Klein Racing's homebred Brilliant Berti looks to be returning to his sweet spot in the $350,000 Opening Verse Stakes going a mile on Churchill Downs' turf course during the Thurby program May 1.
The 4-year-old son of Noble Mission is 3-for-3 on Churchill's turf and 3-for-4 at a mile. Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Brilliant Berti was unplaced last time out in the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes (G2T) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. His only start of the year March 22 was made at 1 1/8 miles.
Last year, Brilliant Berti strung together consecutive wins at a mile on the turf in the Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs and the Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland. He will be ridden in the Opening Verse by Brian Hernandez Jr., who was aboard for both of these stakes wins.
Three-time grade 2 winner Major Dude is the 124-pound high weight in the Opening Verse. Spendthrift Farm's 5-year-old horse by the farm's stallion Bolt d'Oro finished second by a nose March 1 in the Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park to Fort Washington, who he had defeated last year in the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G2T). Trained by Todd Pletcher, Major Dude comes into the Opening Verse off a close fourth in the Appleton Stakes at a mile on the Gulfstream Park turf course. He will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.
Churchill Downs, Thursday, May 1, 2025, Race 10Entries: Opening Verse S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Piper's Factor (ON) Kazushi Kimura 120 Katerina Vassilieva - 2 Skyro (KY) John R. Velazquez 120 Martin Drexler - 3 Tut's Revenge (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 120 Michael J. Maker - 4 Money Supply (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Joe Sharp - 5 Portofino (KY) Edgard J. Zayas 120 Joseph F. Orseno - 6 Major Dude (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Todd A. Pletcher - 7 Mercante (KY) Joseph D. Ramos 120 Brian Knippenberg - 8 Georgie W (KY) Luis Saez 120 William Walden - 9 Brilliant Berti (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Cherie DeVaux - 10 Lagynos (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Steven M. Asmussen -
Other Thurby Stakes
The Thurby card also will feature the $250,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at five furlongs and the $200,000 St. Matthews Overnight Stakes for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs, both on the main track.
Trainer Wesley Ward will saddle two first-out winners in the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes, which has attracted a field of eight.
Ward will send out Pinky Finger, a daughter of Army Mule who won by 7 1/2 lengths at Keeneland April 7, and Double Talker, a gelding by Hootenanny who won by 3 1/2 lengths April 10 at Keeneland. Ward has won the Kentucky Juvenile three times with fillies. Joel Rosario keeps the mount on Pinky Finger from post 5 and David Flores retains the mount on Double Talker from post 7.
Tamaroak Partners' Bango, the all-time winningest runner at Churchill Downs with 12 victories, will make his 2025 debut against nine rivals in the St. Matthews.
Trained by Greg Foley, Bango has won at least one race at Churchill Downs every year since 2019 and included in that run is a victory in the 2023 St. Matthews. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 7.
The St. Matthews is for non-winners of a graded stakes in 2024-25 and attracted from the Bob Baffert barn the returning Speed Boat Beach, who is making his first start in 16 months. Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, the 5-year-old son of Bayern won the Malibu Stakes (G1) at the end of his 2023 campaign in his most recent start. Flavien Prat has the mount from post 3.
Churchill Downs, Thursday, May 1, 2025, Race 6Entries: Kentucky Juvenile S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Daring Move (KY) Flavien Prat 115 John A. Hancock - 2 Maximus Prime (KY) Walter A. Rodriguez 118 Larry W. Demeritte - 3 Happyhappyboy (PA) Irving Moncada 118 Marcelino Torres - 4 Diblasi (FL) Junior Alvarado 118 Wesley A. Ward - 5 Pinky Finger (KY) Joel Rosario 117 Wesley A. Ward - 6 Monster (FL) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Jose Francisco D'Angelo - 7 Double Talker (KY) David Romero Flores 120 Wesley A. Ward - 8 Barstool (KY) Luan Machado 118 Ben Colebrook -
Churchill Downs, Thursday, May 1, 2025, Race 11Entries: St. Matthews Overnight S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Henro (KY) Rafael Bejarano 120 Chris A. Hartman - 2 Miles Ahead (KY) Colby J. Hernandez 120 Paul J. McGee - 3 Speed Boat Beach (FL) Flavien Prat 118 Bob Baffert - 4 Happy Is a Choice (KY) Mike E. Smith 120 John Alexander Ortiz - 5 Fort Bragg (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 118 Bob Baffert - 6 Red Flag (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 118 Robert B. Hess, Jr. - 7 Bango (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Gregory D. Foley - 8 Champlin (KY) Luis Saez 118 Gregory D. Foley - 9 Happy American (KY) Joel Rosario 118 David Jacobson - 10 Valentine Candy (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Steven M. Asmussen -
