After capping his 2-year-old season with a seventh-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar last fall, Zulu Kingdom had some time to rest, regroup, and renew his focus under trainer Chad Brown.
The 3-year-old son of Ten Sovereigns will try to add a grade 1 victory to his résumé in the $1 million American Turf Stakes (G1T) at Churchill Downs May 3 after winning the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in which he pressed the pace, took the lead midway, and held on by a neck.
Brown said the ridgling has "done everything" he could ask of him since the Breeders' Cup. He ran well in the Columbia posting a final time of 1:33.24 that was not far off from the track record of 1:32.91.
Brown said his pupil has come out of the one-mile Columbia well but will be tested by the longer distance of the American Turf Stakes.
"The one challenging thing about this weekend is going to be the mile and a sixteenth might be the limit for this horse," Brown said. "So he's going to have to work out a good trip from there and the ever-changing Louisville forecast—you know how it is—it changes by the hour. Now it's looking like more rain Saturday, less Friday, so maybe could have to contend with very soft turf. So we'll just have to see how that plays out for him and everyone else in the field."
The progress to this point has the trainer "pretty optimistic about his upcoming season."
"On to New York, race on the East Coast and sort of take it from there," Brown said. "There's a lot of different options for him. And, you know, I like the Hall of Fame (Stakes) at Saratoga for him."
Perhaps the biggest threat to Zulu Kingdom is the 3-1 favorite, New Century, who was a game fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Now he has returned to the United States after a brief stint back in his native Great Britain but under the steady hand of a new trainer.
Now in the stable of Brendan Walsh, New Century ran four times in Great Britain for trainer Andrew Balding, and then won the Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine before going to Del Mar.
He returned to his homeland for the April 16 Craven Stakes (G3), but didn't have enough down the stretch. Owner Qatar Racing made a change in conditioners and now have the 3-year-old son of Kameko back in the U.S. for a race on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard.
After having Oisin Murphy in the irons for all of his seven previous starts, New Century will have Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard Saturday.
The field of 14 3-year-olds includes Charlie's to Blame, Classic of Course, Giocoso, Golden Afternoon, Iron Man Cal, Maui Strong, Maximum Promise, Megalodon, Mi Bago, Scipio, Test Score, and Warlander.
Listed as also eligibles are A. P. Kid, Discreet Dancer, Hammerhead, and Spirit Rags. Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 3, 2025, Race 9
Entries: American Turf S. presented by Ford (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Warlander (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Steven M. Asmussen 20/1 2 2Scipio (KY) Umberto Rispoli 122 Richard Baltas 12/1 3 3New Century (GB) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Brendan P. Walsh 3/1 4 4Mi Bago (NY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Mark E. Casse 10/1 5 5Test Score (KY) Manuel Franco 122 H. Graham Motion 10/1 6 6Maximum Promise (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Kenneth G. McPeek 20/1 7 7Zulu Kingdom (IRE) Flavien Prat 122 Chad C. Brown 4/1 8 8Charlie's to Blame (KY) Luis Saez 122 Peter Eurton 8/1 9 9Giocoso (KY) Ben Curtis 122 J. Keith Desormeaux 30/1 10 10Iron Man Cal (KY) Antonio Fresu 122 Philip D'Amato 9/2 11 11Classic of Course (FL) Lanfranco Dettori 122 Patrick L. Biancone 20/1 12 12Golden Afternoon (KY) Mike E. Smith 122 Nicholas Vaccarezza 20/1 13 13Maui Strong (KY) Vincent Cheminaud 122 Dale L. Romans 30/1 14 14Megalodon (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 Josie Carroll 20/1 15 15Hammerhead (KY) Irving Moncada 122 Chad Summers 30/1 16 16Spirit Rags (KY) Martin Garcia 122 Marcelino Salas 20/1 17 17A. P. Kid (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 15/1 18 18Discreet Dancer (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Antonio Sano 20/1
