Awesome Humor, the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) runner-up, and millionaire Smok'n Frolic share top billing for Saturday's Turfway Breeders' Cup (gr. III) on the Kentucky Cup card at Turfway Park. The 1 1/16-miles race for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up as a $175,000 purse and will go off at 6:05 p.m. EST.
WinStar Farm's Awesome Humor, a three-time graded stakes winner last year at 2 is coming off a better-than-it-looked performance in the Alabama where she was beaten six lengths by Island Fashion. Battling for the lead early on, she faded at the top of the lane, but came on again to get second-place from Spoken Fur. Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia made her the 2-1 favorite for the race and the Elliott Walden-trained filly will break from post 2 in the 10-horse field.
Awesome Humor is the from the first crop of WinStar stallion Distorted Humor, who also sired Kentucky Derby and Preakness (both gr. I) winner Funny Cide from his first crop.
Smok'n Frolic, Dogwood Stable's 4-year-old filly, has earned $1,117,000 while excelling at a mile and 1 1/16 miles. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Smok'n Frolic was third in a hotly contested Honorable Miss Stakes (gr. III) at Saratoga, then was a non-threatening eighth in the Ballerina Handicap (gr. I). A :47 flat half-mile work at Belmont Park on Sept. 7 may have her ready to go on Saturday.
The Turfway Breeders' Cup is anything but a two-horse race, as the field also includes Saratoga stakes winner Country Romance; the grade III-placed Desert Gold; and the consistent Red n' Gold, who was third in this race last year.
Turfway Breeders' Cup (gr. III), $175,000, 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, Turfway Park, Sept. 13, 6:05 p.m EST
PP, Horse, Jockey, ML
1, Reason to Talk, J. Court, 20-1
2, Awesome Humor, R. Albarado, 2-1
3, Red n'Gold, J. McKee, 20-1
4, Country Romance, C. Velasquez, 6-1
5, So Much More, C. Borel, 5-1
6, Win's Fair Lady, R. Bejarano, 30-1
7, Barney's Mistress, S. Sellers, 30-1
8, Desert Gold, P. Day, 4-1
9, Smok'n Frolic, E. Prado, 5-2
10, Hi Tech Honeycomb, T. D'Amico, 15-1
