Photo by NYRA/Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Good news! Ride On Curlin, who finished second behind California Chrome in the 2014 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), is scheduled to return to the races on November 26th in the $60,000 Thanksgiving Handicap at Fair Grounds.
Trained by William Gowan, the four-year-old son of Curlin has run four times this year, winning an allowance race in January and the Essex Handicap in February before finishing unplaced in the Razorback Handicap (gr. III) and the May 1st Alysheba Stakes (gr. II), the latter race marking his most recent start. Given time off, Ride On Curlin resumed serious training in September and has posted five timed workouts in preparation for the Thanksgiving Handicap, most recently going five furlongs in 1:01.80 on November 14th at Churchill Downs.
The six-furlong Thanksgiving Handicap has drawn a contentious field that also includes the talented graded stakes winners Clearly Now and Nates Mineshaft. The complete entries for the Thanksgiving Handicap are as follows:
Thanksgiving Handicap
PP, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Weight Assignment
1 Clearly Now, Jose Valdivia Jr., Ron Faucheux, 122
2 Rugged, Patrick Valenzuela, J. Cowan, 113
3 Solar Charge, Richard Eramia, E. Williams, 114
4 Ride On Curlin, F. Torres, William Gowan, 115
5 Control Stake, Colby Hernandez, Tom Amoss, 113
6 Officer Griffin, E. Esquivel, Joe SHarp, 117
7 Nates Mineshaft, Florent Geroux, A. Smith, 116
8 Speightsong, Leandro Goncalves, G. Forster, 115
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