Hancock Trio Carries Hometown Flag In Ellis Park Debutante

John Hancock has been waiting for Sunday for years. The dean of Ellis Park’s backside, a third-generation thoroughbred trainer stabled at his hometown track, will have a trio running in the $75,000 Ellis Park Debutante, the 2-year-old filly stakes brought back after a nine-year hiatus. But after that race, he’s making a point to hang around for the $75,000 Ellis Park Juvenile, which last year produced Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee.

“I like the fact that I get to participate in the Debutante,” Hancock said. “But I will be there as a patron to watch the Juvenile run. Because that is a really nice race. But I am not going over with an empty gun. It’s not a day where I’m going over just to run because it’s home. I’m going with three nice fillies, two who have legit shots and have been tested.”

All three of Hancock’s fillies have run against, and lost to, the seven-furlong Debutante’s 9-5 morning-line favorite, Churchill Downs Debutante winner Sunny Skies, who is trained by Kenny McPeek.

The Hancock-trained Waki Patriot, coming off a pair of thirds in the Churchill Debutante and New York’s Astoria, headlines the threesome. She is the 8-1 co-third choice in the capacity field of 12 (with a 13th horse needing a scratch to get in) and will break from post 3 under six-time Ellis Park riding champion Jon Court. Amberspatriot (12-1 and post 5 under C.J. McMahon) in her second start lost Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Juvenile by a neck against the boys. She comes in off a pair of well-beaten sixths, which Hancock attributes to a sloppy track that had her spinning her wheels in Churchill’s Debutante and a throw-out in Iowa’s Prairie Gold Lassie.

“I have two swings at him,” Hancock said of McPeek and Sunny Skies. “I had two swings at him that night at Churchill. But Amber didn’t like the mud but still beat half the field. It’s not supposed to rain Sunday. There won’t by any excuses. We’re at home. Let’s just roll it out and see what happens. It will be a great day.”

Lullingstone (post 9 with Calvin Borel) won a $30,000 maiden-claiming race by 7 1/4 lengths at Ellis Park after finishing third in a grass maiden race. She’s one of the longest shots at 30-1, but she ran creditably behind Sunny Skies in their debuts April 27 at Keeneland. And if Lullingstone finished fourth by total of 11 1/2 lengths that day, Sunny Skies beat the runner-up by nine of those.

“I like the fact where my fillies are at,” Hancock said. “I really like the two Patriot fillies. I really like Amberspatriot. I don’t know what happened to her at Iowa; she threw in a clunker. But she’s come back, really doing well, she breezed really good here the other day. She’s eating well, bucking and playing — that’s a good sign. Waki has been road-tested, run against the best around. The horses that beat her, they’re running in the stakes in New York now. I like the fact that she drew the 3 hole and not the 12 hole.”

Lullingstone is owned by Harold and Gayla Peach of Dawson Springs, about an hour from Ellis. “Harold is 88 years old, and this is his dream,” Hancock said. “As far as I know, this is the first time he ever ran in a stakes race. He’s bringing his family in, and it’s a big deal for Harold and Gayla. She’s already raced and won here. She’s a contender. If it falls apart, she’ll be in the mix.”

In addition to Hancock’s triumvirate, another horse getting a rematch with Sunny Skies is Churchill Debutante runner-up Upset Brewing, owned by Chester Thomas of Madisonville, Ky.

Upset Brewing, trained by Buff Bradley, narrowly lost her first start June 9 at Churchill Downs, that day beating another Ellis Park Debutante contender in Laudation. Upset Brewing raced as a maiden in the Churchill Debutante, getting bottled up from her No. 3 post in the 12-filly field and rallying from well back to come up 1 3/4 lengths shy of the front-running Sunny Skies.

In her next start, Upset Brewing won an Ellis maiden race by 9 3/4 lengths while ridden for the first time by meet-leading jockey Corey Lanerie.

If Hancock says he feels sorry for his pal Bradley’s filly drawing post 12, Bradley does not.

“I’d rather have that than post 1 through 5,” he said. “I think it’s better. I rather be outside. It’s seven-eighths. You’ve got a whole lot of time (before the turn). He can sit there and watch what the speed is doing. I think it’s a great post.

“With Sunny Skies in there, at least we get a rematch with her. She’s obviously the horse to beat. But I feel like we’d have been more competitive last time if we’d had an outside draw. We were stuck on the inside last time and had a horrible trip against her. Hopefully we can turn the tables this time.”

Hancock says he also wants “one more shot” at Sunny Skies, who will be ridden again by Robby Albarado.

