Rattle N Roll 2024 Clark winner, courtesy of Kurtis Coady
Churchill Downs Press
Lucky Seven Stable and Sharaf Mohamad Alhariri’s Rattle N-Roll is set to defend his title against eight experienced rivals in the 151st running of the $600,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade II), this Friday’s big Fall Meet race at Churchill Downs.
The Clark has a speed of 1 1/8 miles and has a rich history with past winners including champions Gun Runner, Will Take Charge, Wise Dan, Blame, Saint Liam and Silver Charm.
Friday’s Clark field heads to Race 11 at 5:54 PM (all times Eastern). The 12-race “Black Friday” schedule also includes the 34th running of the $300,000 Mrs. Revere (GIII) for 3-year-old fillies on grass as Race 10 at 5:25 p.m. First post is 1pm
Some of the top horses competing for the Clark at Rattle N Roll include the winner of the Dubai World Cup (GI). Press Show; multiple-commitment winner First Mission; and assessed stakes-winning 3-year-olds Piece of gold, Gosger And Sizee.
Rattle N Roll, trained by Kenny McPeek, scored a gutsy three-quarters-of-a-length victory in Clark on Most Wanted last year. After that race, Connect’s son competed in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, where he won the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (GIII) and then finished fifth in the Saudi Cup (GI) and eighth in the Dubai World Cup (GI). Since returning to the US, Rattle N Roll has placed sixth at the Lukas Classic (GII) and second at the Fayette (GII) behind fellow Clark rival Hit Show. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. reunites with Rattle N Roll on Friday, breaking post No. 6.
Brad Cox stablemates First Mission (Post 2, jockey Flavien Prat) and Hit Show (Post 3, Irad Ortiz Jr.) entered the Clark looking for an eventual win at the 2025 stakes.
Owned and bred by Godolphin, First mission has come a long way during his 15-race career, with notable victories in the 2024 Alysheba (GII) and the 2025 Oaklawn Handicap (GII). First Mission, a son of Street Sense, finished second by a nose in the 2023 Clark to Trademark.
Wathnan Racing’s Hit Show boasts an impressive CV highlighted by his victory in the Dubai World Cup earlier this year. The 5-year-old son of Candy Ride (ARG) has won 11 of 22 starts while collecting more than $8.7 million in purses.
Cox won the 2018 Clark with Steve Landers Racing’s Leofric, driven by Florent Geroux.
While Clark’s field includes a number of experienced older horses, a trio of three-year-olds are entered led by Gosger of Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables. Gosger, trained by Brendan Walsh, scored a two-length victory in the Lexington Stakes (GII) before finishing second in the Preakness Stakes (GI) and Haskell (GI). He was the 8-5 favorite in last month’s Fayette at Keeneland, but finished third 1 ¼ lengths behind Hit Show and Rattle N Roll. Jockey Luis Saez rides from post 4.
Walsh will attempt to win his second Clark after winning the 2021 race with Godolphin’s Maxfield.
Another talented three-year-old in the field is Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Risen Star (GII) winner Magnitude. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Magnitude has been referred to the Clark since finishing second to Baeza in the Pennsylvania Derby (GI). The son of Not This Time is ridden from post 9 by Jose Ortiz.
Winchell, Asmussen and Geroux teamed up to win the 2016 Clark with the future Hall of Famer Gun Runner.
Terry Stephens’ Cunk of Gold earned his way into Kentucky Derby 151 in part with his second-place finish behind Magnitude in the Risen Star. He followed that effort with a second-place finish in the Louisiana Derby (GII) and a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (GI). Trained by Ethan West, Chunk of Gold’s resume is highlighted by his dominant score of 4 ¼ lengths in the West Virginia Derby (GIII) on August 3 at Mountaineer. Jockey Junior Alvarado will ride and take a break from post 5 for the first time.
Since the Clark was moved to the Fall Meet in 1953, 23 three-year-olds have won the race, but only one in the last ten years: Gun Runner. The Clark was raced at the Spring Meet from 1875-1952 and previously served as a target for many three-year-olds after the Kentucky Derby.
The field for the Clark from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
Cooke Creek (Francisco Arrieta, Mike Maker)
First mission (Prat, Cox)
Hit Show (Irad Ortiz Jr., Cox)
Gosger (Saez, Walsh)
Piece of gold (Alvarado, West)
Rattle N Roll (Hernandez, McPeek)
Who Dei (Luan Machado, Tommy Drury Jr.)
Willy D’s (Tyler Gaffalione, Mike Maker)
Magnitude (Jose Ortiz, Asmussen)
GRADE I WINNER LUSH LIPS TRYES TO ADD ANOTHER VICTORY IN $300,000 MRS. HONESTLY
Class I winner Luscious lips (GB) will be back in the spotlight this Friday for the 34th edition of the $300,000 Mrs. Revere (GII) this Friday at Churchill Downs, where she will lead a full field of 12 3-year-old fillies on the turf.
The Mrs. Revere, at 1 1/16 miles, is the penultimate stakes for 3-year-old fillies in North America, with the American Oaks (GI) closing the season on December 26 at Santa Anita.
Friday’s race shares the spotlight on the 12-race card with the $600,000 Clark, presented by Norton Healthcare (GII). The first post is at 1 p.m. and the Mrs. Revere heads to Race 10 at 5:25 p.m
Lush Lips, trained by Brendan Walsh, scored a 1¼-length win as an 8-1 long shot in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (GI) at Keeneland last month under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Prior to that race, Lush Lips won the Tepin Stakes (Listed) and finished second in the Edgewood (GII) to the three-year-old filly Nitrogen at Churchill Downs. Gaffalione has the return call in Friday’s race and the duo will break off the rail.
Walsh came in too Something about her in the Mrs. Revere. Somethinabouther, owned by X-Men Racing IV, Madaket Stables and SF Racing, won the Mazarine Stakes (GIII) at Woodbine last year. Axel Concepcion drives from post 8.
Other notable 3-year-old fillies competing in the race include the Sands Point Stakes (GII), Hit The Bid Racing Stable’s second and third place finishers respectively Fast market and Three Chimneys Farm’s Beautiful image; Gary Barber, stakes winner for Blue Crevalle Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners Classic Q; G Watts Humphrey Jr.’s duo of recent allowance winner In the Stars and stakes-placed Princess pose; and the local grant winner of Tranquility Lake Farm Table flirt.
The field for the Mrs. Revere from the rail (with jockey and trainer):
Lush Lips (GB) (Gaffalione, Walsh)
Quick Market (Samuel Marin, John Terranova II)
Table Flirt (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott)
Classic Q (Jose Ortiz, Mark Casse)
Sea to Air (IRE) (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cherie DeVaux)
Princess Attitude (Cristian Torres, Vicki Oliver)
Bracelet (irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox)
Something About Her (Axel Concepcion, Walsh)
In the stars (Luis Saez, Rusty Arnold II)
Nice photo (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
Caviar breakfast (Manny Esquivel, Kenny McPeek)
JNJ Heart and Soul (Danny Sheehy, Tommy Molloy)
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