Churchill notes: Rivals Bell's the One, Sconsin meet for 8th time

Lothenbach Stables’ Bell’s the One will meet her rival Sconsin for the eighth time Saturday in the $300,000 Open Mind Stakes at Churchill Downs, and trainer Neil Pessin hopes she can avenge her defeat from last year’s race.

Bell’s the One got the better of Sconsin by 2 1/2 lengths in the Lady Tak one month ago. In last year’s Open Mind, Bell’s the One finished a half-length behind the Greg Foley-trained Sconsin in the Open Mind.

“She’s taken us on a lot of journeys and I’m so thankful for her,” Pessin said. “I was pretty confident with her going into the Lady Tak and I wasn’t holding back like a normally do talking about her.”

Bell’s the One has been dominant at the six-furlong distance throughout her career and has recorded eight of her 12 lifetime victories going 3/4 of a mile. Entering this year’s Open Mind, the 6-year-old daughter of Majesticperfection sports two swift half-mile moves in company with stablemate Fine Cotton. Two weeks ago, Bell’s the One recorded the best half-mile move of 106 horses to breeze at the distance when she cruised :47. Last week, Bell’s the One was the best of 90 other horses when she skittered four furlongs in :46.80.

Aside from Bell’s the One and Sconsin in the Open Mind, stakes-winning Joyful Cadence could loom large for Bill Simon’s WSS Racing and trainer John Ortiz. Joyful Cadence finished 1 1/2 lengths behind Bell’s the One in the Lady Tak after setting swift opening quarter-mile fractions of :22.42 and :45.42.

“I think she’s right there with Sconsin and Bell’s the One,” jockey Rey Gutierrez said. “She ran so well last time and Bell’s the One and Sconsin are two very nice mares. Joyful Cadence is going in the right direction and is right there with them. I think she’s ready to run a big effort.”

The six-furlong Open Mind will go as Race 7 of 11 with a post time of 3:50 p.m. EDT. The compact field of five female sprinters will be one of five stakes featured on the program. The others are the $300,000 Iroquois (G3), $300,000 Pocahontas (G3), $400,000 Locust Grove and $275,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society. First post is 12:45 p.m.

Jockey Morales hopes to continue career year in Iroquois

The combination of jockey Edgar Morales and trainer Tom Amoss has paid dividends over the last several months to horseplayers at Churchill Downs and the duo will team up once again with Michael McLoughlin’s Ellis Park Juvenile runner-up Curly Jack in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Iroquois Stakes, the kickoff of the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

“It’s great to ride for Tom (Amoss),” Morales said. “He and his staff do a tremendous job with their horses and we’ve been rewarded by them. Curly Jack seems to be improving with every start and that’s what you hope with a 2-year-old. He ran really well last time and has started to relax.”

In the spring meet, Morales and Amoss teamed up for six winners including five 2-year-old victories in maiden special weight competition. Morales could be on his way to earn the most purse money in his six-year-career. With about 3½ months remaining in 2022, the Puerto Rico native’s mounts have earned $3,047,649 which is nearly $600,000 shy of his career-best mark set in 2018.

Off the racetrack, Morales is just as busy. He and his fiancée Keely Sorrows recently announced they are expecting a baby girl in 2023.

Curly Jack is a 2-year-old son of Good Magic by the Roman Ruler mare Connie and Michael. The bay colt broke his maiden at first asking June 2 at Churchill Downs then shipped to Saratoga to compete in the Sanford Stakes (G3) where he finished fifth behind top juvenile Mo Strike. In the Ellis Park Juvenile, Morales was able to relax Curly Jack off the pace and finished a head behind Top Recruit.

The 1 1/16-mile Iroquois will kick off the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Iroquois was carded as Race 9 of 11 with a post time of 4:55 p.m. EDT. First post Saturday at Churchill Downs is 12:45 p.m.

Curly Jack was tabbed at odds of 5-1 in the Iroquois field. Winchell Thoroughbreds’ impressive Saratoga maiden special weight winner Echo Again was made the 2-1 morning line choice by oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.

The Iroquois Stakes will award the Top 5 finishers points on a 10-4-3-2-1 scale toward a spot in the starting gate for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Iroquois, Pocahontas part of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen bonus series

The Iroquois and Pocahontas are both part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen which will award partial entry fees to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 4 at Keeneland.

The winners of the Iroquois and Pocahontas will receive $30,000 toward their fees to enter the Breeders’ Cup. The second place finishers will be awarded $15,000 and third will receive $7,500.