“She’s the bear in the race, an exceptionally nice filly,” Hancock said. “My filly and Buff’s filly will have to be 100 percent to beat her — if we beat her. But where else can you go and take the 1-2-3 finishers out of the Debutante at Churchill and have them in a stakes at Ellis Park? In fact, 1-2-3 and the sixth-place finishers out of that Debutante that are in this Debutante at Ellis Park. What does that say about the racing at Ellis Park and this race Sunday?”

Political Justice upsets in optional-claiming allowance feature

Mongo Racing’s Political Justice, at 13-1 the longest shot in the field of five older horses, led all the way under apprentice jockey Rayan Gazader for three-quarters of a length victory over favored Mesoma and jockey Miguel Mena in Friday’s optional-claiming allowance feature.

The victory was the third on the card for Gazadar, who guided Political Justice through the six furlongs in 1:09.68. The 8-year-old gelding paid $28.80 to win. It was another four lengths to Gazadar’s J.R. Caldwell-trained stablemate Manhattan Mischief, the second choice who was not able to overcome a poor start.

Political Justice won his third race in as many starts at the meet. But the first two were for $4,000 claiming and he was in for the $40,000 claiming option in the second-level allowance race. But the 8-year-old Political Justice, claimed by trainer and co-owner Caldwell for $15,000 at Oaklawn Park, is a classy war horse. Friday marked his 16th victory in a 69-race career, his earnings now at $372,947.

Gazadar also won the first race by a neck on Rompicapo and the third by 1 1/4 lengths on the Caldwell-trained favorite TitforTat.

Hancock, McMahon, Quast headline Making of a Racehorse

Trainer John Hancock will discuss the Ellis Park Debutante and his fillies, answer fans questions about preparing young horses for the races and discuss how to clock workouts this Saturday morning on the penultimate Making of a Racehorse: Let’s Get Start series. Also on hand to talk with fans will be jockeys C.J. McMahon and Caroline Quast. The free, family-friendly event begins at 7:30 a.m. Central at the starting gate, which is positioned for morning schooling in the first-turn mile chute adjacent to the south end of the parking lot nearest the Ohio River levee.

Optional races selected for Sunday’s Bluegrass Tournament

The optional races have been selected for Sunday’s live-money Bluegrass Tournament, presented by AmWager. They will be Saratoga’s fourth through seventh races. Players must bet at least $20 on at least 10 of the 13 races offered, which include Ellis’ entire nine-race card, with wagering options including win, place, exacta and double. The $75,000 Ellis Park Juvenile and Debutante are mandatory races.

The contest is in the clubhouse’s second-floor Gardenia. Entry fee is $500, with $200 going toward prize money for the top 10 finishers and the other $300 being the player’s bankroll. Registration remains open, including Sunday morning at the track starting at 10 a.m. Central. Registration at Ellis Park or amwager.com/bluegrasstournament, with payment via credit card or cash at Ellis Park.

Ellis Park Debutante

Purse: $75,000. Distance: seven furlongs. Post time: Sunday at 3:40 p.m. CT (seventh race)

pp horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds

1 Mauk’s Tuff (120) Gazader/Mauk 30-1

2 Flight Queen (120) Hernandez/Calhoun 10-1

3 Waki Patriot (120) Court/Hancock 8-1

4 Laudation (120) G. Saez/Asmussen 8-1

5 Amberspatriot (120) McMahon/Hancock 12-1

6 Noblame (120) Landeros/Sharp 20-1

7 Kelly’s Humor (120) Bridgmohan/Cox 12-1

8 Sunny Skies (122) Albarado/McPeek 9-5

9 Lullingstone (118) Borel/Hancock 30-1

10 Crossed (120) Pedroza/Garcia 30-1

11 On the Hop (120) Rocco/Scott 12-1

12 Upset Brewing (120) Lanerie/Bradley 7-2

13 A.E. My Peeps (118) A. Quinonez/Van Berg 30-1

A.E. — Also-eligible; needs scratch to run

Ellis Park Juvenile

Purse: $75,000. Distance: seven furlongs. Post time: Sunday at 4:10 p.m. CT (eighth race)

pp horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds

1 Trenton Traveler (118) Cannon/Lightner 30-1

2 Undercover Lover (120) Pedroza/Flint 30-1

3 Orbatron (118) Lanerie/Asmussen 12-1

4 Make Noise (120) Court/Van Berg 12-1

5 Big Iron (120) G. Saez/Flint 8-1

6 Private Vigilante (120) Bridgmohan/Asmussen 8-1

7 Ten City (122) Gilligan/McPeek 8-5

8 Ebben (120) Hernandez/Margolis 10-1

9 Mugrosito (120) Figueroa/Castaneda 50-1

10 Holding Fast (118) A. Martinez/K. Martinez 50-1

11 Northern Trail (120) Hill/Van Berg 15-1

12 Dak Attack (120) Albarado/Romans 3-1