The $1 million Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) May 3 at Churchill Downs promises a field of 12 talented runners. But because many of those runners are looking for consistency, the morning-line favorite is listed at a healthy 4-1.
That lukewarm favorite is Integration, who will try to get over the grade 1 hump and nail down his first win at that level. Campaigned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, the son of Quality Road enters off back-to-back runner-up finishes in graded stakes races: the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) last month after opening the season with a close second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T).
Trained by Shug McGaughey, Integration has placed in two other grade 1 races—including last year's Arlington Million Stakes—but he has landed some big races as well. In November he rallied from fifth to post a two-length score in the Red Smith Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct.
Frankie Dettori, who was aboard for the two most recent races, has the call Saturday.
A familiar rival awaits Integration as Saturday's field for the 1 1/8-mile turf race for older horses also includes Pegasus Turf winner Spirit of St Louis. While the New York-bred son of Medaglia d'Oro earned a top-level victory there, he will enter the race off a fourth-place finish in the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes (G2T) March 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Stablemate Redistricting followed in sixth.
"I sent two horses to the Fair Grounds that are both in this race, Redistricting and Spirit of St Louis," said trainer Chad Brown. "For whatever reason, they just didn't fire. I couldn't understand it.
"Both horses were training fabulous, so I can't help but just draw a line through the race. Maybe it was something with the turf that day, that they just didn't care for it. And then the way the race unfolded, a big longshot won. So maybe a lot of horses in the field didn't care for it that day.
"But they've come back and both horses have trained super for this race."
Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Richard Schermerhorn's Spirit of St Louis registered three works at Payson Park and one at Churchill ahead of Saturday's race, while Klaravich Stables' Redistricting followed the same workout schedule.
Brown also has entered Calumet Farm's Running Bee, who opened the year by rallying from seventh to win the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T) in February. Brown sees a 6-year-old son of English Channel that's moving forward.
"Running Bee is really in career-best form right now," Brown said. "He just won a nice race at Tampa. He's got some nice graded wins under his belt now, and he's gotten better and better—like you'd expect with his pedigree."
The top three finishers from the Muniz are all entered in the Turf Classic in longshot winner Idratherbeblessed, runner-up Gigante, and third-place Cameo Performance.
Susan and Jim Hill's Highway Robber, who closed 2024 with a win in the Sycamore Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland, will make his first start since an off-the-board finish in early March in a group 2 race in Dubai.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 3, 2025, Race 11Entries: Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Integration (KY) Lanfranco Dettori 123 Claude R. McGaughey III 4/1 2 2Gold Phoenix (IRE) Umberto Rispoli 123 Philip D'Amato 10/1 3 3Highway Robber (KY) Declan Cannon 123 Brian A. Lynch 6/1 4 4Redistricting (GB) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 123 Chad C. Brown 10/1 5 5Idratherbeblessed (KY) Ben Curtis 123 Chris A. Hartman 15/1 6 6Taking Candy (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 123 Cherie DeVaux 8/1 7 7Running Bee (KY) Flavien Prat 123 Chad C. Brown 5/1 8 8Cameo Performance (KY) Luis Saez 123 Brendan P. Walsh 20/1 9 9Mercante (KY) Joseph D. Ramos 123 Brian Knippenberg 10/1 10 10Spirit of St Louis (NY) Manuel Franco 123 Chad C. Brown 9/2 11 11Brilliant Berti (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 123 Cherie DeVaux 12/1 12 12Gigante (VA) Joel Rosario 123 Steven M. Asmussen 15/1
