Stars of Tomorrow

The annual Thanksgiving weekend "Stars of Tomorrow" card at Churchill Downs is designed to highlight aspiring 2-year-olds right before they launch into their sophomore seasons. An intriguing subplot to this year's edition, however, put the spotlight on several human rather than equine participants who could be on the cusp of bigger and better things. Eighteen-year-old jockey Axel Concepcion just might be on his way to winning an Eclipse Award as the nation's top apprentice for 2023 despite not starting racing at American mainland tracks until Feb. 19 and also having...

1st-Churchill Downs, $122,250, Msw, 10-30, 2yo, 5f, :57.87, sy, 2 3/4 lengths. TWO EAGLES RIVER (g, 2, Cloud Computing--Majestic Island, by Majestic Warrior) got his career off on the right hoof with a solid debut victory in the Stars of Tomorrow lidlifter Sunday at Churchill Downs. Under a bit of a Mitchell Murrill ride right out of the gate then held a spot at the fence in the slipstream of pacesetting Birthday Munnings (Munnings). The $32,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling turned $220,000 OBS April breezer improved inside on the turn and...

The GIII Street Sense S.--graded for the first time in 2022--is one of 11 races for juveniles on Sunday's "Stars of Tomorrow I" card to kick off the Churchill Downs fall meeting. Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred Red Route One (Gun Runner) gets the tepid morning-line nod at 3-1. The chestnut broke through by daylight second out at Kentucky Downs Sept. 5, then switched to dirt to finish third from out of the clouds at almost 60-1 in the Oct. 8 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. Jace's Road (Quality Road), a...

Churchill Downs will host 26 stakes races worth $8.31 million during its upcoming September and Fall meets. The 14-day September meet, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 2, will include 11 stakes races worth a total of $3.36 million. The line-up is led by the $400,000 GII Lukas Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles and the $300,000 GIII Ack Ack S. for 3-year-olds and up at one mile--a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race for the GI Dirt Mile--Oct. 1. The meeting also hosts the first races...