Captain Steve Highweighted for Clark

Captain Steve, one of four 3-year-olds to comprise the all-sophomore superfecta in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), was assigned highweight of 120 pounds Sunday by Churchill Downs racing secretary Jerry Botts for the $400,000 Clark Handicap (gr. II), to be run Friday at the Louisville oval. While the 3-year-olds received a 4-pound weight concession from their older rivals in the Classic, the five highest weighted nominees in the Clark are all sophomores.

Pegasus Handicap (gr. II) winner Kiss A Native, also three, will tote 117 pounds in the 1 1/8-mile Clark, while Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Belmont Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Aptitude and Jerome Handicap (gr. II) runner-up El Corredor were both assigned 115 pounds. 3-year-old Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) winner Spain is also listed at 115 pounds but is more likely to run in Thursday's Falls City Handicap (gr. III). Her stablemate, Distaff runner-up Surfside, was assigned 113 pounds. The Overbrook Farm's 3-year-old daughter of Seattle Slew is likely to take on males in the Clark.

The highweighted older horses among the Clark nominees are Dust On the Bottle and Guided Tour, the 11th- and 12th-place finishers, respectively, in the Classic. Both were assigned 114 pounds.

Other Clark nominee weight assignments are Maysville Slew, Pine Dance, and Vision and Verse at 113 pounds; Liberty Gold, Mount Lemon, and Testing at 112; Jadada and Talk's Cheap at 111; Double Affair, Duckhorn, and Mountain Range at 110; Rollin With Nolan and Unloosened at 109; Valiant Style at 106; and Noble Ruler at 105.

On Sunday at Churchill, Bill Mott-trained Vision and Verse breezed four furlongs in :50 2/5.