Casse barn represented by three runners in Commonwealth Turf
Trainer Mark Casse will occupy three slots in the starting gate for Saturday’s 13th running of the $100,000 Commonwealth Turf (Grade III) at Churchill Downs, which will be contested over 1 1/16 miles on turf, with 3-year-olds Blackout (FR), Ikerrin Road (IRE) and Tizzarunner.
Blackout (FR), who will break from post 3 under Florent Geroux, will be making his third start in the United States. The French-bred son of Dream Ahead made his American debut in an allowance race at Saratoga on Sept. 3 where he was eighth beaten 5 ¾ lengths. He turned things around in his following start in a Belmont Park allowance race, winning by three-quarters of a length.
“It looks like now he needed the race at Saratoga,” said Mark’s son and assistant Norman Casse. “We were really high on him ever since he ran his race up at there. He breezed really well since that last win up at Belmont Park so we’re expecting him to run pretty well on Saturday.”
Casse also will be represented by Ikerrin Road (IRE). Breaking from the nine-hole under Ricardo Santana Jr., the son of Iffraaj will look to improve off of his first U.S. start which was a fifth-place effort in a 5 ½-furlong Keeneland allowance event. The Commonwealth Turf will be his first start beyond seven furlongs.
“He’s been working really well since his last start,” Casse said. “In his European races he was just sprinting and he kind of got a way badly in his last race at Keeneland and it looked like he needed some more ground.”
Breaking just to the outside of Ikerrin Road (IRE) is stablemate Tizzarunner who will be ridden by Chris Landeros. The ultra-consistent Maryland-bred son of Tizway takes a shot at a second straight triumph after tasting success over the Keeneland lawn on Oct. 27. In 10 starts, Tizarunner has only finished off the board once in an allowance race at Belmont Park two starts ago where he was fifth beaten three lengths.
“Tizzarunner ran a career best race last time at Keeneland and we were really excited about it,” Casse said. “This is the last real opportunity to run him against straight 3-year-olds at this level. They’re all coming into it the way we want them to. I think we’ve got a pretty good hand going into the race.”
ONE MEAN MAN 3-1 MORNING LINE FAVORITE IN COMMONWEALTH TURF - Churchill Downs morning line odds maker Mike Battaglia made One Mean Man the 3-1 morning line favorite in a competitive renewal of Saturday’s 13th running of the $100,000 Commonwealth Turf (Grade III) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf. The field, from the rail out (with jockeys and morning line odds): Zapperini (Corey Lanerie, 15-1), Sir Dudley Digges (Julien Leparoux, 9-2), Blackout (FR) (Florent Geroux, 6-1), Hay Dakota (Denny Velazquez, 20-1), Surgical Strike (Jose Valdivia Jr., 8-1), Scholar Athlete (Angel Cruz, 8-1), One Mean Man (Robby Albarado, 3-1), Bondurant (Brian Hernandez Jr., 6-1), Ikerrin Road (IRE) (Ricardo Santana Jr., 15-1), Tizzarunner (Chris Landeros, 6-1) and Discreetness (Jesus Castanon, 20-1).
THURSDAY’S WORKTAB – Thursday’s breezes at Churchill Downs over a fast main track included Rags to Riches third-place finisher Farrell (five furlongs in 1:00.40) for trainer Wayne Catalano, multiple Grade III-winner Island Town (four furlongs in :49) for trainer Ian Wilkes, and the Bill Mott-trained stakes-placed 2-year-old filly Harlands Thunder (four furlongs in :50.80).
SINGLE 6 JACKPOT – There’s a seven-day carryover of $29,240 in the 20-cent minimum Single 6 Jackpot for Thursday, and the sequence covers Races 5-10 starting at 3 p.m. EST. The Single 6 Jackpot, which features a low 15-percent takeout, will be paid out only if there is a single winning wager with six winners placed at the required minimum bet value. If there are multiple winning wagers with six winners in the six-race sequence, 90 percent of the net money wagering into the pool will be paid out, and the remaining 10 percent will carry to the Single 6 Jackpot. If there are no tickets will all six winners, 100 percent of the pool will carry to the Single 6 Jackpot. There will be a mandatory payout on closing day.
FRIDAY IS MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY – Friday (Veterans Day) is Military Appreciation Day at Churchill Downs with free admission for active and retired members of the U.S. armed services. Military personnel also can receive a discounted ticket to the Millionaires Row dining room on Friday by contacting Churchill Downs’ Group Sales department at (502) 636-4450.
NOMINATIONS TO CLOSING WEEKEND STAKES CLOSE SATURDAY – Nominations for Churchill Downs’ six graded stakes events over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend close Saturday at 11:59 p.m. EST.
The anchor of the lucrative weekend comes on “Black Friday,” Nov. 25 with the 142nd running of the $500,000 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI). The 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds and up annually lures some of the top older horses in North America.
