Trainer Brad Cox has Saudi Crown primed and ready for the $400,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on Saturday night.
Later on the card, Cox sends out Hit Show against Disarm in a field of eight in the $500,000 Lukas Classic (G2).
Saudi Crown. Coady Photo.
The Ack Ack is a Breeders’ Cup challenge race, guaranteeing the winner an expenses-paid spot in the $1 million Dirt Mile (G1) on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
Last year, Saudi Crown took the ultimate Breeders’ Cup swing: the Classic (G1) at 1 1/4 miles. Cox is aiming for a more realistic target this time.
The 4-year-old (the 4-5 morning-line favorite) is enjoying an excellent season with a pair of stakes wins, the Louisiana (G3) at the Fair Grounds and the Cowboy Jones at Ellis Park. One of his highlights of the campaign came in defeat, a three-quarters-of-a-length defeat in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1).
As usual, Florent Geroux will be aboard for what should be a productive tune-up before the trip to California.
Cagliostro (7-2) and Tumbarumba (6-1), the 1-2 finishers in Churchill’s Hanshin Stakes in June, square off again in the Ack Ack.
Post time is 9:37 p.m. ET.
For those who bet horse racing …
The picks: 1 Saudi Crown 2 Tumbarumba 3 Cagliostro
The field for the $400,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3), from the rail out, with jockey, trainers, odds:
1 Tumbarumba (Luis Saez, Brian Lynch), 6-1
2 Stage Raider (Brian Hernandez, Jr., Cherie DeVaux), 15-1
3 Cagliostro (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux), 7-2
4 Mufasa (Tyler Gaffalione, Ignacio Correas, IV), 4-1
5 Three Technique (Rafael Bejarano, Jason Cook), 15-1
6 Big Blue Line (Luan Machado, William Walden), 20-1
7 Saudi Crown (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox), 4-5