NEWS

Champs Elysees headlines Fifth Third Elkhorn Stakes

Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 5:15 PM

CHAMPS ELYSEES

Benoit & Associates photo

by Jeff Apel

Multiple Grade 1 winner Champs Elysees (GB) could provide a memorable conclusion to Keeneland Race Course’s 15-day spring meeting on Friday with a victory in the $200,000 Fifth Third Elkhorn Stakes (G2), a 1 1/2-mile turf race for older horses.

A two-time Grade 1 winner on turf, Champs Elysees has not raced at 1 1/2 miles since he concluded his 2008 campaign with a victory in the Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (G1) (click here for video of the Hollywood Turf Cup) on December 6.

The Danehill horse earned two wins from four starts at 1 1/2 miles or longer last year, including a victory in the 2008 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Presented by Vtech (Can-G1) (click here for video of the Northern Dancer Turf).

Trained by Bobby Frankel for owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms, Champs Elysees made his previous two starts on Santa Anita Park’s synthetic Polytrack surface. The six-year-old horse enters off a runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) (click here for video of the Santa Anita Handicap), a 1 1/4-mile race on March 7, and opened his current campaign with a seventh-place finish in the San Antonio Handicap (G2) (click here for video of the San Antonio) on February 8.

Champs Elysees is one of 11 graded or group stakes winners entered in the Elkhorn, which drew a full field of 12 plus two also-eligible entrants. The field also includes Grade 1 winners Better Talk Now and Brass Hat, both of whom will try to snap nine-race winless skids, and Grade 3 winner Buddy’s Charm.

The winner of the 2004 John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), five-time Grade 1 winner Better Talk Now enters off a six-month layoff. The Talkin Man gelding concluded his nine-year-old campaign with an eighth-place finish in the 2008 Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) (click here for video of the Breeders' Cup Turf) on October 25 at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita.

Graham Motion trains Better Talk Now, a career earner of $4,216,664 who is winless since capturing the 2007 Manhattan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park. Better Talk Now would become the oldest horse to win a graded stakes race since 1976 if he captures the Elkhorn on Friday.

Brass Hat enters off a fifth-place finish in the Mervyn Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap (G2) (click here fo video of the Mervyn Muniz Jr.) on March 14 at Fair Grounds. Trained by William “Buff” Bradley for owner-breeder Fred Bradley, Brass Hat’s winless stretch began following a win in the 2007 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs.

Buddy’s Humor won the Pan American Stakes (G3) (click here for video of the Pan American) in his previous start on March 21 at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/4-mile race was taken off the turf and contested on a sloppy main track because of wet weather.

Bruce Levine trains Buddy’s Humor.

Also entered were multiple graded stakes winners Always First (GB) and Embossed (Ire); graded stakes winners Sir Whimey, Transduction Gold, Spice Route (GB); French Group 3 winner Musketier (Ger); English Group 3 winner Admiral’s Cruise; and multiple graded stakes-placed winner Quasicobra.

Jeff Apel is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY assistant editor

Fifth Third Elkhorn S.

For Equibase entries for Keeneland's Friday card, click here.