BY BROCK SHERIDAN
A two-time winner at Canterbury Park over the summer, John Mentz’s Classify has been installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite for Wednesday’s sixth race at Keeneland, a second condition, $80,000 optional claiming. The six-furlong affair has attracted ten 3-year-olds and older who will vie for the winner’s share of the $90,000 purse.
Making his second start for trainer Hugh Robertson, Classify exits a fifth-place finish under the same conditions but at seven furlongs on Oct. 4 at Keeneland. His two victories at Canterbury came when trained by McLean Robertson, who claimed the son of Ocala Stud’s Adios Charlie for $62,500 at Oaklawn in April. In five starts at Canterbury after the claim, Classify won a second condition, $20,000 optional claiming going seven furlongs on July 9 and a upper level, $30,000 optional claiming going a mile on Aug. 21.
A 5-year-old horse with earnings of $280,550, Classify has had a productive career, winning five times with eight seconds and three thirds in 23 starts. He is out of Holy Angel, by Chapel Royal and was bred in Florida by Adam Parker and Suzette Parker.
Classify will break from the outside post 10 and James Graham has the first-time riding assignment.
Legalize is the second choice on the morning line at 4-1 coming out of a third-place finish against second condition, $80,000 optional claimers going six furlongs at Churchill Downs on Sept. 20. That was the first start in seven months for the lightly raced son of Constitution, who in his prior start was third in a six-furlong, second condition, $50,000 optional claiming at Fair Grounds on Feb. 22.
Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Legalize has two wins in six starts, the last of which came in the $97,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds in December of 2023.
Legalize was a $500,000 purchased by Belladonna Racing at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale of 2-year-olds where he was consigned by de Meric Sales. He now races for Twin Brook Stables, Belladonna Racing LLC, Nice Guys Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds, Iapetus Racing, S. Hornstock, Runnels Racing, Perrine Time Thoroughbreds, R T R Stables LLC, Peppermint Stables LLC and Manganaro Bloodstock.
Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Legalize from post two.
Rounding out the field are Keep It Easy with jockey Corey Lanerie, Hailstorm with Tyler Gaffalione named to ride, Beeline has John Velazquez taking the call, Tough Catch will have Luis Saez up, Surly Furious has Luan Machado taking the riding assignment, Jose Ortiz will guide Suncroft, Ben Curtis is named on One True Shance and Distorted Pro has jockey Francisco Arrieta.
Return to the October 21 issue of Wire to Wire
