Speedy gelding Yankee Fourtune will seek his fifth consecutive victory Nov. 13 at Churchill Downs when he faces a dozen rivals in the $100,000 Commonwealth Turf (gr. IIIT) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles.
The son of Yankee Gentleman has been unbeatable since scoring a maiden claimer at Belmont Park in July in what was his turf debut and second start overall. A pair of allowance wins at Saratoga followed and so did a victory in his stakes debut—the grade III Hawthorne Derby on Oct. 9 when he scored by 2 1/4 lengths as the even-money choice.
Yankee Fourtune will likely be the favorite again in the Commonwealth Turf. Kiaran McLaughlin trains the gray/roan for Harvey Clark and Andrew Albstein. He was a $37,000 purchase at the Keeneland September 2008 yearling sale.
All of Yankee Fourtune’s triumphs have been while racing on or near the front and all have been under Victor Santiago, who will retain the mount once again. An earner of $168,980, he will break from post 11 while carrying co-top weight of 123 pounds.
Also toting 123 pounds will be Brazilian-bred Uareoutlaw, a grade I winner in his native land. Now trained by Mike Maker for Tom Conway, Uareoutlaw finished sixth to Lookin At Lucky in his United States debut in the Oct. 2 Indiana Derby (gr. II) on the Hoosier Park slop. Miguel Mena takes over riding duties on the son of Christine's Outlaw.
Other stakes winners entered are Woodbine shipper Stormy Lord, who won the Toronto Cup in July; Mister Marti Gras, a stakes winner at Indiana Downs and runner-up in the Hawthorne Derby; the Barclay Tagg trained Beau Choix, a two-time stakes winner at one mile on turf this season and third in the grade I Jamaica Handicap; and Turallure, who rides a three-race win streak, including an allowance score at Keeneland last month.
$100,000 Commonwealth Turf (gr. IIIT, Race 9, 4:37 p.m.), 3YO, 1 1/16 Miles (Turf) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer 1. Uareoutlaw (BRZ), M Mena, 123, M J Maker
2. Celtic New Year (KY), R B Homeister Jr., 119, C Peery
3. Dark Cove (KY), J Theriot, 119, K G McPeek
4. Guys Reward (KY), C J Lanerie, 117, D L Romans
5. Lighthouse Sound (KY), C H Borel, 119, M J Trombetta
6. Stormy Lord (ON), J L Castanon, 121, I Black
7. Mister Marti Gras (KY), S Bridgmohan, 121, C M Block
8. Turallure (KY), R Albarado, 121, C Lopresti
9. Mystic (KY), K J Desormeaux, 119, W I Mott
10. Thunder Brew (FL), V Lebron, 121, A Pecoraro
11. Yankee Fourtune (KY), V Santiago, 123, K P McLaughlin
12. Don Cavallo (KY), L Contreras, 117, R L Attfield
13. Beau Choix (KY), J R Leparoux, 121, B Tagg
