Santin pushes past Mira Mission to win last year’s Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (Coady Photography)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Godolphin’s Santin will face nine rivals as he goes for a repeat victory in the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (GI) for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course on Saturday.
The 37th running of the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic will be the race preceding the Kentucky Derby with a 5:27 p.m. (all times Eastern) post time. First post on Derby Day is 10:30 a.m.
Trained by Brendan Walsh, Santin is unbeaten in two starts over the Matt Winn Turf Course with the other victory coming in the Arlington Million (GI) in August.
Tyler Gaffalione has the mount Saturday and will break from post eight.
Among the rivals to Santin are NBS Stable’s Spooky Channel and Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Up to the Mark.
Trained by Jason Barkley, Spooky Channel won the Muniz Memorial Classic (GII) at Fair Grounds in his most recent start. Joel Rosario has the mount and will break from post nine.
Up to the Mark, who finished a neck behind two-time Breeders’ Cup winner Modern Games (IRE) in a third-place finish in the Maker’s Mark Mile (GI) at Keeneland last month in his stakes debut for trainer Todd Pletcher, will break from post five and be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.
The field for the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, with riders from the rail out, is: Ocean Atlantique (Juan Hernandez), Master Piece (CHI) (Christophe Lemaire), Wolfie’s Dynaghost (John Velazquez), Steady On (Jose Ortiz), Up to the Mark (Ortiz Jr.), Earls Rock (IRE) (Luis Saez), Hong Kong Harry (Flavien Prat), Santin (Gaffalione), Spooky Channel (Rosario), Bye Bye Melvin (Manny Franco). All starters will carry 123 pounds.
