. The one-mile event shares the spotlight with its filly counterpart, the $120,000 Rags to Riches, and the overnight stakes races are part of an 11-race Stars of Tomorrow I program that opens the 26-day fall meet under the Twin Spires.
RELATED: Street Sense Tipsheet
Nine maiden and allowance races will be offered on the lucrative undercard, all worth either $95,000 or $97,000.
Owned by Sagamore Farm and trained by Stanley Hough, South Bend broke his maiden the first time out at Churchill Downs on September 14, overcoming a slow start to post a rallying nose decision at six furlongs. The Algorithms colt stretched out to about seven furlongs for an entry-level allowance at Keeneland three weeks later and closed strongly again to prevail by a neck. Julian Leparoux retains the mount on the late runner.
Wheat King, a smart debut winner at Ellis and second to South Bend last out, will also make his first stakes attempt. Miguel Mena has the call for Mark Casse, who will also send out Tap It to Win in the 11-horse field. An impressive maiden winner on the Travers Day undercard at Saratoga, Tap It to Win will seek to rebound after faltering to last as the 3-1 second choice in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. Tyler Gaffalione rides.
Flying Seabee will switch from turf to dirt in his fourth career start. Winner of the grassy With Anticipation (G3) at Saratoga two back, the Ken McPeek-trained colt exits a fifth in the Bourbon (G3) on Keeneland’s turf and regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. will be up. Silver Prospector merits respect for Steve Asmussen following a sharp two-length maiden triumph in his first dirt attempt at Keeneland. Ricardo Santana Jr. will guide the expected front-runner.
Completing the cast are last-out Keeneland maiden winner Sprawl; Carpe Victoriam, who exits maiden and allowance tallies at Indiana Grand; Axiomo, who switches back to the main track following a third in the Indian Summer at Keeneland; Hopeful (G1) fourth-placer American Butterfly; Arlington maiden winner Mr. Tip; and Laurel maiden victor Shotski.
Specially figures to go favored over six rivals in the Rags to Riches following a superb debut win at Keeneland for John Oxley and Casse, registering a 95 BRIS Speed rating for the 5 ¼-length decision. The daughter of Tapiture cost $475,000 at the OBS March two-year-old sale earlier this year and Mena replaces an injured Florent Geroux in the saddle.
Gone Glimmering, who won her first two starts at Indiana Grand, is eligible to improve upon a non-threatening fourth in the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland. James Graham has the reins for Amoss. Curlinesque exits a nice debut win at Churchill Downs, scoring by about a length for Cherie DeVaux on September 26, and keeps Gaffalione.
Lucky Jingle switched to dirt and posted a nice entry-level allowance victory at Keeneland on October 4. From the first crop of Tonalist, the dark bay miss is trained by Graham Motion and will be ridden by Leparoux. Finite will move back to the main track for Asmussen after romping by 4 ¼ lengths in a Kentucky Downs maiden race. Ellis Park allowance heroine Lady Glamour, who will try to bounce back after faltering as the favorite in the Ellis Park Debutante last time, is also entered, and Remington Park maiden winner Spotted Ghost rounds out the field.
