Ellis Park’s reputation as a good place to develop young horses grows every year. And this Sunday, 2-year-olds — lots of them — will be firmly in the spotlight with the Ellis Park Juvenile and Ellis Park Debutante, both $75,000 stakes at seven furlongs.
A near-capacity field of 11 was entered Thursday for both stakes, indicating that horsemen now are planning for the races, which were brought back in 2016 (Juvenile) and 2017 (Debutante) after almost a decade hiatus.
Four trainers will shoot for a sweep: Bret Calhoun (Shanghai Rain in the Debutante, followed by Shanghaied Roo in the Juvenile), Steve Asmussen (Kristizar, and the coupled entry of Tobacco Road and Whiskey Echo), Vickie Foley (Include Edition, Mine Inspector) and Wayne Catalano (Spice It Up, Manny Wah).
For Foley, Include Edition and Mine Inspector account for a good chunk of her nine-horse stable while going up against outfits that might have 90 2-year-olds. But both of her horses won their debuts in good-looking style at Ellis Park. Mine Inspector, owned by the Vickie Foley et al syndicate, broke slowly and spotted the field many lengths before exploding to a 7 3/4-length triumph at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. Include Edition, owned by Alexis Harthill, closed in the mud to take her debut at 6 furlongs by 1 1/2 lengths. James Graham rides both horses.
“They’re both training excellent,†Foley said. “Include Edition, I’m excited about the seven furlongs. I think it will fit her really well, the way she ran last time, coming from way out of it. There may be some rain this weekend, which would be even better, but I think she’ll run on anything.
“Mine Inspector, I wish it was on the turf, but there’s a 6 1/2-furlong stakes (the new $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint) on Sept. 8,†she said. “He ran July 8, and it was going to be two months between races. Instead of working him again, why not run and find out? Because sooner or later you want to know if he’ll handle dirt. Because his breeding suggests they can go both ways. Every once in a while you have to step out of the box. How often do you get the opportunity to run for that kind of money? Two-year-olds, babies, anything can happen. And it might as well be with me.â€
Only a couple of horses in the Juvenile and Debutante match the stakes experience that the Calhoun pair have. Shanghai Rain won on her second attempt and then was second in the $100,000 Churchill Downs Debutante, albeit 11 1/4 lengths behind the well-regarded Restless Rider. Shanghaied Roo took his debut at Keeneland, then ran a disappointing eighth as one of the favorites in Churchill Downs’ Grade 3 Bashford Manor, breaking tardily from the rail and getting bogged down in traffic.
Both have been pointed toward the Ellis stakes since. Both also are, not surprisingly given their names, offspring of the Claiborne Farm stallion Shanghai Bobby, the unbeaten 2-year-old champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner of 2012. Both youngsters were bred by owner Tom Durant and are ridden by Gabriel Saez.
Off his snappy maiden race, Shanghaied Roo was supposed to run back in Churchill’s Derby Week stakes, the Kentucky Juvenile, but got spooked coming onto the racetrack, dumped his rider, had the rider get back on, only to begin “tying up†(a form of cramping that can be caused by nerves) nearing the gate and was scratched.
“I thought he’d run huge that day, and things just didn’t go right,†Calhoun said. “We regrouped and brought him back in the Bashford Manor, and really nothing went right in that race. We think everything has gone well since then and this is a good spot to try him. But I thought that first out, as well as he ran, that he was going to be a pretty good prospect. I sure haven’t given up on him. Hopefully he redeems himself this weekend.â€
Shanghaied Roo worked five-eighths of a mile in 1:01, the fastest work at the distance on Aug. 5 at Churchill Downs. “I think he’s sitting on go,†Calhoun said.
Calhoun said Shanghai Rain had no shot in her first start at Keeneland, when she broke from post 11 and was nine-wide on the turn going 4 1/2 furlongs. Shanghai Rain drew post 11 again, but there’s a long run into the turn.
“She had no chance at Keeneland,†he said. “She came back and ran a great race at Churchill to break her maiden and ran well in the stakes. The winner of Kenny McPeek’s, overcoming the trouble she had, might be a really, really good filly. That being said, I don’t think Shanghai Rain ran her best race that day for some reason. She ran good but I didn’t think as good as she’s capable of. I think this distance will suit her better, too. She’s always acted like she’d like more ground.â€
Calhoun, who also has a small group of select horses at Saratoga, said he considered other options around the country for the Durant duo but opted to stay in Kentucky and training at Churchill Downs.
“The distance suits them well, the timing was good,†he said. “So it was a good fit for us.â€
And, too, he noted, it’s a good bridge to Churchill Downs’ Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois and Grade 2, $200,000 Pocahontas for 2-year-old fillies. The winners of both those 1 1/1/6-mile stakes get an automatic berth and entry fees paid in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies held Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs.
Coming up Saturday:
The last Making of a Racehorse — the free, family-friendly fan-education program staged by Ellis Park and the Kentucky HBPA — is this Saturday, Aug. 18. Sponsored by Donut Bank, the event starts at 7 a.m. Central in the south end of the parking lot near the starting gate that is position in the mile chute for schooling. The program is designed to show what goes on in the mornings to get horses ready to run in the afternoons and includes a visit to trainer John Hancock’s barn (with supervised pony rides for young kids), tour of jockeys’ room and other stops as time allows. The casual program lasts until about 10 a.m., with track announcer Jimmy McNerney, retired jockey turned jockey agent Francisco Torres and paddock analyst Li’l Rocco also participating.
Saturday afternoon features Ladies Day from noon-4 p.m. Central in the Gardenia Room (second floor of the clubhouse), with 1 Mile Back performing. The event features shopping, live music and the chance to win awesome prizes such as Kruckemeyer & Cohn gift certificates, two Michael Kors handbags.
Ellis Park Debutante
Purse: $75,000. Distance: 7 furlongs. Division: 2-year-old fillies
Post time: Sunday at 4:10 p.m. CT (eighth race)
PP horse (weight) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â jockey/trainer
1.Lucky Girasol (118)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Esquilin/Gorostieta
2.Spice It Up (120)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hill/Catalano
3.Kristizar (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â McMahon/Asmussen
4.Profound Legacy (122) Â Â Hernandez/Wilkes
5.Wakeeta (120)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Perez/Gorham
6.Somewhere (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Albarado/Bradley
7.Bivian B (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Morales/Hancock
8.La Coyota (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Camacho/Gonzalez
9.Serengeti Empress (120)Â Lanerie/Amoss
10.Include Edition (120)Â Â Â Â Â Â Graham/V. Foley
11.Shanghai Rain (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Saez/Calhoun
Ellis Park Juvenile
Purse: $75,000. Distance: 7 furlongs. Division: 2-year-olds
Post time: Sunday at 4:40 p.m. CT (ninth race)
PP horse (weight) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â jockey/trainer
1.Pradar (120)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gilligan/Yanakov
2.Lady’s Weekend (120)    Rocco/Demeritte
3.SS Trooper (120)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Castanon/Johnson
4.Manny Wah (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hill/Catalano
5.Giant Act (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Camacho/Helmbrecht
6.Veritas (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Pedroza/Wohlers
7.Shanghaied Roo (120) Â Â Saez/Calhoun
8.Overanalyzer (120) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ulloa/Elliott
9. Tobacco Road (120)Â Â Â Â Â Â Lanerie/Asmussen
10.Mine Inspector (120) Â Â Â Â Graham/V. Foley
11.Whiskey Echo (120) Â Â Â Â Â Bridgmohan/Asmussen
