SALAHUDIN - The Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes - Madison Becker Photos for Agentes 305
The Road to Kentucky Derby 153 will get underway Saturday with a field of nine 2-year-olds entered in the 45th running of the $300,000 Iroquois Stakes (Grade III) at Churchill Downs, led by Zedan Racing Stables’ undefeated Ellis Park Juvenile winner Salahudin.
Saturday’s stacked 11-race program includes five stakes contests including the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove (GII), $300,000 Pocahontas (GIII), $300,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society (Listed) and $300,000 Open Mind (Listed). The action gets underway at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) with the one-mile Iroquois going as Race 10 at 5:29 p.m.
Salahudin leads the Iroquois juveniles after winning his debut by two lengths and then dominating the Ellis Park Juvenile by 4 ½ lengths for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The talented son of Uncle Mo will be ridden by Florent Geroux out of post No. 7.
Another stakes winner entered in the field is Patricia’s Hope and Mark Farrar’s Bashford Manor (Listed) hero Blessed Flyer. Trained by Mike Tomlinson, Blessed Flyer is undefeated in two-career starts after winning his debut by a head on April 16 at Keeneland and then closing from six lengths off the early pace to win the Bashford Manor by a head at odds of 31-1 in late June. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. has the call and will exit post 2.
The field for the Iroquois from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
- Caribbean Life (Flavien Prat, Will Walden)
- Blessed Flyer (Hernandez, Tomlinson)
- Bearamour (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux)
- Admiral’s Order (Luan Machado, Ben Colebrook)
- Real Goodbar (Manny Esquivel, Kenny McPeek)
- Antivenom (Jose Ortiz, Mark Casse)
- Salahudin (Geroux, Baffert)
- He Is No Lie (Joel Rosario, Doug O’Neill)
- Real Gone (Keith Asmussen, Patrick Biancone)
The Iroquois kicks off the “Prep Season” on the Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and will award the top five finishers qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale toward a spot in the starting gate for Kentucky Derby 153 on Saturday, May 1, 2027.
The Iroquois is also part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series with the top three nominated finishers receiving a partial entry credit toward the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) on Oct. 30 at Keeneland. The winner also receives an automatic berth to the Nov. 28 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs.
Press Release – Kevin Kernstein – Churchill Downs
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