Set the Sail, Villandry return for second try at River City

For a second consecutive year, Set the Sail and Villandry,

a pair of five-year-old geldings trained by Charlie LoPresti, will attempt to

land the Grade 3, $100,000 River City Handicap on Saturday at Churchill

Downs.

Set the Sail finished second, beaten two lengths by 45-1 longshot Potomac River, in last year's edition of the 1 1/8-mile turf race while Villandry

ran fourth.

Set the Sail is seeking his first win of 2014. He finished

seventh in an allowance race at Keeneland last out, but was close to a win in

his race prior to that when second by a nose in an optional

claiming event at Saratoga.

"Set the Sail is a horse who never liked the inside post," LoPresti said. "He

ran pretty big at Saratoga earlier in the year and then came back at Keeneland

and didn't really fire; he's a funny horse like that. But if you look at him

last year in the Fayette at Keeneland, he didn't run that great either but then

he came back and nearly won the River City last year. He's doing well and I

think at 12-1, he'll be live Saturday."

Villandry on the other hand won on Churchill's turf

course earlier this year, ran third in the Grade 3 Sycamore at Keeneland

last out on October 16 and was fourth in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer prior to that

at Woodbine. With both of

his last races coming at the distance of 1 1/2 miles, LoPresti thinks Villandry

will respond well in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile contest.

"Villandry has been pretty honest all year," the horseman noted. "He's had

some solid performances in 1 1/2-mile races against some stiff competition. I

think cutting him back to a mile-and-an-eighth will probably set up nicely for

him. I think there's a ton of speed in there with Silver Max and maybe Set the

Sail, so I think he can probably come off the pace and give himself a big

chance."

Villandry will have jockey Julien Leparoux in the

saddle breaking from post 4 and Set the Sail will be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan and break from post position

3.

"I know Silver Max is tough but I honestly think it's

anybody's race," LoPresti added. "Both of my horses are doing well and I think

they're both sitting on big performances."

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