King David Hopes to Rule Commonwealth Turf
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King David,
winner of the Jamaica Handicap (Grade I) at Belmont Park, headlines an overflow
field of 16 3-year-olds entered for Saturday’s ninth running of the
$100,000-added Commonwealth Turf (GIII) at Churchill Downs.
The
Commonwealth Turf at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course will be
co-featured with the 22nd running of the $175,000-added Mrs. Revere (GII) on the
11-race “Downs After Dark” racing program. Post time for the first race is 4:30
p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Commonwealth Turf will go as Race 7 at 7:32
p.m.
A
dark bay or brown son of Hat Trick-JPN, Scarlett Stable’s King David
will be seeking his sixth straight victory in the Commonwealth Turf. Claimed in
mid-September by trainer Mike Maker, King David scored his Jamaica
victory in his stakes debut at odds of 28-1.
King
David, who will be ridden by Julien Leparoux and break from post 11,
will face fellow graded stakes winners Two Months Rent, Finale
and Quick Wit.
AJ
Suited Racing Stable’s
Two Months Rent enters the Commonwealth Turf following a narrow victory over Film
Shot in the Hawthorne Derby (GIII). The Jimmy Toner-trained Two
Months Rent will go for back-to-back stakes wins when he breaks from post three
under Jesus Castanon.
Mrs.
John Magnier,
Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Finale ran sixth in the
Hawthorne Derby in his most recent start. Trained by Todd Pletcher,
Finale will be seeking his first victory since scoring a ¾-length win in the
Summer (GIII) at Woodbine during his 2-year-old campaign. He will break from
post four under John Velazquez.
Michael
Bruder’s
Quick Wit also exits the Hawthorne Derby. The Dale Romans-trained Quick
Wit ran ninth in that event following an eighth-place finish in the Saranac
(GIII) at Saratoga. His biggest career victory came in the off-the-turf
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (GII). He will break from post eight
with Victor Lebron in the irons.
The
field for the Commonwealth Turf, from the rail out (with jockey and weight):
Film Shot (Leandro Goncalves, 118), Casual Trick (Calvin Borel, 118), Two
Months Rent (Castanon, 123), Finale (Velazquez, 118), Any Given Royal (Joe
Rocco Jr., 118), Lea (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Burn the Mortgage (Kent
Desormeaux, 118), Quick Wit (Lebron, 118), Excaper (David Cohen, 118), Artest
(Corey Lanerie, 118), King David (Leparoux, 123), Skyring (Jon Court,
120), Finnegans Wake (Robby Albarado, 118) and Lockout (Shaun
Bridgmohan, 120). Also eligible: General Logan (Leparoux, 118) and Ol
Army (Eddie Martin Jr.).
The
race honors Kentucky, which is one of four U.S. states constituted as a
commonwealth (the others are Virginia, Pennsylvania and
Massachusetts).
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