Jace's Road leads 11 juveniles in Street Sense at Churchill Downs

Jace’s Road, an impressive debut winner and recent third-place finisher in the Grade 3, $300,000 Iroquois Stakes, tops a competitive field of 11 colts who were entered in Sunday’s featured 10th running of the $200,000 Street Sense (G3) as part of “Stars of Tomorrow I” at Churchill Downs.

Sunday’s opening day of the 19-day fall meet stand features all 2-year-old races. The 11-race program includes the $200,000 Rags to Riches for fillies run at 1 1/16 miles in Race 6. The Street Sense will go as Race 10 at 5:35 p.m. EDT.

Inaugurated in 2005, Churchill Downs’ Stars of Tomorrow programs have helped launch the careers of numerous graded-stakes winners, including more than 50 Grade 1 winners led by Horse of the Year champions Gun Runner (2017) and Rachel Alexandra (2009); Kentucky Derby winners Super Saver (2010) and Mandaloun (2021); and Kentucky Oaks winners Rachel Alexandra (2009), Believe You Can (2012), Monomoy Girl (2018) and Secret Oath (2022). Many of the horses running Sunday will be prepping for “Stars of Tomorrow II,” which will be staged on Nov. 26.

Jace’s Road won his career debut at Ellis Park by 6 1/4 lengths for trainer Brad Cox. He returned in the Iroquois, where he was defeated 1 1/2 lengths by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile contender Curly Jack and 54-1 long shot and fellow Street Sense rival Honed. Since the Iroquois, Jace’s Road has worked three times at Churchill Downs with Florent Geroux in the saddle. Jace’s Road’s co-owner, Albaugh Family Stables, won last year’s Street Sense with the Dale Romans-trained Howling Time.

Geroux will have the mount on Jace’s Road in the Street Sense, and the duo will break from post No. 3.

Ten rivals were entered to face Jace’s Road in the Street Sense, including With Anticipation Stakes (G3) winner Boppy O, Ellis Park Juvenile winner Top Recruit and Shakopee Juvenile winner Two Phil’s.