Clark Handicap Field at Churchill Downs November 28

Tracy Farmer’s Commentator, Elisabeth Alexander’s Magna Graduate and Midnight Cry Stable’s Einstein headline a field of 8 for the 134th running of the $400,000-added Clark Handicap (gr. II) at the home of the Kentucky Derby Churchill Downs Friday, November 28.

The 1 1/8 mile Clark Handicap field of race horses with jockeys and weight:

Delightful Kiss ridden by jockey Calvin Borel carries 116 lbs.
Magna Graduate ridden by jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, 120 lbs.
Einstein ridden by jockey Julien Leparoux, 119 lbs.
Commentator ridden by jockey John Velazquez, 124 lbs.
Anak Nakal ridden by jockey Jesus Castanon, 118 lbs.
Timber Reserve ridden by jockey Kent Desormeaux, 116 lbs.
Wayzata Bay ridden by jockey Israel Ocampo, 117 lbs.
Dominican ridden by jockey Robby Albarado, 115 lbs.

The 7-year-old Commentator has won 13 of 20 careers starts for earnings of $1,841,936 while racing for five years under the care of race horse trainer Nick Zito. Ridden by jockey John Velazquez in all 5 of his starts this year, Commentator has won 4 times, highlighted by a second victory in the Grade I Whitney at Saratoga, and enters the Clark Handicap off a 14-length victory in the Massachusetts Handicap on Sept. 20 at Suffolk Downs.

Commentator will carry top weight of 124 pounds and break from post position 4 under jockey John Velazquez this Friday.

Now trained by Steve Asmussen, the 6-year-old Magna Graduate has won 10 of 34 career starts with 6 seconds and 6 thirds for earnings of $2,561,237. Two of those victories have come at Churchill Downs, one in the 2005 Clark Handicap for former trainer Todd Pletcher and the other in this year’s Grade III Ack Ack Handicap on Oct. 26. Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, who rode Magna Graduate in the Ack Ack, will be aboard Friday. Magna Graduate will break from post position 2 and carry 120 pounds.

The 6-year-old Einstein, trained by Helen Pitts, is a two-time Grade I winner on the grass this year and has built a career resume of 8 wins in 21 starts for earnings of $1,366,431. Idle since finishing a troubled fifth in the Grade I Arlington Million on Aug. 9, Einstein last started on the dirt in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill Downs on June 14 when he ran second to 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin.

Jockey Julien Leparoux, who rode Einstein in the Stephen Foster, will ride Friday and break from post position 3. Einstein will carry 119 pounds.

Bidding for a return to form in the Clark will be Silverton Hill LLC’s Dominican, winner of the 2007 Toyota Blue Grass (gr. I) at Keeneland. The Darrin Miller-trained son of El Corredor Dominican snapped a 6-race losing streak in an allowance win over the synthetic Tapeta surface in July at Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle Downs, and has since finished third to Delightful Kiss in the Turfway Fall Championship (gr. III) and was runner-up to longshot Ball Four in the Fayette (gr. III) at Keeneland. Jockey Robby Albarado will ride Dominican in the Clark Handicap.

Three other graded-stakes winners on dirt in 2008 are in the Clark Handicap field: Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ Anak Nakal, winner of the Grade II Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 1 at Philadelphia Park, World Thoroughbreds Racing’s Wayzata Bay, winner of the Grade II Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows on June 28, and Hobeau Farm’s Delightful Kiss, winner of the Turfway Park Fall Championship on Sept. 6 and the All American Stakes at Golden Gate on Sept. 27. Delightful Kiss most recently finished fifth to Albertus Maximus in the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon over the Pro-Ride course at Santa Anita.

The Clark Handicap is the 11th race in Churchill Downs‘s November 28 horse racing program. Clark Handicap post time is 4:29 pm.

Appearing on the Clark Handicap undercard on Friday will be Robert LaPenta’s Da’ Tara, the upset winner of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) who derailed Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown’s bid for a Triple Crown. The Nick Zito-trained son of Tiznow has lost 3 consecutive horse races since then, with the most recent setback coming in a sixth-place finish to Tale of Ekati in the Jerome Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park.

Da’ Tara will face 7 rivals in the 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming race for 3-year-olds and up. He will be the first Belmont Stakes winner to run at Churchill Downs since 1999 winner Lemon Drop Kid finished fifth to Tiznow in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I). Victory Gallop, the 1999 Belmont Stakes winner, won the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs the following year.

Horse racing news edited from www.churchilldowns.com.

Tags: Anak Nakal, Commentator, Da'Tara, Delightful Kiss, Dominican, Einstein, Magna Graduate, Timber Reserve, Wayzata Bay

"Clark Handicap Field at Churchill Downs November 28" was posted on 25 November 2008 9:53 PM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Race Tracks, Racing Picks & Betting Tips, Stakes Races

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