Churchill Downs: My Boy Prince leads 9 in Commonwealth Turf

A competitive field of nine 3-year-olds, including Hawthorne Derby winner Ak Sar Ben Derby, Gun Runner Stakes runner-up Herchee and King’s Plate runner-up My Boy Prince is set to contest the 19th running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Commonwealth Turf Stakes, one of two featured events on an 11-race card next Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Run at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn turf course, the Commonwealth Turf goes as Race 10 with a post time of 5:25 p.m. EST. First post is 1 p.m. EST.

Ontario-bred My Boy Prince, owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse, leads the field with an impressive resumé of 13: 6-3-1 and career earnings of $767,266. The gray son of Cairo Prince was the 3-5 favorite in the prestigious King’s Plate three months ago but finished second and was beaten three-quarters of a length by Caitlinhergrtness. Florent Geroux has the mount on My Boy Prince, who will break from the rail.

Another stakes winner in the field is Ak Sar Ben Derby, who scored a narrow victory over Higgins Boat in the Hawthorne Derby on Oct. 6 at odds of 9-1. Owned by Millard Seldin Revocable Trust and trained by John Ortiz, the gelded son of Tapiture will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from post 4.

Herchee, owned by 100% Racing Stable and trained by Helen Pitts, has been a model of consistency throughout his four-race campaign. Alongside his runner-up finish in the Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs, the gelded son of Twirling Candy boasts two victories and a third-place finish in the Bryan Station Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. Edgar Morales will guide Herchee from post 8.