Churchill: Final Gambit is 1 of 5 Ky. Derby alumni in Matt Winn
Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Final Gambit is set to take on a field of seven 3-year-olds including fellow Derby alumni Burnham Square, East Avenue, Chunk of Gold and Coal Battle next Sunday in the 28th running of the Grade 3, $400,000 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs.
The Matt Winn, run at 1 1/16 miles, will be run as race 8 at 4:22 p.m. EDT. The first post Sunday is at 12:45 p.m.
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Juddmonte’s Final Gambit, who finished 4 1/4 lengths behind Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza in the Derby, will make only his second start on dirt when he goes in the Matt Winn. Trained by Brad Cox, Final Gambit was a last-to-first winner of the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) over the Tapeta surface at Turfway Park. Jockey Flavien Prat will ride the gray son of Not This Time out of post 2.
Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Burnham Square, a troubled sixth in the Kentucky Derby, is one of three Grade 1 winners in the race along with East Avenue and Gaming. Trained by Ian Wilkes, Burnham Square had to check repeatedly in the stretch of the Derby and was defeated by 10 1/2 lengths. Before the Derby, Burnham Square got his nose down in front of East Avenue to win the Blue Grass at Keeneland. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will be in the saddle from post 5.
East Avenue, a homebred son of Medaglia d’Oro for Godolphin, turned heads as a 2-year-old after breaking his maiden by eighth lengths on debut at Ellis Park and then scoring a 5 1/4-length win in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. After disappointing efforts in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Risen Star (G2), East Avenue qualified for the Kentucky Derby with his second-place finish in the Blue Grass. In the Derby, the Brendan Walsh trainee tracked the early pace but faded to eighth, defeated by 13 1/4 lengths. Jockey Luis Sáez will have the call in the Matt Winn from post 7.
Terry Stephens’s Louisiana Derby (G2) runner-up Chunk of Gold enters the Matt Winn after a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Ethan West, Chunk of Gold returned to his Turfway Park base following the Derby and posted a sharp 47.0-second half-mile move Saturday morning, the fastest of 73 horses at the distance. Jockey Jareth Loveberry has the return call on Chunk of Gold and will break from post 3.
Five-time winner Coal Battle remained based at Churchill Downs following his 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Owned by Norman Stables and trained by Lonnie Briley, Coal Battle won the listed Smarty Jones and Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn this year. Jockey Corey Lanerie, who rode Coal Battle to a seventh-place finish on turf in the third start of his nine-race career, will have the call for the Matt Winn from post 6.