Grade I winner Perfect Drift leads a field of six in Saturday's $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. III).
Stonecrest Farm's Perfect Drift enters the Cornhusker looking for his first win of the season. He began the year with an unplaced effort on the turf in the Maker's Mark Mile (gr. IIT) at Keeneland and next finished second in the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs. Most recently he was third in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I).
Perfect Drift underwent underwent a myectomy in late June to remove a blockage to his breathing passage after his run in the Foster. The surgery was performed at Lexington's Hagyard-Davidson-McGee equine clinic.
Pat Day gets the mount aboard Perfect Drift and the pair will break from gate three. Perfect Drift is listed at 7-5 in the morning line.
Providing a solid challenge to Perfect Drift will be the Elliott Walden-trained Ole Faunty, who is looking to rebound from a disappointing unplaced effort in the Pimlico Special (gr. I).
The highlights of the year for Ole Faunty include an impressive second-place effort in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) after scoring a length victory in the John B. Campbell Breeders' Cup Handicap at Laurel Park.
Robby Albarado gets the call aboard Ole Faunty and the pair will break from the four spot. Ole Faunty is listed at 7-2 -n the morning line.
Six-year-old Crafty Shaw will be looking to make it two stakes wins in a row when he breaks from gate six under jockey Craig Perret. The Pete Vestal-trainee most recently won the Hanshin Handicap (gr. III) at Arlington Park. Crafty Shaw is listed at 3-1 on the morning line.
The field for Saturday's $300,000 Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. III) includes:
1 -- Roses in May (Mark Guidry, 112, 8-1)
2 -- Native Hawk (Paul Nolan, 113, 12-1)
3 -- Perfect Drift (Day, 119, 7-5)
4 -- Ole Faunty (Albarado, 116, 7-2)
5 -- Sonic West (Willie Martinez, 115, 5-1)
6 -- Crafty Shaw (Perret, 117, 3-1)
