Toledo lands in Churchill Downs allowance with Derby trail potential
An allowance race for 3-year-olds in mid-May at Churchill Downs has never carried Kentucky Derby implications before, but that may change Sunday.
An overflow field of sophomores are entered for Race 9, an allowance optional claimer set for seven furlongs on the main track. Among the runners is Juddmonte Farms' Toledo, a Chad Brown-trained son of Into Mischief.
Though he's only graded stakes placed at this time, a victory on Sunday at Churchill Downs could propel Toledo to tougher tests this spring and summer toward the postponed 2020 Kentucky Derby set for Sept. 5.
Toledo is a homebred out of Bernardini mare Endless Chat. He drew post No. 9 for Sunday's tilt.
In his most recent start, Toledo finished third behind Tiz the Law and future graded winner Ete Indien in the Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park in February. He will be coming off the bench 106 days after that effort.
A win here could be used as a stepping stone back to the extended 2020 Kentucky Derby trail on which Toledo has earned two qualifying points. He's the only Brown trainee on the leaderboard for the Eclipse Award-winning barn that came close in 2018, when Good Magic ran second in the Derby to Justify.
The rest of the field for Sunday's $75,000 optional claiming race came up strong, with Acre (a half-sibling to multiple graded stakes winner Lea), Wrecking Crew, Art Collector, Patrol and Victory Boulevard heading to the gate.
Acre, trained by Bill Mott, graduated in his second attempt as a freshman last year, winning at Saratoga in an August maiden special weight race. Out of Greenery, the same dam who produced Lea, the colt by Blame finished fifth in his most recent start, in allowance company at Gulfstream Park in April. Acre drew the No. 3 post.
Wrecking Crew, from post No. 7, is the high earner of the group, amassing $337,600 for owners Rockingham Ranch. Trained by Peter Miller, Wrecking Crew was entered, then scratched from last month's Arkansas Derby (G1) before rerouting to this spot.
No. 10 Art Collector will make his debut for the Tommy Drury barn after previously being trained by Joe Sharp. Art Collector raced three times on the turf to start his career last year, winning in his second start, a maiden special weight race at Kentucky Downs in September.
He switched to the dirt for two races at Churchill in November, winning his most recent effort, an allowance affair going six furlongs on the sloppy main track. Art Collector will be racing for the first time in 169 days.
Patrol, the No. 11, made his debut earlier this year a winning one when breaking through in February at Aqueduct. Interestingly, Patrol is also entered in a $50,000 claiming race at Churchill on Saturday but is not designated with the $75,000 claiming tag in Sunday's race.
Victory Boulevard drops out of stakes company in Turfway Park's Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) having run fifth for the Mike Maker barn. Before that, he had won three straight. He is in for the tag Sunday.
Post time is 5:12 p.m. ET with this allowance carded one event before unbeaten Four Wheel Drive makes his season debut in the Race 10 feature.