Trainer Dale Romans is hoping for a big Saturday at
Churchill Downs as
he will saddle Pick of the Litter in
the $125,000 Homecoming Classic as well as Sportscaster and Hesinfront in the
Grade 3, $100,000 Jefferson Cup.
Pick of the Litter is coming off a victory in an August 22 optional claimer at
Saratoga, where he stalked pacesetter
Cigar Street throughout the 1 1/8-mile event and rallied off of the rail in the
closing stages to finish a half-length in front of that rival.
The race was the
first in 17 months for Grade 3 winner Cigar Street, who arrived Thursday
afternoon from New York and jogged Friday morning under the Twin Spires for the
Homecoming Classic.
“I don’t know if Cigar Street will be any tougher, but
he’ll be tough,” Romans acknowledged. “Bill Mott has his horses ready to run. I
don’t care if they’ve been off 17 years or 17 months. I think we saw Cigar
Street as good as he could have been in that last race. With that said, he’s a
very good horse and he’ll be difficult to beat.
“It’s not an easy race for anyone. I think the Churchill Downs racing office
did a really good job putting together a non-graded stakes race like they did.”
Pick of the Litter, the 9-2 fourth-choice, will break from
the outside stall in post position 6 Saturday, while Cigar Street will be
directly to his inside in post 5 for the rematch.
Jockey Julien Leparoux will ride Pick of the Litter in the
nine-furlong Homecoming Classic.
In the Jefferson Cup, Sportscaster will break from the rail
with jockey Jesus Castanon in the saddle for Romans, who co-owns Sportscaster
with NBA Hall of Famer and former University of Kentucky All-American Dan Issel
and NBC Sports personality and Kentucky-native Tom Hammond.
“Dan and I have been friends for many years,” Romans said. “He’s been
involved in racing a long time. He took a little hiatus and he, Tom Hammond and
I bought this horse together and that’s how the name Sportscaster came about.
Dan’s been a huge fan of Thoroughbred racing for a long time.”
On the opposite end of the gate, Hesinfront will break from
the far outside in post 8 with jockey Miguel Mena at the helm. Hesinfront
has been made the 9-2 third choice and Romans is expecting a big performance.
“I think shortening it up to a mile might help his
chances,” the horseman explained. “He took a little time off this summer which I
think helped him. He’s been an immature horse his whole life and I think he’s
finally catching up with his crop. I’m looking for a breakthrough race out of
him.”
The grassy, one-mile Jefferson Cup will go as the penultimate race on the
final Saturday of Churchill’s September meet, and also features Captain Dixie.
The Kellyn Gorder trainee is seeking his first stakes victory off a fifth-place
run in the September 6 Dueling Grounds Derby at
Kentucky Downs.
Breaking from post position 2, Captain Dixie was given
odds of 10-1 on the morning-line, and Gorder thinks the three-year-old son of Henrythenavigator should be closer to the lead on Saturday than he was in his
last start.
“We thought he’d show more speed in his last race, but then he turned his
head right at the start,” Gorder said. “He pretty much missed the break. I think
if he’s not on the lead on Saturday, he’ll be close.”
Gorder said Captain Dixie came out of his last race fine
and that he’s liked what he’s seen since. He also thinks the addition of jockey
Ricardo Santana Jr. will help his horse’s chances.
“He came out of the last race really well and has been
training great since,” Gorder remarked. “He had a nice work last week (on
September 21 over Churchill’s fast dirt) that went a half mile in :48. Ricardo
Santana worked him and seemed like he really got along with the horse.”
With seven other colts challenging Captain Dixie, Gorder is
expecting a solid effort and hopes he gets a clean trip.
“He’s a free running horse,” Gorder said. “He doesn’t like to be messed with
that much. I guess we’ll play it on the break and see what happens, but I’m
expecting him to show up.”
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