Morton Fink’s reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan and Phipps Stable’s four-time Grade I winner Point of Entry signed on for a heavyweight showdown Saturday
when they were among nine entries for the 28th running of the $500,000-added Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (Grade I).
The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, along with the 27
th running of the $300,000-added Humana Distaff (GI), anchors a five stakes undercard leading up to the 139
th
running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) on
Saturday’s 13-race program. First post Saturday is 10:30 a.m. (all times
Eastern).
The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic will go as the 10
th race on Saturday’s program with a 4:44 p.m. post time.
Trained by
Charlie LoPresti,
Wise Dan took the Maker’s 46 Mile (GI) at Keeneland in his 2013 debut
on April 12. A winner of his past five starts at a mile on the grass,
Wise Dan will be attempting
1 1/8 miles on the turf for the first time.
In four starts at
the distance on dirt or an all-weather surface, Wise Dan has won three
times including the Clark Handicap (GI) here in 2011 and finished second
in last June’s Stephen Foster Handicap (GI).
Jose Lezcano will have the mount on Wise Dan and break from post position eight.
Point of Entry, who defeated 2011 Kentucky Derby winner and 2013 Dubai World Cup victor
Animal Kingdom in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (GI) at 1 1/8 miles in his season debut, will be trying
to give trainer
Shug McGaughey the first leg of a Woodford Reserve Turf Classic-Kentucky Derby double. McGaughey will send out
Orb in the following race, Derby 139.
Point of Entry has
won six of his past starts, with the lone setback coming in the
Breeders’ Cup Turf (GI) last November. John Velazquez has the call on
Point of Entry, who will break from post position
nine.
A third Grade 1 runner in the field is
B.J. Wright’s
Jeranimo. Trained by
Michael Pender, Jeranimo won the Shoemaker Mile (GI) last summer and in his lone start of 2013 won the San Gabriel
(GII) at Santa Anita. Jeranimo will break from post position six and be ridden by
Rafael Bejarano.
The field for the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, from the hedge out, is as follows:
Middie (
Francisco Torres, 120 pounds),
Slim Shadey (
GB) (
Gary Stevens, 122),
Optimizer
(
Joel Rosario, 120),
Silver Max (
Robby Albarado, 120),
Swift Warrior (
Javier Castellano, 120), Jeranimo (Bejarano, 122),
Bim Bam (
Ricardo Santana Jr., 118), Wise Dan (Lezcano, 124) and Point of Entry (Velazquez,
124).