May 30 (UPI) — Churchill Downs returns to the spotlight this weekend with names like 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan entered for six stakes races previewing the track’s Stephen Foster Day three weeks down the calendar.
Monmouth Park, Santa Anita and Woodbine also get in on the graded stakes action, which is slightly curtailed by postponement of some turf features at waterlogged Penn National and Delaware Park.
The Grade III Penn Mile and the Penn Oaks, originally scheduled for Friday at Penn National, have been pushed back to June 20 because of the threat of heavy rain. The $200,000 Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park was pushed back to June 14.
Globally, Sunday brings the Japanese Derby. And we’ve got some weekday results from Sandown in England.
No delay here. Read on.
Classic
Saturday’s $275,000 Grade III Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs is the lead-in to the $1 million Grade I Stephen Foster on June 28, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
It also is named for the horse who handed Zenyatta her only defeat, in the last of her 20 career starts, in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic over the same track. It can be expected to attract some good ones and this rendition has done that.
The 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, Mystik Dan, is in the field. While he’s struggled since the Run for the Roses, trainer Kenny McPeek looked to have him back on his feed in his last start at Oaklawn Park.
He’s not the favorite, though. That honor goes to Post Time, a major force among the top sprinters and milers last year and a winner at 1 1/16 miles — by 13 1/4 lengths — in his 2025 debut at Laurel Park, albeit against much less talented competition.
The favorite role might have gone to Most Wanted, who finished second to Rattle N Roll in the Grade 2 Clark Stakes last November under the Twin Spires, and then finished second to Skippylongstocking in the Grade III Challenger at Tampa Bay Downs and second again in the Grade II Alysheba back at Churchill Downs, trailing only Fierceness.
Banishing and Nysos, second and third behind Mindframe in the Grade I Churchill Downs Stakes a month ago, both return, as does Hall of Fame, third in the Alysheba.
Distaff
Where’s My Ring, Free Like a Girl, Corningstone, Hoosier Philly and Wild Around Hillary, all in from some tough battles at Oaklawn Park, headline a field of nine for Saturday’s $275,000 Grade III Shawnee Stakes at Churchill Downs. They meet, among others, Gin Gin, last-out winner of the Grade III Doubledogdare at Keeneland.
Sprint
A year ago, Skelly finished second in the rich Grade 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia, then returned to Oaklawn Park to win his next two races, including the Lake Hamilton Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths.
This season, freed from the rigors of international travel, he was even more dominant in Arkansas, winning the Lake Hamilton by 10 1/2 lengths. He returns as the favorite in Saturday’s $275,000 Aristides Stakes at Churchill Downs — a race in which he finished second in 2024, giving up the lead late.
Turf
Consistency may not be a common virtue among the nine entries set for Saturday’s $275,000 Grade III Arlington Stakes at Churchill Downs, but the closest to it might be in the outside gate in the form of Brilliant Berti.
The Cherie DeVaux trainee, a 4-year-old Noble Mission colt out of the Langfuhr mare Believe in Berti, has won six of his last nine starts, with two seconds added. Just about any of the others could win this with a peak effort.
Saturday’s $275,000 Audubon Stakes at Churchill Downs has a well-matched field of eight. You pick ’em.
Turf Mile
Uncatalyzed, a British-bred Kingman colt trained by Chad Brown, is a narrow morning-line favorite among seven set for Saturday’s $100,000 Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park. He makes his third start off a win at Aqueduct. Also look for Candytown, Outrunner and Dream On.
Filly & Mare Turf
Lush Lips is a narrow favorite in a field of 10 3-year-old fillies for Saturday’s $275,000 Grade III Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs. The British-bred daughter of Ten Sovereigns chased Nitrogen home in her last two starts, the Grade III Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade II Edgewood at Churchill Downs. Nitrogen is not in this field.
Pin Up Betty, winner of last year’s Regret, returns for Sunday’s $250,000 Grade III Old Forester Mint Julep at Churchill Downs. She comes from a second-place finish in the Grade II Longines Distaff Turf Mile on Kentucky Derby day and faces another tough crew.
Turf Sprint
Earhart and Toupie rank atop the morning line for Saturday’s $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III Royal North Stakes on the Woodbine all-weather. Earhart, trained by Josie Carroll, represents the home team, while Graham Motion brings Toupie from the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.
Around the world, around the clock
Japan
The full field set for Sunday’s Grade 1 Tokyo Yushun or Japanese Derby includes the first three finisher from the Grade 1 Satsuki Sho or Japanese 2,000 Guineas — Museum Mile, Croix du Nord, Masquerade Ball, Giovanni and Satano Shining, as well as a few other progressive colts.
Museum Mile was a bit of a long shot in the last race, but defeated favored Croix du Nord by a decisive 1 1/2 lengths, catching that rival in the stretch at the end of 2,000 meters. Combined with his second in the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity last season, he will be better backed Sunday.
The Satsuki Sho defeat was Croix de Nord’s first after three wins and calls into question his ability to handle the Derby’s 2,400 meters.
England
Coolmore announced this week that superstar stayer Kyprios has been retired with a recurrence of an injury, denying him a chance at a third straight Ascot Gold Cup at next month’s Royal meeting.
Sad though that thought is, Trawlerman, third in the 2024 Gold Cup, easily saw off three rivals in Thursday’s Group 3 Henry II Stakes at Sandown.
His riders have been touting Almaqam as a candidate for October’s 1 1/2-mile Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Tromphe, despite a pedigree that would suggest that’s a bit too far for him.
Nonetheless, trainer Ed Walked kept him on the entries list and is becoming a convert, especially after the 4-year-old Lope de Vega colt won Thursday’s Group 3 Brigadier Gerard at Sandown by 1 3/4 lengths over the favorite, Ombudsman, going 1 1/4 miles with enthusiasm.
Also Thursday at Sandown, Godolphin’s up-and-coming miler, Opera Ballo, got back on track with an easy win in the Heron Stakes. The Ghalyyath colt was a bit of a handful for jockey William Buick early in the Heron, but still had plenty left to win by 2 1/2 lengths.
