On a day showcasing future stars Oct. 25 at Churchill Downs, Coach will look to keep the momentum going off decisive victories in her first two races when she starts in the $98,000 Rags to Riches Overnight Stakes.
The Sunday racing program at Churchill—one in which fans will be allowed for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic—features 11 races, all for 2-year-olds, highlighted by the $98,000 Street Sense Overnight Stakes for juveniles at 1 1/16 miles and the Rags to Riches for 2-year-old fillies at the same distance. The card is opening day of a fall meet that will offer 24 race dates, Wednesday-Sunday, through Nov. 29—with the notable exception of Nov. 6-7 when Kentucky racing returns to Keeneland for Breeders' Cup weekend.
In the Rags to Riches, Kueber Racing's Coach is expected to make her stakes debut after winning her first two races by a combined 14 lengths at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of 2014 Belmont Stakes (G1) runner-up Commissioner should enjoy her first try at two turns.
"She really didn't show a lot of speed in the morning training, so we weren't sure what to expect in her debut," Cox said. "She ended up winning impressively first out at Indiana and was just as impressive, if not more, in her next start. Her numbers came back really good for both races, so I think this is a good next step for her."
The expected field of nine includes Salty as Can Be, who rallied from fourth to win her maiden debut Sept. 4 at Churchill for owners Gary Barber and Baccari Racing Stable. The Into Mischief filly is out of stakes-placed Theycallmeladyluck, who also has produced grade 1 winner Salty.
Three horses set to start in the Street Sense enter off debut victories in one-turn maiden special weight races: Mike Heitzmann and Jeff Prunzik's Crime Spree, who has been supplemented off his Sept. 9 win at Harrah's Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack; Doubledown Stables' Oncoming Train, who rallied from sixth to win an Oct. 3 race at Keeneland; and West Point Thoroughbreds and William Sandbrook's Arabian Prince, who rallied from seventh to win a one-mile off-the-turf race Sept. 2 at Churchill.
While those three try stakes company for the first time, Erv Woolsey and Keith Asmussen's Super Stock enters off a third-place finish in the Oct. 3 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. The son of Dialed In won this year's Texas Thoroughbred Futurity in August at Lone Star Park.
The connections of WinStar Farm homebred Eucharist opted to run him Oct. 24 at Keeneland instead, where he finished second in allowance company.
Churchill Downs, Sunday, October 25, 2020, Race 8 Churchill Downs, Sunday, October 25, 2020, Race 10Entries: Street Sense Overnight S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Crime Spree (KY) Mitchell Murrill 118 Eric L. Heitzmann 15/1 2 2Oncoming Train (KY) Rafael Bejarano 118 James P. DiVito 9/2 3 3Arabian Prince (KY) Joseph Talamo 118 Dallas Stewart 4/1 4 4King Fury (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 9/2 5 5Eucharist (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Rodolphe Brisset 5/1 6 6Franz Josef (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 118 Glenn S. Wismer 10/1 7 7Super Stock (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 122 Steven M. Asmussen 8/5
Entries: Rags to Riches Overnight S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Orsetto (KY) Declan Cannon 118 Timothy Austin 8/1 2 2Malibu Bird (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Norm W. Casse 9/2 3 3Dash to the Top (KY) Gabriel Saez 118 Wayne M. Catalano 15/1 4 4Oliviaofthedesert (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 4/1 5 5Lady Traveler (KY) Joseph Talamo 118 Dale L. Romans 5/1 6 6Salty as Can Be (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Mark E. Casse 5/1 7 7Torsie's Charm (KY) Adam Beschizza 118 Eddie Kenneally 20/1 8 8Coach (KY) Florent Geroux 120 Brad H. Cox 3/1 9 9Midnight Ballerina (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 118 William I. Mott 8/1
