Pocahontas, Iroquois headline Churchill's 'Downs After Dark' card

Pocahontas, Iroquois headline Churchill's 'Downs After

Dark' card

Churchill Downs will open the doors on its fall meet Friday, and the stakes

action at the Louisville, Kentucky, venue will get underway Saturday night as

four black-type contests, including three graded, highlight the "Downs After

Dark" program.

Juveniles will take center stage as a field of eight fillies has been entered

in the Grade 2, $150,000

Pocahontas and 12 colts and geldings go in the Grade 3, $150,000

Iroquois. Each race is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the main track and will

be joined by the Grade 3, $100,000

Ack Ack

Handicap for milers and the $100,000

Locust Grove Handicap sending distaffers 8 1/2 furlongs.

The Pocahontas will kick off the stakes action on the evening card, and all

but three in the group are exiting maiden wins. The duo with experience against

winners are Schuylerville third-placer Elena Strikes and Nevada Deputy, third in

the Donnie Wilhite Memorial at Louisiana Downs last month. Harlan's Special ran

second in her previous two career tries and will try to break through with a

first win in the Pocahontas.

Looking to advance off easy maiden scores are Stonetastic, who took her debut

by 12 lengths at Monmouth Park, and Milam, a 3 3/4-length victress at Ellis

Park. Untapable, Rosalind and Redheaded Witch complete the Pocahontas field.

Twelve juvenile colts and geldings take to the track one race later in the

Iroquois. Rise Up is the only one with any prior stakes knowledge, having

captured the Mountaineer Juvenile by 4 3/4 lengths on August 3 in his first try

on a conventional dirt track. Laddie Boy also jumped up in a big way when trying

dirt for the first time on June 19, breaking his maiden by 13 lengths at Indiana

Downs.

Honorable Judge, Solemnly Swear and Jimmy Connors were all easy winners in

the Northeast while Ride on Curlin and Cee 'n O got the job done at Ellis Park.

Cleburne and Smart Cover also broke their maidens at Ellis, but did so on that

track's turf and will be switching to dirt.

All Cash, Tapiture and Stonecrusher are still seeking that elusive initial

score in the Iroquois. 

Pants on Fire headlines the one-mile Ack Ack Handicap later on the card

against seven opponents. The Jump Start five-year-old is exiting a nice score in

the Monmouth Cup, and will be hoping for a better run this time around under the

Twin Spires than his only other foray at Churchill when ninth in the 2011

Kentucky Derby.

Brethren just earned his first stakes victory since taking the 2011 Sam F.

Davis by posting a 3 1/4-length triumph in the Evangeline Mile Handicap on

August 10. The Distorted Humor half-brother to 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super

Saver earned a career-best 104 BRIS Speed rating for that effort and gets a

jockey switch to Rosie Napravnik on Saturday to help his chances.

Iowa Derby hero Looking Cool could make some noise in this spot after failing

to factor in the Jim Dandy last out, while Moe Man earned his first stakes tally

when taking the August 16 John Bullit at Canterbury Park by 5 1/2 lengths.

Once race before the Ack Ack, Wine Princess will be sporting blinkers for the

first time as she faces nine fellow distaffers in the Locust Grove. The

well-bred daughter of Ghostzapper and Azeri, each honored as Horse of the Year,

came running to be second in the Molly Pitcher when last seen in late July. She

opened her four-year-old campaign with a seven-length optional claiming victory

under the Twin Spires on April 27.

Wine Princess' rivals include Flashy American, second in the Shuvee and

winner of the Alada in her last two, and Magic Hour, who just missed in her

graded bow at Ellis Park when a dueling neck second in the Gardenia last month.

Also entering the Locus Grove off a start in the Gardenia are fourth-placer

Molly Morgan, fifth-placer Ice Cream Silence, sixth-placer Awesome Flower and

ninth-placer Twice the Lady.

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