Elate to pass on Fleur de Lis

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In the absence of the standout filly Elate, the role of favorite in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs next Saturday likely will now fall to Valadorna or Farrell.

Churchill racing officials had been hoping to attract Elate for her 2018 debut, but the filly’s co-owner Walker Hancock of Claiborne Farm said Friday from Belmont Park the Fleur de Lis “is coming up just a bit too quick for us.”

“I wish it’d been another week later, but that’s the way it goes,” Hancock said. “We’ll probably wait now for the Delaware Handicap” on July 14.

The Grade 2 Fleur de Lis is part of a huge Downs After Dark card anchored by the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap. Both the Foster and Fleur de Lis are Win and You’re In events toward their respective divisional races in the Breeders’ Cup, the $6 million Classic and $2 million Distaff, both on Nov. 3 at Churchill.

Valadorna won the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland in her last start, and had her final pre-race breeze Friday at the Lexington, Ky., when going a half-mile in 51 seconds under the supervision of David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse.

Farrell, a six-time stakes winner from 15 starts, all for Coffeepot Stables and trainer Wayne Catalano, has trained steadily at Churchill since finishing second as the pacesetter in the Grade 1 La Troienne here on May 4. The Malibu Moon filly breezed what Catalano described as “an old-school seven furlongs” in 1:27.20 Thursday.

“We’re all geared up and ready to go,” said Catalano.

The engraved winners’ trophies are being formally presented between races next Saturday to the connections of 2018 Kentucky Derby winner Justify. As of Friday, prior to the running of the Belmont Stakes, it was still too early to determine whether Justify also will be paraded before the crowd next Saturday – as was done here three years ago with American Pharoah after he became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.

Here follows a quick look at the prospective lineups for the five Saturday stakes. Weight assignments for the two handicaps were to be released this weekend, with entries for all 11 Saturday races being drawn Wednesday.

Grade 1, $500,000 Stephen

Foster: Backyard Heaven, a smashing winner of the Grade 2 Alysheba here on May 4 for Chad Brown, could be a slight favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Foster over Irish War Cry, a last-out winner of the Pimlico Special. Other likely starters from a nominations list of 26 older horses include Patch, Lookin At Lee, Honorable Duty, Hawaakom, and Leofric.

Grade 2, $200,000 Fleur de Lis: Besides Valadorna and Farrell, probable starters in this 1 1/8-mile race include Song of Spring, Fuhriously Kissed, and surely a few more from a nominations list of 20 fillies and mares. Grade 2, $200,000 Wise Dan: World Approval, the 2017 turf champion, breezed an easy halfmile here Friday in 50.20 seconds for Casse in preparation for this race, his first start since the March 10 Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. Among the confirmed opposition for the 6-year-old horse is Parlor, Mr Cub, and Mr. Misunderstood.

Grade 3, $100,000 Matt Winn: Ax Man is under serious consideration by trainer Bob Baffert for this 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and surely would be favored if he goes. Others include Combatant, Quip, and at least a few more.

Grade 3, $100,000 Regret: A sizable field of 3-year-old fillies is expected for this 1 1/8-mile turf race, including Go Google Yourself, Kabella, Secret Message, and Stave.

Trainer Forrest Kaelin retires

Trainer Forrest Kaelin has disbanded his small stable due to his deteriorating health and has officially retired after more than 65 years in racing.

Kaelin, 83, was a jockey as a teenager and once rode six winners in a row on a card at the old Wheeling Downs in West Virginia. A serious injury soon thereafter led him to training, and for some 50 years, he was stabled in the same barn at Churchill, where his shed row entrance was only 50 feet or so across from that of D. Wayne Lukas.

“Forrest has seen a lot, done a lot, been a lot of places,” said Jimmy Baker, who assumed the training of Kaelin’s last two horses. “He’s a good man, a real credit to the game.”

As a trainer, Kaelin won 1,600 races, most notably back-to-back runnings of the Stephen Foster (1982-83) with Vodika Collins; the 1999 Kentucky Cup Classic with 65-1 shot Da Devil; four stakes with Crimson Classic, his lone Kentucky Derby starter (1997); and nine stakes with the sprinter Good Lord, an earner of more than $800,000.

Kaelin’s final winner was Shea’s Cool, who captured the opening race May 11 at Churchill.

Turf allowances featured

Two turf allowances (races 6 and 9), both with oversubscribed fields, highlight a 10-race Sunday card that brings a four-day race week to an end at Churchill. The second and richest is a $62,000 sprint in which the speedy Latent Revenge surely will set a quick pace when trying to outlast a well-matched set of opponents.

The ninth race also marks the return of trainer Garry Simms, who will send out Double Tuff as his first starter since the 2017 Churchill fall meet.

Simms, 66, continues to persevere against the odds after being diagnosed with spinal cancer in December 2009. He developed and sold such stars as Magna Graduate and Benny the Bull while also training his own graded stakes winners, including Blue eyes in therein and Circle Unbroken.

First post Sunday is 12:45 p.m. Eastern. The following four-day week will begin with a Thursday card, with first post at 5 p.m.