Take Charge Star invades for G2 $1.5 million The Mint Franklin-Simpson

Maribeth Sandford’s Take Charge Star is making the stateside journey to Kentucky Downs to take on a full field that features nine stakes winners in Labor Day Monday’s Grade 2, $1.5 million The Mint Franklin-Simpson for 3-year-olds going 6 ½ furlongs.

The Mint Franklin-Simpson is one of five stakes events held on the final day of the three-day U.S. Open of Turf Championships. Also on the action-packed program are the Grade 3, $2 million Mint Millions Invitational, the $1.75 million Gun Runner, the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, and the $250,000 Lucky Lantern.

Trainer and former five-time Irish champion jockey John Murtagh found plenty of stateside success as a jockey, including piloting Breeders’ Cup winners Ridgewood Pearl [1995 Mile],  Kalanisi [2000 Turf], and Man of Iron [2009 Dirt Marathon]. Now a multiple Group 1-winning conditioner in his own right, Murtagh will attempt an American riding-training Graded double with Take Charge Star. He will also make a return to Kentucky Downs two years after sending out Siege of Troy to a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Dueling Grounds Oaks.

“This is the first horse the owners have had with me,” Murtagh said. “I’ve run at Kentucky Downs before, and so we were keen to give him a shot. He seems to have traveled well.”

Take Charge Star, a son of Starspangledbanner, seeks his first victory since breaking his maiden going seven furlongs over good ground last September at Gowran Park in his native Ireland. A distant second in his 3-year-old debut two starts later going one mile, he tried Group 1 company in the Irish 2000 Guineas at the same distance finishing eighth at 50-1 odds.

Murtagh cut Take Charge Star back to seven furlongs when shipping him to Royal Ascot for his for the Group 3 Jersey, where he also went off at 50-1 but finished second beaten only a neck.

“He didn’t stay the distance in the Guineas. It was a stiff mile at the Curragh and he didn’t quite get on,” Murtagh recalled. “I thought going to Ascot he really had a shot. I think seven furlongs at Ascot suited him really well, but he’s just seeming to be getting quicker all the time.”

Take Charge Star arrives at the Kentucky-Tennessee border from a close fourth beaten 1 ½ lengths in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in France, which was run over firm ground at the Franklin-Simpson distance.

“When we dropped him back even further for the Group 1 over 6 ½ [furlongs], he was barely beaten,” Murtagh said. “He’s traveled a long way, but if he produces his Ascot run or his run last time, I think he’ll be capable of matching up with the horses out there.”

Take Charge Star is out of the Selkirk mare Freedonia, who was a Group 2 winner in France and Grade 1 placed in the United States.

Jamie Spencer will pilot Take Charge Star for the first time from post 10.

Hall of Famer Mark Casse will saddle D J Stable’s Graded stakes-winner Alpyland, who captured the Grade 3 Penn Mile by four lengths three starts back. The son of Vekoma, an overall four-time stakes winner, will be cutting back to 6 ½ furlongs for the first time since running third to stablemate and returning rival Blinging It Back at Kentucky Downs last meet.

He enters from a narrow third beaten three-quarters of a length in the Grade 2 Secretariat on August 1 at Colonial Downs.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride Alpyland for the sixth straight time when he emerges from post 6.

Gary Barber and Peter Deutsch’s Graded stakes-placed Blinging It Back seeks his first win since breaking his maiden at Kentucky Downs last year for Casse. The son of Volatile enters from a pair of stakes placings at Saratoga, when second in the Saranac on July 3 and the Grade 2 Hall of Fame on August 7.

Jose Ortiz rides from post 8.

Trainer Brendan Walsh will send three stakes winners from his stable, including Mark Dobbin’s Learntodiscover, who won the Grade 3 Quick Call at Saratoga two starts back. Closing from last-of-12, the son of Havana Grey was seventh at the stretch call and won by neck, defeating returning rival Throckmorton.  The victory was his first in the United States following a four-race campaign in Ireland during his 2-year-old season.

Tyler Gaffalione, the pilot aboard Learntodiscover in his last two starts, will retain the mount from post 7.

Walsh also sends out Feld Family Racing and Starry Night Racing’s Immortalized, who will see a cut back in distance. The French-bred son of Romanised has won or placed in 5-of-6 of his lifetime starts, including a victory in the Cutler Bay in late March at Gulfstream Park. He arrives from a pair of second-place finishes to Alypland in the Grade 3 Penn Mile and the American Derby at Churchill Downs.

Brian Hernandez, Jr. will pick up the mount from post 1.

Rounding out the Walsh trio is JDT Racing’s Irish-bred Vasy, who seeks his first victory since capturing the Colonel Liam on February 28 at Gulfstream Park. The son of European second-crop sire Space Blues was second to Blinging It Back at Kentucky Downs last meet, and arrives from a seventh-place finish beaten 3 ¼ lengths in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame at Saratoga.

Reigning Eclipse Champion Jockey Flavien Prat, the pilot aboard for the Colonel Liam, will reunite with Vasy from post 11.

Completing The Mint Franklin-Simpson field are Graded stakes-winner Hey Nay Nay [post 2, Joel Rosario], Grade 1-placed Honey Dutch [post 3, Joseph Ramos], stakes-winner and Graded stakes-placed Oscar’s Hope [post 4, Ben Curtis], stakes-winning and Graded stakes-placed Throckmorton [post 5, Luis Saez], Grade 1-placed Two Out Hero [post 9, Rafael Hernandez], Graded stakes-winning and Grade 1-placed Obliteration [post 12, Keith Asmussen]. Reb Five [post 13, