Centre Court Back on Favorite Course in Distaff Turf Mile
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Centre Court, undefeated in three starts on the Matt Winn Turf Course, heads a field of nine fillies and mares in the 29th running of the $300,000-added Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (GII).
Trained by Rusty Arnold, Centre Court returned to the races after a nearly eight-month layoff and won the Honey Fox (GII) at Gulfstream Park. In her most recent start, she finished fifth beaten less than two lengths after a wide trip in the Jenny Wiley (GI) at Keeneland.
Julien Leparoux will ride Centre Court and exit post position nine.
Patsy Symons’ Effie Trinket, who finished third in the Honey Fox, makes her return to Churchill Downs where she was second in last fall’s Mrs. Revere (GII) for trainer Rick Violette. Effie Trinket will break from post position eight and be ridden by Luis Saez.
Other contenders of note include Grade III winners Tapicat, Miz Ida, I’m Already Sexy and Coffee Clique.
The field for the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile that will go as the sixth race with a 1:19 p.m. post time, from the hedge out, is as follows: Tapicat (Joel Rosario, 118 pounds), Coffee Clique (Javier Castellano, 118), Miz Ida (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), Dame Marie (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Absolute Crackers (IRE) (Alan Garcia, 118), I’m Already Sexy (Florent Geroux, 118), Ready Signal (Joe Bravo, 120), Effie Trinket (Luis Saez, 118) and Centre Court (Leparoux, 120).