Kentucky Cup draws long shots and champions in its revived edition this year at Turfway
The newly revived Grade 2 $200,000 Winstar Kentucky Cup will be held at Turfway Park on 24 September, 2011, and the card will present four other Kentucky Cup races. The main event will be run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles over a poly track.
In a field of eight, the 5-year-old dark bay/brown colt, Michael Maker trained Baryshnikov, has been a consistent runner for his connection, and is declared as the 3 to 1 favourite to win the race.
Topping the morning line favourite slot with Baryshnikov is the 4-year-old chestnut gelding, Workin for Hops.
The Michael Stidham trained gelding is the 7 to 2 favourite, and earlier this season the runner won a graded stakes' race at Fair Ground.
Demarcation was another runner who also won a graded stakes' race at Fair Ground, who will partner with Working for Hops, but the major threat comes from Havelock and the French bred Shediak.
Both runners are coming off stakes victories in their last starts.
The 4-year-old Darrin Miller trained colt, Havelock, won the Grade 2 Play The King Stakes at Woodbine racecourse on 28 August, 2011, at about 7 furlongs, completing the distance in 1 minute and 21.56 seconds.
Prior to the Grade 2 Play The King Stakes, Havelock also won the Arlington Sprint Handicap at Arlington Park on 16 July, 2011, over a distance of 5 ½ furlongs, downing Country Day and Wekiva Wachee with a winning time of 1 minute and 2.71 seconds.
However, it will be a tough task to overcome Baryshnikov, who has hit the board in all his eight starts in the 2011 season.
The son of Empire Maker scored his lone stakes' win this season in the Tejano Run at Turfway on 19 March.
The Michael Maker trained runner nearly out finished the talented colt, Paddy O’Prado, in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes in April at Pimlico, where Baryshnikov ran a game second to the winner.
Also in the mix is a former claimer, who came third in the Firecracker at Turfway in 2010, Strike Impact.
The two time Grade 1 winner, General Quarters, will also be looking to seal another graded stakes' win since 2010.
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