My Boy Prince is part of a wide-open Commonwealth field (Michael Burns)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A competitive field of nine 3-year-olds, including Hawthorne Derby winner Ak Sar Ben Derby, Gun Runner Stakes runner-up Herchee and King’s Plate runner-up My Boy Prince is set to contest the 19th running of the $300,000 Commonwealth Turf Stakes (Grade III), one of two featured events on an 11-race card next Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Run at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course, the Commonwealth Turf goes as Race 10 with a post time of 5:25 p.m. First post is 1 p.m.
Ontario-bred My Boy Prince, owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse, leads the field with an impressive resumé of six wins from 13 starts and career earnings of $767,266. The gray son of Cairo Prince was the 3-5 favorite in the prestigious King’s Plate three months ago but finished second and was beaten three-quarters of a length by Caitlinhergrtness. Florent Geroux has the mount on My Boy Prince, who will break from the rail.
Another stakes winner in the field is Ak Sar Ben Derby, who scored a narrow victory over Higgins Boat in the Hawthorne Derby on Oct. 6 at odds of 9-1. Owned by Millard Seldin Revocable Trust and trained by John Ortiz, the gelded son of Tapiture will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from post No. 4.
#5 AK SAR BEN DERBY ($20.40) gets up just in time and survives an inquiry to win the $150,000 Hawthorne Derby. @a_concepcion16 piloted the Tapiture gelding for trainer @johnnyortiz24. pic.twitter.com/VIyWn9tUAR
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 6, 2024
Herchee, owned by 100% Racing Stable and trained by Helen Pitts, has been a model of consistency throughout his four-race campaign. Alongside his runner-up finish in the Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs, the gelded son of Twirling Candy boasts two victories and a third-place finish in the Bryan Station Stakes (GIII) at Keeneland. Edgar Morales will guide Herchee from post 8.
The complete field for the Commonwealth Turf from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
- My Boy Prince (Geroux, Casse)
- Telescopic (Luan Machado, Vicki Oliver)
- Dashman (Luis Saez, Brian Lynch)
- Ak Sar Ben Derby (Alvarado, Ortiz)
- Piper’s Factor (Brian Hernandez Jr., Katerina Vassilieva)
- Will Take It (Cristian Torres, Eddie Milligan Jr.)
- Lagynos (Flavien Prat, Steve Asmussen)
- Herchee (Morales, Pitts)
- Evade (FR) (Tyler Gaffalione, Mike Maker)
