Delaunay Back to Defend CD Title

Maggi Moss’ Delaunay will attempt to become the fifth repeat winner of the Churchill Downs (GII) when he faces 10 rivals in the 80th running of $400,000-added race at seven furlongs on the main track.

The most recent runner to win the sprint in consecutive years was Sovereign’s Ace in 1986-87.

An eight-time stakes winner, Delaunay is trained by Tom Amoss and will be ridden Saturday by Rosie Napravnik. Delaunay will break from post position 10.

Grade I winners in the field include Dennis Cardoza and Mike Pegram’s Shakin It Up, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Capo Bastone and Jerry Hollendorfer and Sweetwater Stable’s Sahara Sky.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Shakin It Up won the Malibu (GI) to close out 2013 and then won the Strub (GII). Mike Smith has the mount on Shakin It Up, who will break from post position 11.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Capo Bastone will be making his 2014 debut. Winner of the King’s Bishop (GI) and runner-up in the Derby Trial (GIII) here last year, Capo Bastone will break from position one and be ridden by John Velazquez.

Sahara Sky, trained by Hollendorfer, is a two-time winner of the San Carlos (GII) and last year won the Metropolitan Handicap (GI) at Belmont Park. Joel Rosario will be aboard Sahara Sky and exit post position four.

The field for the Churchill Downs that will go as the ninth race with a 3:46 p.m. post time, from the rail out, is: Capo Bastone (Velazquez, 118 pounds), Clearly Now (Javier Castellano, 118), Broadway Empire (Gary Stevens, 118), Sahara Sky (Rosario, 120), Quiet Force (Julien Leparoux, 118), Laugh Track (Miguel Mena, 118), River Bear (Tim Thornton, 118), Falling Sky (Luis Saez, 118), Central Banker (Corey Nakatani, 118), Delaunay (Napravnik, 118) and Shakin It Up (Smith, 123).