Jas, Wharfie battle to win Street Sense, Rags to Riches

The $195,000 Street Sense (G3) and $190,000 Rags to Riches S. served as the feature events on Sunday’s “Stars of Tomorrow I” program at Churchill Downs, a day of racing exclusively for two-year-olds that kicked off the 2026 fall meet.

Street Sense (G3)

Switching from turf to dirt produced a stakes win for Jas, who parlayed a forwardly placed trip into a determined victory in the Street Sense.

Jas ran twice on turf during the brief Kentucky Downs meet, winning a maiden special weight and finishing second in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile. The Street Sense—a 1 1/16-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier worth 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers—marked his first start on dirt, and Jas handled the transition with aplomb.

Overlooked at 9-1 while facing half a dozen rivals, Jas rated in third place through an opening quarter-mile in :24.20, then advanced to duel with favored Card Man through subsequent splits of :48.03 and 1:12.19.

As Card Man gave way in the homestretch, Jas faced a new challenge from the wide-rallying Staunch. A fierce battle ensued through the final furlong, but Jas refused to yield and crossed the finish line ahead by a neck in 1:43.99.

Staunch ran gamely in defeat, pulling five lengths clear of third-place finisher Mystik Bayou. Blessed Flyer finished fourth, followed by Card Man, Very Gifted, and Never a Doubt.

“He’s a very talented horse and ran great races on turf but trained well on dirt,” said winning trainer Steve Asmussen. “It’s always nice to have a quarter of a million dollars in earnings before making your first start on dirt. That’s the opportunity Kentucky Downs gave him. With his pedigree, we were confident he’d be able to handle two turns on dirt.”

A son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, Jas was produced by the Giant’s Causeway mare Flag Day, who previously foaled Hall of Fame, winner of the Mineshaft (G3) on dirt.

“This horse has come a long way from his first start at Ellis Park,” said winning rider Keith Asmussen. “When I first got on him, I thought he might be a dirt horse, but he was able to handle his turf campaign at Kentucky Downs so well that it speaks to the class of this horse. Being a half-brother to Hall of Fame, it gives you confidence he’ll handle two turns on dirt, and he showed that today.”

Bred in Kentucky by Earle I. Mack, Jas is owned by Red Lane Thoroughbreds. He’s accumulated earnings of $368,139 from a 4-2-1-0 career tally.

Rags to Riches S.

A last-to-first rally in a compact field carried 17-10 favorite Wharfie to victory in the 1 1/16-mile Rags to Riches S., a Road to the Kentucky Oaks event worth 10-5-3-2-1 points.

Coming off a flashy maiden win racing one mile at Belmont Park, the Godolphin homebred daughter of Essential Quality rated around three lengths off the pace as Lunar Velocity and Oh She Said Yes exchanged the lead through splits of :23.88 and :48.63. She edged a bit closer through six furlongs in 1:13.71, then sustained a long charge down the homestretch to outkick fellow closer Juana Margarita by three-quarters of a length in 1:45.91.

“She broke well and I just got her settled down the backside,” said Junior Alvarado, who rode Wharfie for trainer Bill Mott. “She came with a big run around the turn and she was game digging in late to get by (Juana Margarita).”

Juana Margarita pulled 6 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher First Laugh, who was always close to the early pace. Oh She Said Yes tired to finish fourth, followed by Countthetrue, Lunar Velocity, and Intraosseous.

With two wins from three starts, Whafie has earned $180,740.

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