Midway Racing’s two-time stakes winner Street Beast will step onto the Road to the Kentucky Derby when he leads an oversubscribed field of 13 three-year-olds entered in Saturday’s 44th running of the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park Racing and Gaming.
The John Battaglia Memorial, part of the Prep Season on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will be contested as Race 9 on the 10-race program with a post time of 9:55 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 5:55 p.m. The 1 1/16-mile race will award qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale toward a spot in the starting gate for the 152nd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I).
Street Beast will make his second start as a 3-year-old after winning the Jan. 17 Turfway Prevue by a length under jockey Luan Machado. Trained by Ben Colebrook, Street Beast was a two-time winner at Kentucky Downs over an 11-day span, breaking his maiden Aug. 28 before capturing the Juvenile Mile (Listed) by seven lengths. A son of Street Sense, he finished a valiant fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (GI). Machado will be back aboard and break from the rail.
Another stakes winner in the field is West Paces Racing, Rainbow’s End Racing Stable and Anthony Pisco’s Attfield. A winner of the Central Park Stakes (Listed) in November at Aqueduct, Attfield is set to make his seasonal debut in the John Battaglia Memorial. Trained by Tom Morley, he broke his maiden on debut at Saratoga and then finished third in the Futurity Stakes (GIII) during the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting. Ricardo Santana Jr., who rode him to victory in the Central Park, will reunite with the son of Vekoma from post 7.
Grade I-placed Two Out Hero drew post 12 for Gold Square and trainer Kevin Attard. A son of War Front, Two Out Hero broke his maiden on debut at Woodbine by 12 lengths, then followed that performance with a 1 ½-length victory in the Soar Free (Listed). In this third start, Two Out Hero finished third behind Argos and Wild Desert in the Summer Stakes (GI). Rafael Hernandez, who has ridden him in all three starts, will retain the mount.
Texas Turf Mile winner Aces Honor will compete over the Tapeta for the first time in Saturday’s race. Owned by Pocket Aces Racing, Aces Honor broke his maiden at third asking on turf at Fair Grounds before going gate-to-wire over a yielding surface at Sam Houston. Victor Carrasco will ride for trainer Ethan West from post 10.
The field for the John Battaglia Memorial from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
• Street Beast (Luan Machado, Colebrook)
• Steel Imperium (Dylan Machado, Caio Caramori)
• Maximus Prime (Walter Rodriguez, Anthony Mitchell)
• Kilo Tango (Fernando De La Cruz, Brad Cox)
• Baytown Dreamer (Orlando Bocachica, Paul McEntee)
• Time for Money (Danny Sheehy, John Ennis)
• Attfield (Santana, Morley)
• Great White (Alex Achard, John Ennis)
• Stop the Car (Edgar Morales, Brendan Walsh)
• Aces Honor (Carrasco, West)
• Fulleffort (Vincent Cheminaud, Brad Cox)
• Two Out Hero (Hernandez, Attard)
• AE: Small Town (Walter Rodriguez, Michael McCarthy)
Fans can watch and wager on the John Battaglia Memorial on www.twinspires.com.
Turfway Park Racing and Gaming