William Walker Stakes
Date:
April 25, 15
Post: 9:05 pm ET
Purse: $100,000
Grade: -
Type: T
Distance: 6 F
Age: 3 Years Olds
Sex: -
Turf: -
Churchill Downs Racetrack
700 Central Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky, 40208
USA
(502)-636-4400
Notes:
The inaugural running of the 100,000 William Walker S., which is named for African-American jockey and 1877 Kentucky Derby winner William Billy Walker, highlights the opening night card for Churchill Downs spring meet that kicks off Kentucky Derby week under the twin spires. Unbeaten two-time G2 stakes winner Blofeld tops half a dozen sophomores, all of whom have competed for black type. One of three Triple Crown nominees, Blofeld has been sidelined since capturing Aqueduct s 1m Nashua S. last November over Kentucky Derby contender El Kabeir. Cinco Charlie and Henry Jones are the other entrants nominated for the classics. The remarkably consistent Cinco Charlie has only been off the board once in 10 starts, nine of those stakes. The son of Indian Charlie won the G3 Bashford Manor S. on this oval 10 months ago and has added four more stakes scores to his resume while earning 357,802. Henry Jones broke his maiden on this course in his third start then closed out his juvenile campaign by completing the trifecta in a Keeneland allowance. He reappeared a little more than five months later and took an Oaklawn Park optional claimer at this distance on April Fool s Day before running up the track in the G3 Lexington S. on April 11 at Keeneland. Senor Grits also broke his maiden here as a two-year-old. The Elusive Quality gelding collected show checks in the James F. Lewis S. at Laurel Park last year and in the March 7 G3 Swale S. at Gulfstream Park. A late starter, Weast Hill began his career with a Feb. 26 romp at Oaklawn in a statebred maiden contest and returned to easily wire another field in the March 29 Rainbow S. for Arkansas breds. Holiday Camp won at first asking in early June then was no factor in last summer s Santa Anita Juvenile S. and G1 Del Mar Futurity. He s been training forwardly for his seasonal debut.