Commonwealth Turf Goes at Churchill

Horse racing fans in Louisiana waiting for next weekend’s Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs can warm up their handicapping skills this weekend by getting a bet down on any one of a number of big stakes races taking place around North America. At Churchill Downs in Kentucky, the Saturday highlight will be the $100,000 Grade III Commonwealth Turf Stakes, for three year olds going 1 1/16 miles. The race has drawn a field of 13, and includes a number of horses with graded-stakes wins this year.

Good price to be had on the expected favorite

At 4-1, Winning Cause has been installed as the morning line favorite. A winner in three of 11 starts in 2013, Winning Cause is coming into this off a second-place finish in the Grade II Hagyard Fayette Stakes at Keeneland. While most recently running on synthetics, he did pick up a turf win earlier this year at Saratoga, and will be looking to come from off the pace. There are three horses in the race that are shipping down from Woodbine, with Golden Sabre the second ML choice at 5-1.  He’s coming off three straight turf wins, although he was DQ’d to fourth after hitting the wire first in the Charley Barley Stakes.

Kentucky Derby starter also in the field

Included in the field is Frac Daddy (6-1) , runner-up in this year’s Grade I Arkansas Derby, who followed that up by taking a shot in the Triple Crown series, finishing as an also-ran in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. An intriguing longshot for the exotics at 10-1 in on the ML is the outside starter, Central Banker, whose only turf start this year resulted in a win in the Smirnoff Sorbet Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga, and who followed that up two starts back with a third-place finish at 22-1 in the Grade I Foxwoods King's Bishop.