Field for Churchill's Grade 1 Clark begins taking shape
The marquee race of the 2020 Churchill Downs Fall Meet is the $500,000 Clark (G1) on Friday, Nov. 27. Nominations for the 1 1/8-mile race are due Saturday but several horses are ramping up their preparations, including two-time Grade 1 winner Code of Honor and multiple graded stakes winners Mr Freeze and Owendale.
The Clark is one of six graded stakes events that are staged on closing week of the Fall Meet at Churchill Downs:
Thursday, Nov. 26:
- $200,000 Falls City (G2) for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles
- $100,000 Cardinal (G3) for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf
Friday, Nov. 27:
- $500,000 Clark (G1) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles
- $100,000 River City (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf
Saturday, Nov. 28:
- $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles
- $200,000 Golden Rod (G2) for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles
“This year the Clark is only three weeks removed from the Breeders’ Cup because of the way the calendar fell but Mr Freeze just looks phenomenal after the Dirt Mile,” trainer Dale Romans said.
Mr Freeze finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and was defeated 5¾ lengths by front-running Knicks Go. Finishing just ahead of Mr Freeze in the race was the six-time winner Owendale. The Into Mischief colt was the runner-up in last year’s edition of the Clark behind Tom’s d’Etat.
One of the other early top contenders for the Clark is Bill Farish’s two-time Grade 1 winner Code of Honor. Based at Belmont Park with trainer Shug McGaughey, Code of Honor most recently finished second behind Complexity in the one-mile, $150,000 Kelso (G2).
Code of Honor was a top 3-year-old in 2019 after recording victories in the Travers (G1), Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and Dwyer (G3). The homebred son of Noble Mission finished second in the Kentucky Derby behind official winner Country House.
Code of Honor is also possible for the $250,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) on Dec. 5 at Aqueduct, so connections will have to choose between that race and the Clark.