Iroquois kicks offs Road to Kentucky Derby 150

Sep 12, 2023 Kevin Kerstein/Kentucky Racing Communications

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –
The Road to Kentucky Derby 150 will begin Saturday at Churchill Downs where Winchell
Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm’s impressive maiden special weight winner
Risk It headlines a field of nine
two-year-olds that entered the 42nd running of the $300,000 Iroquois S. (G3).

The Iroquois is the first of 37 races on the traditional
Road to the Kentucky Derby where horses will attempt to qualify for the 150th
Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) to be staged on Saturday, May
4, 2024. The Iroquois will award the top five finishers points on a 10-5-3-2-1
scale as the first of 21 “Prep Season” races.

Saturday’s Iroquois, which was shortened in distance in 2023
from 1 1/16 miles to one-mile, will be run as Race 9 with a post time of 4:55
p.m. (ET). The first of 11 races will get underway at 12:45 p.m. The
spectacular card will also feature the $300,000 Pocahontas (G3), the kickoff on
the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will attempt to win his
fourth-career Iroquois with Risk It and Edified.
Risk It, a precocious two-year-old son of Gun Runner, dominated a six-furlong
maiden special weight contest on Aug. 19 at Saratoga by 4 1/2 lengths under
jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Risk It earned a solid 91 Brisnet Speed rating for his
debut win. Gaffalione will be back aboard in the Iroquois from post 8.

Asmussen’s second entry in the Iroquois, Courtlandt Farms’
Edified, broke his maiden on July 1 at Ellis Park by a widening 3 1/2 lengths
at odds of 9-1. The runner-up, Liberal
Arts, returned to break his maiden at Ellis Park, and he will once again
face Edified in the Iroquois. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. will have the mount on
Edified from post 4.

Asmussen previously won the Iroquois with Lucky Player
(2014), Astrology (2010) and Capt. Candyman Can (2008).

Another visually impressive maiden special weight winner
that entered the Iroquois is Mellon Patch’s Patriot Spirit. Trained by Mike
Campbell, Patriot Spirit powered clear to a six-length victory on debut at
Colonial Downs. The son of Constitution arrived to Churchill early Monday
morning in preparation for Saturday’s race. He’ll once again be ridden by veteran
Jesus Castanon from post 9.

Here is the complete field for the Iroquois from the rail
out (with jockey and trainer): Liberal Arts (Cristian Torres, Robert Medina);
West Saratoga (Rafael Bejarano, Larray Demeritte); Union Roll (Gerardo Corrales,
Todd Pletcher); Edified (Santana, Asmussen); Market Street (Gabe Saez, Wayne
Lukas); Seize the Grey (Jaime Torres, Wayne Lukas); Gettysburg Address (Flavien
Prat, Brad Cox); Risk It (Gaffalione, Asmussen); and Patriot Spirit (Castanon,
Campbell).

The Iroquois Stakes is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Dirt
Dozen” where the top three finishers will receive a partial credit towards
their entry fees in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita on
Nov. 3.

In Saturday’s 55th running of the Pocahontas, an ultra-competitive
group of nine two-year-old fillies is entered including Boarshorts Stables’
Ellis Park Debutante heroine Hot Beach
and Qatar Racing, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson and Black Type Thoroughbreds’
Kentucky Juvenile winner Youalmosthadme.

Run at a mile, the Pocahontas Stakes is the first race on
the Road to the Kentucky Oaks and will award qualifying points to the top five
finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale toward the 150th running of the Longines
Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Friday, May 3, 2024.

The Pocahontas Stakes will go as Race 7 of 11 with a post
time of 3:50 p.m.

Hot Beach broke her maiden by two lengths in the Ellis Park
Debutante under jockey Declan Cannon. The Brian Lynch-trained daughter of Omaha
Beach defeated fellow Pocahontas rivals Riperton and Youalmosthadme one month
ago in the seven-furlong race. Jockey Flavien Prat will pick up the mount on
Hot Beach in the Pocahontas from post No. 9.

Chief among Hot Beach’s rivals in the Pocahontas is
Youalmosthadme, who returns to Churchill Downs where she demolished her rivals
in the Kentucky Juvenile by 8 3/4 lengths. Trained by Brad Cox, Youalmosthadme
stumbled badly at the start of the Ellis Park Debutante but recovered to finish
third as the heavy 4-5 favorite. Gaffalione, who was in the saddle for the
Kentucky Juvenile, will have the call in the Pocahontas from post 7.

Another intriguing filly that entered the Pocahontas is MJM
Racing’s V V’s Dream, who finished
second to future Grade 1 winner Brightwork in the Debutante at Ellis Park.
Trained by Kenny McPeek, V V’s Dream has been on the sidelines since her
runner-up effort 10 weeks ago. Prior to the Debutante Stakes, V V’s Dream
convincingly won her debut at Churchill Downs by 6 1/4 lengths. Jockey Brian
Hernandez Jr. will be aboard from post 6.

McPeek is not a stranger to winning the Pocahontas. The
veteran conditioner previously won the race with Fun and Feisty (2022), Daddys
Lil Darling (2016) and Dothraki Queen (2015).

Here is the complete field for the Pocahontas from the rail
out (with jockey and trainer): Empire Island (Ricardo Santana Jr., Norm Casse);
Peignoir (Luan Machado, Rodolphe Brisset); Riperton (Cristian Torres, Paulo
Lobo); Raining Sugar (James Graham, Riley Mott); Regal Rumor (Mickaelle Michel,
Wayne Catalano); V V’s Dream (Hernandez, McPeek); Youalmosthadme (Gaffalione,
Cox); Courbe (Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher); and Hot Beach (Prat, Lynch).

The Pocahontas Stakes is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Dirt
Dozen” series where the top three finishers will be awarded partial entry fees
toward the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on Nov. 3.

Fans can watch and wager on all the action from Churchill
Downs on www.TwinSpires.com,
the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated. For more
information about the Churchill Downs September Meet, visit www.ChurchillDowns.com.