Lloyd Madison Farms' Silver Minister, easy winner of the Turfway Prevue Stakes Jan. 3, is among a bulky field of 14 entered for the Jan. 31 WEBN Stakes, one of the preps that make up Turfway Park's winter program for 3-year-olds.
The centerpiece of the Turfway meet is the March 22 Lane's End Stakes (gr. II), a $500,000 event that serves as one of the key Kentucky steppingstones to the May 1 Kentucky Derby (gr. I). On Feb. 28, Turfway offers the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds.
Silver Minister, bred in Kentucky by Twin Hopes Farm and trained by Greg Foley, has two wins and two seconds in four career starts. The son of Silver Deputy--Mint Leaf, by Capote, won his first race Dec. 4 in maiden special weight company at Turfway, and then fired off a five-length score in the Prevue Stakes.
The second- and third-place finishers in the 6 1/2-furlong Prevue--Degenerate Gambler and Rayvo's Beau--are entered in the one-mile WEBN. In the Prevue, Silver Minister covered the distance is a solid 1:17.87 on a muddy track.
As the only stakes winner in the field, Silver Minister carries high weight of 121 pounds. Leading rider Rafael Bejarano has a return call.
Peter the Rock, owned and bred in Kentucky by Ted Bates Jr., enters the WEBN off a smooth victory in allowance company at Turfway Jan. 18. Peter the Rock, by Devil's Bag--So Right, by Affirmed, wired the field by 4 1/4 lengths in his first start against winners and his first start around two turns. The time for the mile was 1:40.29 on a muddy track.
Jeff Johnston, who rode the colt in the Jan. 18 race and in his Dec. 28 maiden-breaker, has the assignment for trainer Tom Bergin at 116 pounds.
Back in with less than a week's rest is Irene Allen's Dancefortyniner (Roar--G. U. Dancer, by Sovereign Dancer), who finished second Jan. 24 in an entry-level allowance test at Turfway. Bred in Kentucky by Tom Nichols, Dancefortyniner finished 16 lengths behind Danieltown, but the winner covered the six furlongs in a startling 1:09.64 on a fast--and rather dry--track that didn't produce any other quick times all afternoon.
Dancefortyniner, who will make his fourth career start, will be ridden by Fabio Arguello Jr. at 116 for trainer Eddie Cole, who shipped the colt in from Hawthorne Race Course at the close of that meet. Dancefortyniner's sire, Roar, won the Jim Beam Stakes (now the Lane's End) in 1996.
The WEBN will be limited to 12 starters. Here's the field, with post positions, jockeys, and weights:
1 Degenerate Gambler (Daniel Coa) 116
2 Rubiano Lad (Tony D'Amico) 116
3 Commandment (Jason Lumpkins) 116
4 Charcot (Rodney Prescott )116
5 Peter the Rock (Jeff Johnston) 116
6 Dancefortyniner (Fabio Arguello Jr.) 116
7 Mister E. K. (Bill Troilo) 116
8 Kate's Genius (Mike Rowland) 116
9 Rayvo's Beau (Dean Butler) 114
10 Silver Minister (Rafael Bejarano) 121
11 Dollar A Dip (Mark Johnston) 116
12 Lost In Transit (Ender Jiminez) 114
13 Iron Rae (Eddie Zuniga) 114
14 Revolver Six (Axel Dasilva) 114
First post for the 12-race Saturday card is 1:10 p.m. (EST). Turfway and WEBN, a local radio station and track sponsor, will team up for a party on the third floor of the grandstand.
