Mercante (red cap) taking the Arlington over Brilliant Berti. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Top Two Choices In $500,000 Wise Dan
Darren Rogers/Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mercante (5-2) and Brilliant Berti (3-1), the top two finishers from last month’s Arlington Stakes, return as the top two choices on the morning line for Saturday’s 36th running of the $500,000 Wise Dan (Grade II), one of six stakes on the Stephen Foster Day card at Churchill Downs.
Mercante, trained by Brian Knippenberg, earned a hard-fought victory in the Arlington (GIII), edging Brilliant Berti by a neck.
“I’m so proud of this horse and so proud of Brian for bringing this horse along,” said owner/breeder Carl Pollard after the Arlington Stakes. “Bill Mott, who had him early on before Brian, did a great job with him as well but there was something always off. So, we sent him to the farm, and after a year and a half, the vet down in Simpsonville found a little problem with a tendon. I was ready to give up on him as a racehorse. I spent the money to do the surgery, and Brian kept fooling with him, and now here he is better than ever.”
Mercante, one of the few remaining runners for Pollard, the former chairman of the board for Churchill Downs Incorporated, is a 4-year-old son of Pollard’s brilliant mare Caressing, winner of the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI).
Jockey Joe Ramos, aboard for Mercante’s last four starts, will retain the mount and break from post No. 4.
Brilliant Berti, trained by Cherie DeVaux, will look to turn the tables in the Wise Dan. A six-time winner from 10 starts, his resumé includes victories in the Bryan Station (GIII), American Derby (Listed), Opening Verse (Listed) and Gun Runner Stakes. He will break from post 7 under Brian Hernandez Jr.
“He has to continue to step forward and all signs are that he will keep doing so,” owner Richard Kleinsaid. “Last time in the Arlington, Brian found himself on the lead and still fought hard the entire stretch while in a position he’s not accustomed to being.”
The complete field for the Wise Dan
The Wise Dan at 1 1/16 miles on turf was carded as Race 10 of 12 with post time of 5:31 p.m. (all times Eastern).
The tremendous 12-race card also includes the $1 million Stephen Foster (GI); $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis (GII); $250,000 Kelly’s Landing (GIII); $250,000 American Derby (Listed); and $250,000 Tepin. First post is 12:45 p.m.
The Wise Dan is part of a special $3 All Turf Pick 3 that will be offered on Saturday’s wagering menu. The bet will also include the American Derby and Tepin Stakes.
Fans can watch and wager on all the action from Stephen Foster day at www.twinspires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated.
