Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gainesway Stable’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Grade I) winner Sharing is set to make her 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s first running of the $100,000 Tepin Stakes presented by Woodford Reserve – one of five stakes events on “Stephen Foster Preview Day” at Churchill Downs.
The one-mile Tepin Stakes, named after the brilliant two-time Eclipse Award-winning turf mare, is slated as Race 8 with a post time of 4:40 p.m. (all times Eastern). Saturday’s program features a stakes bonanza topped by the $150,000 Matt Winn (GIII) for 3-year-olds on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Other stakes events on the card are the $100,000 Blame, $100,000 Shawnee and $100,000 War Chant. First post for the 11-race program is 1 p.m.
Sharing, a Maryland-bred daughter of Speightstown, has not been seen since her 1 ¼-length score in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita. Trained by Graham Motion, Sharing’s only blemish in her four-race career was a narrow third-place effort in her debut. Following the Breeders’ Cup, Sharing was given a break but returned to Motion’s Fair Hill training center in March and has been consistently working toward her sophomore debut.
Jockey Manny Franco, who was aboard Sharing in the Breeders’ Cup, will be back aboard in the Tepin from post No. 9.
Chief among Sharing’s opposition in the Tepin is Godolphin’s undefeated filly Alms. Trained by Mike Stidham, Alms is a perfect 4-for-4 in her career, including stakes victories in the $150,000 Matron Stakes (GIII), $100,000 Jimmy Durante (GIII) and $60,000 Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight Stakes. Paco Lopez will be aboard Alms in the Tepin from post 14.
The field for the Tepin will also include $100,000 Florida Oaks (GIII) winner Outburst (GB); $150,000 Here Comes the Bride (GIII) runner-up Abscond; $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes runner-up Moral Reasoning; and $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks hero Queen of God.
Racing on the Matt Winn Turf Course for Saturday will be staged from the hedge with no temporary inside rail.
The complete field for the Tepin Stakes from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Oxum Power (Joseph Ramos, Paulo Lobo); Abscond (Tyler Gaffalione, Eddie Kenneally); Walk in Marrakesh (IRE) (Jose Ortiz, Ignacio Correas IV); Dominga (Shaun Bridgmohan, Brad Cox); Hendy Woods (Declan Carroll, Mark Casse); In Good Spirits (Miguel Mena, Al Stall Jr.); Outburst (Javier Castellano, Kenneally); Jezebel’s Kitten (Florent Geroux, Cox); Sharing (Franco, Motion); Pass the Plate (Julien Leparoux, Paul McGee); Heir of Light (Jose Lezcano, Norm Casse); Moral Reasoning (Joel Rosario, Chad Brown); Queen of God (Joe Talamo, Mike Maker); and Alms (Lopez, Stidham). Eye of War (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher) is on the also-eligible list.
Churchill Downs Communications
