The last time Chunk of Gold raced at Churchill Downs he was a feel-good longshot in the Kentucky Derby. The $2,500 yearling brought first-time Derby connections to Louisville and finished a creditable ninth as a 29-1 longshot.
Returning to Churchill a bit more than four months later, Chunk of Gold has gone from supporting character to star player. He has earned more than $695,218, is now a graded stakes winner, and is the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $300,000 Bourbon Flight Stakes.
Eight 3-year-olds were entered in the 1 3/16-mile Bourbon Flight. Between four and six will ultimately start, as several were cross-entered in Friday’s $250,000 St. Louis Derby at Fairmount Park. Hypnus is expected to run at Fairmount, according to trainer Kenny McPeek. Admiral Dennis will not contest either race, and will instead be given time off. Jason Loutsch of owner Albaugh Family Racing said the colt was “showing signs of not being 100 percent” and was tired after his campaign.
Brotha Keny and Excite were also cross-entered. At last check, Billy Morey, trainer of Brotha Keny, said he had not yet finalized plans.
Chunk of Gold, who is based at Turfway Park for trainer Ethan West, was also cross-entered, but will remain in Kentucky.
“He’s doing great at Turfway,” West said, “and not to say he can’t handle shipping because he’s done great doing so, going to Louisiana this winter along with Ohio and West Virginia but this will give him a good opportunity to return to Churchill, where he ran well in the Derby and it’s a quick van ride down I-71.”
Chunk of Gold earned his way in to the Kentucky Derby by finishing second in both the Grade 2 Risen Star and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. The Derby is the only time in seven starts he has finished worse than second. Chunk of Gold bounced out of the Derby to run a solid second in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby.
The colt, who has rallied from off the pace in his races, showed a different dimension in his breakthrough win in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 3. East Avenue was expected to set the pace, but veered in at the start and never found his best stride.
Chunk of Gold’s regular rider, Jareth Loveberry, astutely played the break, sending Chunk of Gold to the lead, where he got away with moderate splits of 24.17 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.23 for the half. He drew off to win by 4 1/4 lengths.
Loveberry’s tactical abilities will be crucial in the Bourbon Flight, as Chunk of Gold could conceivably inherit the lead again. Among other likely runners, Just a Fair Shake, Run Quiet Run Fast, and Whiskey Shot are not confirmed front-runners. Chunk of Gold is also the class of this quartet. Only Just a Fair Shake owns more than a maiden win. He won an allowance score in March at Laurel Park and was multiple stakes-placed in Maryland this spring.
Excite could add to the pace scenario if he runs. He would be making his stakes debut. Brotha Keny was third in both the Grade 3 Indiana Derby and West Virginia Derby.
The Bourbon Flight’s companion race is the $300,000 Harrods Creek, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds. Smoken Wicked, who perhaps bounced off a career-best effort, gets some class relief and looms large in a field of six.
Smoken Wicked flirted with the Triple Crown trail, finishing 13th in the Rebel after running close to the pace. Cut back to seven furlongs for the Lafayette at Keeneland, he was second to the talented Colloquial, then sixth in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile when he caught a sloppy track and was bothered at the break.
Dialed back in distance again, Smoken Wicked was second in the seven-furlong Maxfield at Churchill to the then-unbeaten Verifire, then headed to Saratoga for the summer. He won the Grade 2 Amsterdam by 5 3/4 lengths, earning his career-best Beyer of 101.
The Amsterdam is the local prep for the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens in August. The colt threw his head at the start and broke outward, was rushed up, and eventually faded to seventh.
The second and third choices on the morning line to Smoken Wicked are Faster Gator and Jimmy’s Dailys, both of whom would need to step forward in speed figures. Faster Gator is multiple stakes-placed around one turn.
Jimmy’s Dailys goes one turn for the first time since his solid maiden win in January at Gulfstream Park. He was most recently second in the Ellis Derby, configured at a 1 1/2-turn mile, to the well-regarded Big Truzz.
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