Trainer Brad Cox has two legitimate chances to take down the $600,000 Clark (G2) over 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on Friday. The four-year-old Hit Show is an obvious early favorite coming off three consecutive graded wins, but the undefeated three-year-old Most Wanted might pose a serious threat to his older stablemate.
Hit Show has been consistent if not dominant this term. Except for one flub, in the Cornhusker H. (G3) won by Red Route One, he’s been flawless. But he’s not been one to win by a lot. Hit Show enters on a three-race win streak, encompassing the West Virginia Governor’s (G3), Lukas Classic (G2), and Fayette (G2), though by a cumulative margin of only 1 1/2 lengths.
Most Wanted hasn’t tended to win by much either, but perhaps that’s been a reflection of his relative inexperience. Not making the races until June of this year, the son of Candy Ride has won all four of his starts, including the Ellis Park Derby and Oklahoma Derby (G3). More significantly than that margin of those two wins were his 105 and 104 Brisnet Speed ratings, more than competitive as he steps up to face older for the first time.
Most Wanted should show speed, as should Cooke Creek, who just missed by a neck in the Lukas Classic to Hit Show after setting the pace. Any bit of heat on the front would help Red Route One, who typically needs a strong set-up to make things interesting at the finish. Unraced since the July 6 Cornhusker, Red Route One also owns a win in the New Orleans Classic (G2) this season.
Other notables in the Clark lineup include Rattle N Roll, who’s third in the Sept. 28 Lukas Classic has been his only race in the past 14 months. Like Red Route One, the five-time graded winner likely needs a strong pace to take a step forward second off the layoff.
Crupi, who captured the 1 1/4-mile Suburban (G2) in June, subsequently placed in the Brooklyn (G2), Whitney (G1), and Woodward (G2), though was never a serious threat to win any of them. Bolzy turned in a game effort as a 28-1 chance in the Fayette under a front-running ride by Frankie Dettori. He adds blinkers, but with a 10-2-1-0 mark is generally an unreliable sort.
The supporting feature on the Black Friday program is the $300,000 Mrs. Revere, a 1 1/16-mile grass test for three-year-old fillies. Minoushka and Kehoe Beach both enter off dominating allowance wins at Keeneland, while Pin Up Betty might be the most consistent of the previous graded winners in the field and is 2-for-2 over Churchill’s turf.
