Saturday’s $1 million subject. Grade 1 Stephen raises the stakes Churchill Downs is provided with high quality. Six of 1 horses have gained over $1 million of their careers. Foster is a victory and you might be within the 2025 $7 million qualifying race.
In whole, six main candidates have gained 38 races, almost $26 million to this point. The hit present ($8.4 million) gained the Group 1 Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates. Sierra Leone ($6 million), the winner of final yr’s Grade 1 Rondeine Breeders’ Cup Traditional, final place third within the Grade 2 New Orleans Traditional Stake, introduced by Relyne GI in its 2025 debut, however adopted an identical third-place effort to win the Traditional final fall. Mystik Dan ($4.4 million) gained a third-year stake over Churchill observe final month, at Stephen Foster’s eighth distance. It was Mystic Dan’s first victory since successful the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby introduced by Woodford Reserve final yr. That is the race the place Sierra Leone completed second. The primary mission ($2 million) might be entered with Stephen and produce the victory with a Grade 2 Oak Garden Handicap. Mindframe gained the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes, introduced by Ford within the Kentucky Derby Undercard in a brief distance of seven furlongs this yr. Ashcroft closed the sphere, successful two of his 12 profession races, incomes fifth and sixth place efforts within the stakes in his newest two races.
High candidate evaluation:
Coach Bradcox has runners on hit exhibits and first missions this yr at Stephen Foster Stakes. When mixed, these two nice thoroughbreds have gained 15 out of 30 races, however have by no means confronted one another earlier than. Pair, I give First mission It is a slight choice, and he could doubtless supply higher odds for successful bets than his constant ones. why? Flavier Platt, who rode on his first mission to win the Oak Garden Handicap in his current begin, selected Sierra Leone because the mount, earlier than which Florent Gelx, who rode on his first mission in 5 consecutive races, will choose successful present, together with three wins. There’s completely no drawback with Louis Saes taking the mount to the primary mission on this race. As a result of, for every race lens) Saez and Cox have gained 16 levels of stakes dust routes for the previous 5 years (from 38 races) (from 38 races), Saez first gained the Mission within the first mission and the primary mission within the spring Saddle at Stonestreet The Nass in 2023. The autumn equal to Stephen Foster of Churchill Downs, a stake offered by Norton Healthcare.
First Mission ran the very best race of his profession final yr when Twinspires gained the Alysheba Stakes offered on the Churchill observe and the Alysheba Stakes, which gained 115 Equiba Velocity figures. After this February vacation, returning to the race this February, First Mission returned to high kind with a handicap of 114, ending third within the neck. Then, on the Oak Garden Handicap on April 19, at 1 1/8 miles of foster dad and mom, the primary mission ran much more impressively, pulling out late to win in two lengths. Clark in 2023 was underneath Saez as he took over within the quarter mile and almost grabbed the victory.
With the mystic He ran the race of his profession 13 months in the past, successful by nostril over Sierra Leone and Everlasting Younger within the Kentucky Derby. That effort led him to a career-high 109 numbers on the time. After ending the runner-up in Preakness’s pursuits, Mystik Dan could not return to that kind, ending the marketing campaign three years in the past with an eighth and sixth place effort. Even together with his 2025 debut at a extra mature four-year-old, Mystik Dan was not aggressive. When he returned to Might, having had a little bit relaxation for 3 months, Mystik Dan discovered his outdated kind, first dropping by neck on the lake in Ouchita, incomes a brand new career-high 116 determine, and simply incomes native preparations for The Blame Stakes, a foster mum or dad at Churchill Downs final month. The 112 determine he earned responsibly might enhance on the third begin of the layoff. If MystikDan can repeat his 116 (Determine) effort in a single final race, it might have an epic end on Saturday if the primary mission and hit present had been executed as anticipated.
Hit the present He gained at Churchill final fall at 1 1/8 miles at Lucas Traditional Stakes, incomes a strong 108 determine earlier than successful the Haryard Fayette Stakes within the distance. That was adopted by final yr’s Clarks Takes (the identical race-first mission nearly gained the earlier yr), the place the hit present completed third as a visual, unexcused favourite. With its 2025 debut, Hagiard gained the Louisiana Stakes offered by Relyne GI, however completed third within the Santa Anita Handicap introduced by Yamava Resort & On line casino. Coach Brad Cox had nice confidence within the Colt when he shipped out to run on the Dubai World Cup in April. The hit present ran the very best race of his profession and was rewarded when he defeated 10 different horses, together with third place end Perpetually Younger within the Kentucky Derby final yr. With that effort, the hit present achieved a spectacular 127 isovariate charge determine. Jockey Florent Geroux is collaborating within the horse’s last six wins, together with 5 stakes races. On June twenty first, in preparation for Stephen Foster, he labored out a really sturdy coaching at Churchill Downs on the hit present (together with First Mission) with 59.2 seconds.
Three of the opposite 4 foster dad and mom have run effectively sufficient to win this race previously, however every of them knocks barely for my part. Sierra Leone He gained a career-high 116 horse velocity determine when he gained the Breeders’ Cup Traditional in November, however earlier than that he made an ideal effort in main stakes races when he completed third, second and third. He reded himself with the classics final fall, however Sierra Leone once more suffered a gradual efficiency in his solely begin of the yr. I am standing up towards him as a result of there is no correct method to estimate which Sierra Leone will seem within the foster mum or dad (Breeders’ Cup model or his different 4 newest race variations). SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING He gained the 115 career-leading figures within the Charlestown Traditional Steaks final August, successful the Hollywood Gold Cup in current races. His knock is that he does not outperform third in any of his 10 tries in Grade 1 stakes races, and when Stephen Foster is concluded, the file is more likely to be zero at 10. Thoughts Body It was very spectacular to win the Churchill Downs Stakes on Might 3 with quite a few 105, however that race passed off on seven furlongs. He completed the second of each, though he may be good round one flip, as evidenced by the truth that he ran the final two occasions and led by an eighth mile to go for the run for about two turns.
Ashcroft It seems that he is coming within the allowance race, which closed the sphere and his finest efforts in April 2024, the place he scored 110 folks’s numbers. Since then, Ashcroft has gained fifth, fifth and sixth place, and has not competed in any of those three efforts.
High 3 winners:
First mission
With the mystic
Hit the present
