Cease returns to turf in the Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs
Claiborne Farm’s 5-year-old gelding, Cease, will be looking to make an immediate impact in the 75th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Louisville Handicap over the Churchill Downs turf course against a known commodity called, Simmard, who has shown that he can fit in a marathon race pretty good.
On top of that there is Know Heights colt, Tahoe Lake, who is coming off a second place finish in the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes along with Harrods Creek, are two well groomed runners over marathon distances and against graded stakes company.
However, the rest of the four competing in the Louisville Handicap cannot be judged over their past performances, because either there is little or no data that can be used to identify their chances in the 1 ½ miles event at Churchill Downs.
Albert M. Stall Jr's trainee, Cease, who ran against top company once in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Marathon last fall at Churchill Downs has so far managed placed finishes to be considered above the rest of the unknown runners.
“He’s a long-galloping horse, so we thought we’d put him in a staying race,” said Al Stall Jr., who trains Cease for breeder-owners Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm.
Bred in Kentucky, the 5-year-old gelding Cease, was initially pointed at the renewed Pimlico Special, but Stall decided to scratch the horse from the race, because according to the trainer the field just came up so tough.
Now, the gelded son of War Chant drew post number 1 for the Louisville Handicap, and he will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. for the first time on turf since finishing third at Churchill Downs in an attempt to break his maiden.
“We just really haven’t had the chance,” Stall said. “He freaked at Saratoga,” winning back-to-back maiden and allowance races on dirt, “and we just mostly kept him on the dirt after that. Now, we want to take a shot on turf and see if he’s worse, as good as, or better. I do think he’s a much better horse than he was last year. Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of options with him this summer.”
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