Unitarian Seeks Repeat in Elkhorn
Robert Evans’ Unitarian will attempt to become the fourth horse to win the Dixiana Elkhorn (G2) in consecutive years Saturday when he faces 10 rivals in the 30th running of the $250,000 event at 1½ miles on the turf.
The Dixiana Elkhorn will go as the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 5:13 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1:05 p.m.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Unitarian comes into the Dixiana Elkhorn off a victory in the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Gulfstream on Jan. 31. Javier Castellano, who was aboard that day and also for the Dixiana Elkhorn triumph last year, has the riding assignment Saturday and will break from post position four.
The other back-to-back winners of the Dixiana Elkhorn are African Dancer (1998-1999), Kim Loves Bucky (2002-2003) and Musketier (GER) (2010-2011).
In Unitarian’s most recent Keeneland race, he was fifth in the Sycamore (G3), the Fall Meet’s equivalent of the Elkhorn. The winner that day was Augustin Stable’s Holiday Star, who will make his 2015 debut Saturday.
Trained by Graham Motion, Holiday Star will break from post position six under Rajiv Maragh.
The field for the Dixiana Elkhorn, from the inside out, is as follows: Dramedy (Joe Bravo, 118 pounds), Biz The Nurse (IRE) (Luis Saez, 118), My Afleet (Joe Rocco Jr., 118), Unitarian (Castellano, 118), Cary Street (Paco Lopez, 120), Holiday Star (Maragh, 118), Java’s War (James Graham, 118), Optimizer (Corey Lanerie, 118), Aldous Snow (Jose Lezcano, 118), Dynamic Sky (Julien Leparoux, 118) and Xtra Luck (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118).
Source: Keeneland Association