Also added to this day is the 26th running of the $200,000 Mrs. Revere (GII), a prominent 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies, which previously was run earlier in the meet.
The 101st running of the $200,000 Falls City Handicap (GII) for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles and the 39th running of the $100,000 River City Handicap (GIII) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf highlight Thanksgiving Day at Churchill Downs. Racing on Thanksgiving Day (first race at 11:30 a.m.) has been a Louisville tradition at Churchill Downs since 1969 where more than 7,000 turkey dinners are served with all the trimmings, making it the largest number anywhere in the region.
Saturday, Nov. 26 – the penultimate day of the Fall Meet – is “Stars of Tomorrow II,” a 12-race program entirely devoted to 2-year-olds. The marquee events are a pair of Grade II, $200,000, 1 1/16-mile races: the open Kentucky Jockey Club and Golden Rod for fillies that are part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series which award points to the Top 4 finishers (10-4-2-1).
‘INSIDE CHURCHILL DOWNS’ AIRS SUNDAY ON ESPN 680 AT 9 A.M. – “Inside Churchill Downs,” co-hosted by Churchill Downs Racetrack’s John Asher, Darren Rogers and Kevin Kerstein, will air Sunday from 9-10 a.m. (all times Eastern) on ESPN 680/105.7. Those outside the Louisville radio market can listen live online at http://www.espnlouisville.com/. Podcasts of the shows also will be available on the station’s website.
‘STAKES AND EGGS’ SUNDAY BRUNCH – Throughout the Fall Meet, Churchill Downs is offering a special “Stakes and Eggs” brunch special in the newly-renovated Stakes Room every Sunday. The $45 package for adults and $22 package for children includes a seat in the Stakes Room on the fourth floor of the Clubhouse and all-you-can-eat access to the brunch menu that includes an omelet station, scrambled eggs, biscuits and country gravy, French toast, hot brown, carved country ham, crispy bacon, sausage patties, hash brown potatoes with peppers and onions, fresh fruit, garden vegetables, breakfast breads and a chef’s dessert display. Gates on Sundays open at noon and the first race is 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets, in person at the Gate 1 box office or by calling (502) 636-4400.
WHO’S THE CHAMP? HANDICAPPING CONTEST RETURNS SUNDAY – The “Who’s the Champ? Handicapping Contest” returns Sunday. Interested participants can enter for $35 ($30 for TSC Elite members) for a chance to win the $1,000 cash voucher first prize by placing mythical $2 win and place bets on Races 3-8. Second place receives a $500 voucher and third place is worth a $200 voucher. The entry fee also includes a meal voucher and official program. Registration takes place between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on the Clubhouse second floor at the top of the Gate 17 escalators. “Who’s the Champ?” also will take place on Sunday, Nov. 20.
MEET LEADERS – Brian Hernandez Jr. starts Day 8 of the 21-day Fall Meet with a 9-8 lead over Corey Lanerie in the jockey standings. Shaun Bridgmohan and Joe Rocco Jr. are tied for third with six wins each. … Rusty Arnold, who led all trainers during the 1987 Fall Meet with nine victories, won two races Wednesday to take the a two-win lead in the trainer standings ahead of Brad Cox, Eddie Kenneally, Mike Maker and Ian Wilkes, who have three wins apiece. … Two wins each by Glencrest Farm LLC, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Millard R. Seldin Revocable Trust and William Stiritz top the owner’s leaderboard.
KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGERS RETURN ON CLOSING WEEKEND – The first pools of the 2017 Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be offered Nov. 24-27. The traditional pool with 23 individual wagering interests and an “all others” option will return, and so will the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which debuted last year and requires bettors to wager on the winning sire for next year’s Kentucky Derby winner. The complete schedule for Future Wager dates: Pool 1 and Sire Future Wager, Nov. 24-27; Pool 2, Jan. 27-29; Pool 3 and Oaks Future Wager, Feb. 24-26; and Pool 4, March 31-April 2.
MILESTONE WATCH – Jockey Jon Court enters Thursday’s action four wins shy of 4,000 career wins. … Trainer Paul McGee needs five victories to reach 1,000 career wins. … Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is four wins away from becoming the first trainer to saddle 700 career wins at Churchill Downs. Don’t look now, but Dale Romans is approaching Mott’s all-time local win record. Mott has a 696-679 lead over Romans.
DOWN THE STRETCH – The first race each day this week is 1 p.m. EST. There are 10-race programs on Thursday and Sunday and 11-race cards on Friday and Saturday. … Track superintendent Jamie Richardson has the rails on the Matt Winn Turf Course placed in Lane 2, 15-feet off the inside hedge, this week. Turf races were in Lane 1 on opening week. … The National Weather Service forecast for Louisville this week calls for sunny skies: Thursday, 62; Friday, 61; Saturday, 54; and Sunday, 60.
Source: Churchill Downs