Clark Stakes: Odds and analysis for a strong field at Churchill

Friday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs drew a field of nine who will race 1 1/8 miles. This Thanksgiving weekend feature includes three prominent 3-year-olds with a pair who will face older horses for the first time.

The Clark field has six graded-stakes winners, including two Grade 1 winners, and three of them earned more than $1 million in their careers. Rattle N Roll won the Clark last year and is joined by Cooke Creek and Hit Show from that field.

Here is a full-field analysis with the official morning-line odds from Churchill Downs. The Clark is set as race 11 of 12 with post time scheduled for 5:54 p.m. EST.

1. Cooke Creek, 12-1. Uncle Mo – Mike Maker / Francisco Arrieta – 26: 6-3-4 - $598,867. Cooke Creek did his best running while setting the pace, and that is how his four most recent victories happened. These include a September win at Delaware Park in the Battery Park. Last year he finished sixth in the Clark after getting second in the Lukas Classic (G2). Like others better.

2. First Mission, 5-1. Street Sense – Brad Cox / Flavien Prat – 15: 6-3-2 - $2,227,270. First Mission is a four-time graded-stakes winner who most recently won the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in April. Since then, he was third in the Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill, second in the Philip Iselin (G3) at Monmouth Park (G3) and fourth in the Goodwood (G1) at Santa Anita in September. Flavien Prat rode First Mission in that Oaklawn victory, and he gets back on board here. Use underneath.

3. Hit Show, 3-1. Candy Ride – Brad Cox / Irad Ortiz Jr. – 22: 11-1-1 - $8,785,183. Hit Show leads the Clark field with the highest career earnings and the most victories. He won more than $7 million in 2025 bolstered by a win in the rich Dubai World Cup (G1), where he defeated this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young. Last seen he won the Fayette (G3), which was only his second trip to the Churchill winner’s circle in seven tries. Irad Ortiz stays on board after riding him for the first time last month. The one to beat.

4. Gosger, 4-1. Nyquist– Brendan Walsh / Luis Saez – 7: 2-3-1 - $939,575. Gosger made his first start against older horses in the Fayette, where he had the lead in the stretch but was run down by Hit Show and Rattle N Roll. He also had a five-length lead in the Preakness stretch but was caught by the late run of Journalism. Gosger could not hold off the Preakness winner in the Haskell (G1) again, losing by a half-length. Blinkers go on. Win contender.

5. Chunk of Gold, 10-1. Preservationist – Ethan West / Junior Alvarado – 9: 3-5-0 - $834,811. Chunk of Gold was second twice on the Kentucky Derby trail at Fair Grounds in the Risen Star (G2) and the Louisiana Derby (G2). In September, he was second in the Bourbon Flight at Churchill and most recently won a Keeneland allowance with a front-end effort by more than eight lengths. His most recent victory was in August in the West Virginia Derby (G3). He faces older horses for the first time. Live long shot.

6. Rattle N Roll, 7-2. Connect – Ken McPeek / Brian Hernandez Jr. – 28: 10-3-3 - $3,531,391. Rattle N Roll spent the winter in the Middle East where he won a Group 3 stakes race in Saudi Arabia. But he did not fare nearly as well in the Saudi Cup (G1) or the Dubai World Cup. After four months off he was sixth in the Lukas Classic (G2) behind his stablemate Mystik Dan. Last month in the Fayette he rallied from last to get second within a length of Hit Show. Brian Hernandez, who rode Rattle N Roll to win the Clark last year before his trip overseas, gets back on board. Top choice.

7. Who Dey, 30-1. Liam’s Map– Thomas Drury Jr. / Luan Machado – 13: 8-2-1 - $521,372. Who Dey is an Ohio-bred with eight career victories, and four of those wins were in stakes races for state-breds. In three starts in graded stakes his best finish was a second in the 2024 Matt Winn (G3), where he was the 1.40-1 favorite in a field of 10. Toss.

8. Willy D’s, 12-1. Lookin At Lucky – Michael Maker / Tyler Gaffalione – 23: 5-6-2 - $540,968. Willy D’s is a 4-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky who became a stakes winner for the first time in his 21st start in a listed stakes at Horseshoe Indianapolis in July with a front-end effort. He made the only starts of his career in graded stakes in August and September, when he was second in the Charles Town Classic (G2) and seventh in the Lukas Classic. Toss.

9. Magnitude, 9-2. Not This Time – Steve Asmussen / Jose Ortiz – 10: 4-2-1 - $931,165. Magnitude will make his first start against older horses in the Clark. He won the Risen Star (G2) in February on the Kentucky Derby trail. After a five-month layoff he won the Iowa Derby by more than nine lengths while racing on the lead. He was then a distant third in the Travers (G1) behind Sovereignty and last was seen finishing second in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) behind Baeza. He also won an allowance race at Churchill as a 2-year-old against a field of five. Win contender.

Summary: The 2025 edition of the Clark has a field of nine with five horses who are listed on the morning line with odds of 5-1 or lower. Accordingly, it is a contentious field. Hit Show is a lukewarm favorite at 3-1 even though he leads the field with victories and money earned.

Rattle N Roll won the Clark last year with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. on board. They are reunited here in what amounts to the horse's third start since a layoff. Last month in the Fayette at Keeneland, the Kenny McPeek trainee rallied from far back in a large field to finish second by a length. Rattle N Roll is the top pick to win for the fifth time at Churchill Downs.