Parchment Party Enters Isaac Murphy off Oaklawn Score
Parchment Party will tackle his second start of the year in the 1 1/2 miles $200,000 Isaac Murphy Stakes April 29 at Churchill Downs, and is the 2-1 morning-line favorite off an impressive season-opening effort. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and owned by Pin Oak Stud, the 5-year-old son of Constitution looks to make it two wins in a row after beginning his year winning the Temperance Hill Stakes March 28 at Oaklawn Park. After scoring in a pair of long stakes races on dirt at Saratoga Race Course last summer, the Birdstone Stakes and the Belmont Gold Cup (G3), which earned him a berth in the Melbourne Cup (G1), he shipped to Australia to cap off his year in that turf race. The two races at Saratoga are run at 1 3/4 miles, while the Temperance Hill Stakes is run at 1 1/2 miles, the same distance as the Issac Murphy. Parchment Party will face eight, including the Paulo Lobo trainee No Bien Ni Mal (BRZ), who crossed the wire first in his previous start, the 1 1/2 miles Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx Racing. Owned by Duplo Ouro Stables, the 5-year-old Hofburg colt is undefeated in his two starts in the United States, having previously raced in Brazil. The second choice at odds of 3-1, he is making his first start of the year. The Brad Cox-trained Wynstock, a grade 2 winner early in his career for trainer Bob Baffert, jumps into stakes company for the first time for his current connections after winning a recent allowance optional claiming race at Aqueduct. At morning-line odds of 9-2, the Solomini colt is owned by Sanford Goldfarb, Estate of Ira Davis, Irwin Goldfarb, Greenberg Racing, and Lubman-Silverman Racing Stable, who claimed him four starts back. Ward enters 1-2 punch in Kentucky Juvenile Stakes Also on Churchill Downs' April 29 card, trainer Wesley Ward has two fillies entered in the eight-horse $250,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes, for 2-year-olds going 5 furlongs on the dirt. Skara Brae is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for Ward. The daughter of Golden Pal earned her maiden win first time out at Keeneland, scoring in the 4 1/2 furlong race by 4 1/2 lengths on the wire. Owned by Ten Broek Farm, she was the first winner for her freshman sire. Ward also is represented by the first winner for sire Life is Good, Waggley. She, like Skara Brae, broke her maiden going 4 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland. Also owned by Ten Broek Farm, she commanded that race early and never looked back, scoring by 3 1/2 lengths. Ward is searching for his fourth win in the Kentucky Juvenile. He was victorious in this race last year, scoring with filly Pinky Finger.