A $400,000 purse alone often makes a stakes race popular—apparently, even more so when a favorable condition is in the mix.
Evidence in point: The Sept. 8, $400,000 TVG Stakes at Kentucky Downs, which was split into two divisions. The stakes events, limited to 3-year-olds and upward that have not won a sweepstakes in 2021, collectively drew 21 runners. Ten are in the first division, called the TVG2, 11 in the second division, the TVG.
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has horses in both heats, which will be contested at a mile and 70 yards on turf, the only surface at Kentucky Downs.
South Bend is an 8-1 shot on the morning line in the first division, where Three Diamonds Farm's Forty Under, trained by Mike Maker, is the 5-2 favorite. A 4-year-old Algorithms colt, South Bend will make his second-straight start on turf for the partnership of Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch, and Pantofel Stable. He was sixth in the Lure Stakes Aug. 7 at Saratoga Race Course and has since turned in a pair of bullet works.
"The group voted that they wanted to try that," Mott said. "He's run well on the turf, but he's never won a race on the turf."
Joel Rosario will ride South Bend, while Jose Ortiz has the mount on Adele Dilschneider's Penalty in the second division for Mott. Penalty is at 4-1 odds as one of the favorites behind Bloom Racing Stable's Kentucky Downs-loving Snapper Sinclair, who is 5-2.
A 6-year-old son of Dilschneider's 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner and champion older male Blame , Penalty starts from post 10. In his most recent start, he was sixth in the one-mile Poker Stakes (G3T) June 20 at Belmont Park.
"He's run good at seven-eighths and a mile and this is restricted to horses that haven't won a stakes this year. So he's eligible," Mott said. "The conditions, the distance, and the purse money all come into play."
Kentucky Downs, Wednesday, September 8, 2021, Race 8Entries: TVG2 S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Sole Volante (KY) Florent Geroux 122 Patrick L. Biancone 30/1 2 2Brown Storm (CHI) Hector Berrios 122 Amador Merei Sanchez 12/1 3 3Beat Le Bon (FR) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Ignacio Correas, IV 10/1 4 4Kentucky Ghost (KY) Rafael Bejarano 122 Victoria H. Oliver 8/1 5 5In Love (BRZ) Alex Achard 122 Paulo H. Lobo 10/1 6 6Tut's Revenge (KY) David Cabrera 122 Shea Stuart 12/1 7 7South Bend (KY) Joel Rosario 122 William I. Mott 8/1 8 8Street Ready (KY) Chris Landeros 122 Ian R. Wilkes 8/1 9 9Forty Under (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 124 Michael J. Maker 5/2 10 10Hierarchy (KY) Luis Saez 122 Joe Sharp 10/1
Kentucky Downs, Wednesday, September 8, 2021, Race 9Entries: TVG S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Strong Tide (IN) Florent Geroux 122 Michael E. Lauer 20/1 2 2Mr Dumas (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 122 John Alexander Ortiz 15/1 3 3Split the Wickets (KY) Rafael Bejarano 122 Thomas L. Van Berg 20/1 4 4Eron Do Jaguarete (BRZ) Luan Machado 122 Paulo H. Lobo 30/1 5 5Hemp Hemp Hurray (ON) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Robert C. Cline 20/1 6 6Necker Island (KY) Mitchell Murrill 122 Chris A. Hartman 12/1 7 7Majestic Eagle (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Neil D. Drysdale 5/1 8 8Snapper Sinclair (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 122 Steven M. Asmussen 5/2 9 9Bob and Jackie (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Richard Baltas 6/1 10 10Penalty (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 William I. Mott 4/1 11 11Midnight Tea Time (KY) Luis Saez 122 Joe Sharp 8/1
