Exciting Weekend Horse Racing: 2-Year-Olds Head to the Kentucky Derby Trail

Planetario (foreground) wins the Hollywood Turf Cup. Benoit picture, thanks to Del Mar Turf Club

Nov. 27 (UPI)– The 2-year-olds had the spotlight in Thanksgiving weekend racing around the United States, while much of the remainder of the world was captured up viewing the world’s premier horse, Equinox, show what his jockey called “excellence” in the Japan Cup.

Juvenile

Honor Marie began last of 8 in Saturday’s $400,000 Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs and needed to swing large around the field heading for home.

When there, he won by 2 lengths over Real Men Violin.

The Honor Code colt, trained by D. Whitworth Beckman, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast lane in 1:44.31 for jockey Rafael Bejarano, winning for the 2nd time in 3 journeys and making 10 points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” leaderboard, presently topped by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Fierceness.

Veteran Derby advocate D. Wayne Lukas sent Just Steel to win Saturday’s $225,000 Ed Brown Stakes, a 6-furlong sprint at Churchill Downs. The Justify colt got the lead with a four-wide relocation and cleared, winning by 2 1/2 lengths under Joel Rosario.

The “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” introduced with Saturday’s Cattleya Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse and a success by a pure white colt, Amante Bianco.

The child of Henny Hughes, rallied from well off the rate for Japan’s leading rider, Christophe Lemaire, and both Clement and fitness instructor Keisuke Miyata stated they see no factor Amante Bianco might not end up being the very first white horse to win the Run for the Roses.

“Possible,” Lemaire stated. There are choices for the winner, consisting of staying at home for the next 3 races in the series or attempting the abundant Saudi Derby in February and/or the UAE Derby in Dubai in March.

Juvenile Fillies

Detailed sat easily behind a breakaway front-runner in Saturday’s $400,000 Grade II Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs, got across the front running for home and won by 5 1/4 lengths, ridden out by jockey Tyler Gafralione.

The Gun Runner filly, trained by Brendan Walsh, ran 1 1/16 miles on a quick strip in 1:45.01.

Youalmosthadme got rid of a sluggish start from the within gate to win Saturday’s 6 1/2-furlong $225,000 Fern Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs by 3/4 lengths.

Traditional

Friday’s $600,000 Grade II Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs boiled down to a stretch fight in between Trademark and the preferred, First Mission, with Trademark all out to get the benefit. Objective achieved, however just by a nose in a tight picture.

A 4-year-old Upstart gelding, Trademark ran 1 1/8 miles on a fast lane with Fernando De La Cruz in the irons. His only previous success this year remained in the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial at Horseshoe Indiana in July.

Distaff

Xigera stalked the speed in Thursday’s $400,000 Grade III Falls City Stakes at Churchill Downs,

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