Fletcher and Carolyn Gray’s Icon Ike , two-for-two this year with stakes wins in turf sprints, will face seven foes in the $125,000 Churchill Downs Turf Sprint (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs May 4.
The five-furlong stakes for 4-year-olds and up is the sixth race on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) card.
Icon Ike, trained by Larry Jones, shipped to Kentucky from Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, where he won the Colonel Power Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass March 16. He made his 2012 debut a winning one Jan. 26 at Sam Houston Race Park in the Champion Energy Services Stakes at five furlongs on the turf.
The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Yes It's True has seven wins, all on turf, in 16 career starts, and he excels at shorter distances. Icon Ike will make his Churchill Downs grass debut in the Turf Sprint with Rosie Napravnik riding at 120 pounds from post 8.
Carl Moore Management’s Chamberlain Bridge, a 9-year-old gelding with almost $2 million in career earnings, will seek his 20th lifetime victory in the Turf Sprint, in which he finished sixth last year. In his last two starts, the Bret Calhoun trainee finished on the board behind Icon Ike in the two turf stakes.
Of note is an equipment change: Chamberlain Bridge will race without blinkers in the Turf Sprint. The Kentucky-bred by War Chant won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) at Churchill, where he has four victories at five furlongs on the grass.
Miguel Mena gets the call at 118 pounds from post 6.