Mr. Money, Owendale lead stacked Blame Stakes field at Churchill
Multiple graded stakes winners Mr. Money and Owendale lead a solid
field of 14 older horses in Saturday’s first running of the $100,000 Blame – a potential steppingstone to the Stephen Foster
(G2) on closing day of the Spring Meet at Churchill Downs.
The one-mile Blame, named after the 2010 Eclipse Award-winning older
horse, is set for Race 9 with a post time of 5:12 p.m. ET. Dubbed as “Stephen Foster Preview Day,” Saturday’s 11-race
program features four other stakes: the $100,000 Shawnee (Race 7), $100,000
Tepin (Race 8), $150,000 Matt Winn (Race 10) and $100,000 War Chant (Race
11).
Mr. Money, owned by Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm and trained
by Bret Calhoun, became a highly touted 3-year-old last year with four Grade 3
victories on his résumé, including the Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day
at Churchill Downs. The now 4-year-old son of Goldencents will attempt to get back
in the winner’s circle following disappointing defeats in the Breeders’
Cup Dirt Mile (G1) to end 2019 and Oaklawn Mile to begin 2020.
His regular pilot, Gabriel Saez, will be in the irons from post No. 13.
Rupp Racing’s three-time Grade 3 winner Owendale drew post No. 8 for the Blame as the Brad Cox trainee is set to make his 4-year-old debut. Owendale’s sophomore campaign was highlighted by victories in the Lexington (G3), Ohio Derby (G3) and Oklahoma Derby (G3). His sophomore campaign concluded with a runner-up finish in the Clark (G1) under the Twin Spires.
Owendale will be ridden by Florent Geroux.
Other horses expected to garner attention in the Blame are Tom Durant’s multiple graded stakes winner Silver Dust; Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s come-backing $400,000 Alysheba (G2) hero Backyard Heaven, now trained by Mike Maker; Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm’s four-time winner Global Campaign; and Uriah St. Lewis’ 2018 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) upsetter Discreet Lover.
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