Red Route One Travels to Prairie Meadows for Cornhusker

Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Red Route One ran below expectations when fourth at 2-1 odds in a slow-paced Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) May 17 at Pimlico Race Course.

A month and a half later, however, his effort looks better than it did on race day, buoyed by return performances from the race's 1-2 finishers, Pyrenees and Kingsbarns . They recently completed another exacta, this time with Kingsbarns finishing first, in the $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) June 29 at Churchill Downs.

The apparent strength of the Pimlico Special—as well as Red Route One's accomplishments and $1.6 million bankroll—will likely make him the favorite over 10 rivals July 6 in the $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap (G3) at Prairie Meadows. He is one of four graded stakes winners in the 1 1/8-mile contest, the others being Hit Show, who took the 2023 Withers Stakes (G3), recent Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) winner Heroic Move, and the 2023 Clark Stakes (G2) winner Trademark. The latter is cross-entered in the $100,000 Michael G. Schaefer Memorial Stakes Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Cristian Torres, who rode Red Route One to win the West Virginia Derby (G3) last summer, is reunited aboard the 4-year-old son of Gun Runner  for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Red Route One carries top weight of 120 pounds.

Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds also start the up-and-coming Unload, another homebred son of Gun Runner whose customary front-running style should ensure pace and complement the late-running ways of Red Route One. Walter De La Cruz is aboard Unload.

A winner of four of 20 starts, Red Route One scored most recently in late March at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots when he rallied to defeat Touchuponastar in a fast-paced New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2). Between that start and the Pimlico Special, he was third in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) behind Skippylongstocking, who showed in the Stephen Foster.

Gary and Mary West's homebred Hit Show, a 2 1/4-length winner of an allowance optional claiming race May 11 at Churchill Downs, looms as Red Route One's leading adversary. In addition to winning the Withers, the Brad Cox trainee ran several top races in defeat last year, such as when second in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), and a dead-heat fourth in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Red Route One also competed in two legs of the Triple Crown, running fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and eighth in the Belmont.

Entries: Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. (G3)

Prairie Meadows, Saturday, July 6, 2024, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 9:37 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mine That Star (KY)	Ken S. Tohill	116	H. Ray Ashford, Jr.	12/1
2	2Escapologist (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	116	Kenneth G. McPeek	12/1
3	3Unload (KY)	Walter De La Cruz	114	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1
4	4Velocitor (ON)	David Cohen	118	Gary M. Scherer	8/1
5	5Red Route One (KY)	Cristian A. Torres	120	Steven M. Asmussen	5/2
6	6Hit Show (KY)	Florent Geroux	119	Brad H. Cox	3/1
7	7Guntown (KY)	Jareth Loveberry	115	Michael J. Maker	15/1
8	8Ain't Life Grand (IA)	Elvin Gonzalez	117	Kelly R. Von Hemel	10/1
9	9Trademark (KY)	Fernando De La Cruz	118	Victoria H. Oliver	6/1
10	10Heroic Move (KY)	Harry Hernandez	119	Tanner Tracy	5/1
11	11Speed Bias (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	117	Ron Moquett	15/1

Just a Touch Heads Iowa Derby

The Cornhusker anchors a four-stakes card Saturday night at Prairie Meadows that also includes the $100,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes, the $225,000 Iowa Oaks, and the $250,000 Iowa Derby.

Just a Touch, runner-up in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1)  and Gotham Stakes (G3) before finishing last in this year's Kentucky Derby, tops the 11-horse Iowa Derby.

Shimmering Allure appears imposing in the Iowa Oaks with the cross-entered Impel likely to run instead in Saturday's $200,000 Indiana Oaks (G3) at Horseshoe Indianapolis. 

Entries: Iowa Derby

Prairie Meadows, Saturday, July 6, 2024, Race 8

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo
• 9:08 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mugatu (KY)	Joe Bravo	116	Jeff Engler	8/1
2	2Kitty Hawk (KY)	Fernando De La Cruz	116	Victoria H. Oliver	20/1
3	3Henro (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	116	Chris A. Hartman	12/1
4	4Northern Flame (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	120	Kenneth G. McPeek	8/1
5	5Zatara (KY)	Alex Birzer	116	Doug L. Anderson	20/1
6	6Okie Clipper (KY)	Kevin Roman	116	Travis Swan Murphy	20/1
7	7Next Level (KY)	Jareth Loveberry	116	J. Keith Desormeaux	7/2
8	8Dimatic (KY)	Cristian A. Torres	120	Steven M. Asmussen	5/1
9	9Just a Touch (KY)	Florent Geroux	116	Brad H. Cox	9/5
10	10Save the Trees (KY)	Elvin Gonzalez	116	Michael J. Maker	10/1
11	11Cascade Cruiser (KY)	Alexis Centeno	116	Louie J. Roussel, III	20/1

Entries: Iowa Oaks

Prairie Meadows, Saturday, July 6, 2024, Race 7

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $225,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 8:39 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Shimmering Allure (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	116	Kenneth G. McPeek	3/1
2	2Deviletta (KY)	Cristian A. Torres	116	Steven M. Asmussen	4/1
3	3In Just My Heels (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	116	Ron Moquett	5/1
4	4Just Basking (KY)	Chris Landeros	116	Ian R. Wilkes	8/1
5	5Impel (KY)	Florent Geroux	120	Brad H. Cox	6/5
6	6Just Be Quiet (KY)	Fernando De La Cruz	116	Robert M. Gorham	8/1