John Gunther's homebred Tiger Moth, a winner in her last two stakes starts, will look to extend her streak Sept. 16 in the $100,000 Locust Grove Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.
Tiger Moth, a daughter of Street Sense and a half sister to Gunther's grade 2 winner Last Gunfighter , has come from far off the pace in her stakes wins, the Mari Hulman George at Indiana Grand and the grade 3 Groupie Doll Stakes at Ellis Park. Earlier this year she was tangling with the likes of Stellar Wind in the grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap and Forever Unbridled in the grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap and faces more favorable foes here.
Merriebelle Stable's Blue Prize, trained by Ingnacio Correas IV, won at the group 1 level in Argentina last fall and seems to be coming to hand for the Locust Grove. The daughter of Pure Prize has run three times in the U.S., second in all three, and was beaten a nose last time out in Saratoga Race Course's Summer Colony Stakes. Third in the Summer Colony was Fuhriously Kissed.
Blue Prize came in second behind Fuhriously Kissed in an optional-claiming allowance at Saratoga July 24, and that filly returns in the Locust Grove. The Anita Cauley homebred 4-year-old filly is a two-time winner over the main track at Churchill Downs and is out of the stakes-winning French Kiss.
To her inside is G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred Romantic Vision. The 5-year-old Lemon Drop Kid mare will be making her eighth start over the main track at Churchill for trainer Rusty Arnold but has yet to make it to the winner's circle.
Romantic Vision finished fifth in last year's Locust Grove and her her half sister, by Orb , just sold for $125,000 Sept. 13 at the Keeneland September yearling sale.
Winless in six Churchill attempts is Sweetgrass, who races for the Louisville-based Six Column Stables, Randall Bloch, John Seller, and Fred Merrit. In her defense, all have come in graded stakes, including a fourth in last year's Locust Grove.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 16, 2017, Race 8Entries: Locust Grove S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Brooklynsway (ON) Robby Albarado 121 Bernard S. Flint 10/1 2 2Blue Prize (ARG) James Graham 121 Ignacio Correas, IV 7/2 3 3Mo d'Amour (KY) Florent Geroux 121 Rodolphe Brisset 4/1 4 4Romantic Vision (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 121 George R. Arnold, II 4/1 5 5Fuhriously Kissed (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 121 Ian R. Wilkes 5/1 6 6Sweetgrass (KY) Chris Landeros 121 Ian R. Wilkes 6/1 7 7Tiger Moth (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 121 Brad H. Cox 3/1
