Churchill Downs, Race 2 – Thursday, May 11, 2023
By 2YO EdgeMan
I hope that everyone enjoyed The Derby and that Mage found his way onto some of your tickets. It was a bit of a tough week at Churchill leading up to the big event, but the babies are back in action this week, so let’s focus on the positive. The first race at CD today is an ‘Auction’ race for the 2YOs, so we are going to spend our time zeroing in on Race 2…
CD2:051123 – 4 ½ panels on the Dirt. The fillies take center stage and we’ve got 10 entered. Steve Asmussen has two set to go and other prominent trainers that are represented by one runner each include McPeek, Cox, Kenneally, and Rusty Arnold. Exciting First-Crop sire Mitole has two ladies entered; 1CSs Coal Front and World of Trouble also have one each in this one.
#1 – V V’s Dream (10/1) – This gal is the first of the two from Mitole. She sold well as a yearling when she brought $190K which was 15th most by her sire of his 116 yearlings that sold last year. Her dam (by Tapit) was a fine race mare winning three of her 15 starts on the track and banking $213K. Kenny McPeek is the conditioner and she’s shown some promise in the mornings with six total workouts – the last four here at CD (the most recent three at 4f). In fact, her last workout was a week ago when she covered the half mile in 47.8 seconds (2/17). Brian Hernandez, Jr. gets the call to ride.
#2 – Musical Diva (5/2) – The favorite is trained by Brad Cox and is sired by Maclean’s Music. Her mom won three times from 15 starts with earnings of $152K. At the Ocala March 2YO sale, co-owner Schwing Thoroughbreds went all the way to $300K to secure this good looking, grey/roan filly (1/3). Today’s runner has a half-sister who scored in her first outing in July of her 2YO year at Lone Star. She’s been prepping down I-64 at Keeneland, having five works there (the last two at 4f). Her latest effort earned her a bullet, as she went in 47.8 from the gate (1/29). Florent Geroux will be in the irons for Cox.
#5 – Closing Act (8/1) – This TX bred by Munnings is one of the two that Asmussen will hurl a saddle across. She is Douglas Scharbauer’s homebred out of a mare that cashed in for $234K while going 4/17 on the track (purchased for $45,000 in foal to Violence at the KEE Nov Breeding Stock Sale back in 2017). Steve has given her five total workouts – the first two at KEE and the last three over today’s strip. In typical Asmussen style, he sent her out for three 4f moves, but dialed her back to 3f in her last one on May 7. None of her workouts have been done overly fast. One of the top young jocks – Tyler Gaffalione – will be the pilot.
#6 – Too Fast for You (6/1) – Eddie Kenneally is the trainer of this Twirling Candy filly. Her dam (by Gio Ponti) was also a very fine runner in her racing days earning $231K going 4/22. The hammer fell at $65,000 on this gal in 2021 as a weanling (10/11). Her first work, back on 3/22/23 at KEE was wickedly fast (and, not surprisingly the fastest of the day at the distance) – 34.4 seconds for three panels from the gate (1/6). Since then, she has worked three more times while in Lexington – all at ½ mile – and then has worked out two times under the Twin Spires. First Call rider – Luis Saez – will climb aboard.
#8 – April Clover (10/1) – Asmussen’s second runner is also Mitole’s other entrant in this race and she is another homebred, this time by the Heilingbrodt’s. The dam is by Violence and she was 3/18 during her racing career with nearly $100K earned. Similar to Steve’s other filly in here, this gal started her morning works at KEE having begun there in early April and getting three works in Lex – all at 3f – before vanning to CD for her last two (again, none stunningly fast). Ricardo Santana, Jr. is listed to be in the irons.
#10 – Girls Weekend (5/1) – First-Crop Sire World of Trouble will be cheering for this filly who is out of a dam that was 0/3 on track by Dehere. Today’s competitor sold earlier this year as a 2YO for $50,000 (5/15). Additionally, she has a half sibling that was 4/13 on track, good for $159K. Trainer Jason Barkley has stabled her up in Lexington and her four workouts there at KEE have been nothing short of sensational, including three bullet moves and the other was a 2/84 effort. Jareth Loveberry – well known now after his ride on Two Phil’s last Saturday – gets the riding assignment.
Pick – #1 V V’s Dream – It’s overdue to have a 1CS win one of these two-year-old races this year. She was in the top 15% of the yearlings from her brilliantly fast debut sire, Mitole. Her last workout shows quite a bit of promise and I see her going forward off that effort to run a big race today against some very promising fillies.
Have fun with this one – it should be very competitive, but that also creates opportunity – and I know all my Edgies love opportunity!
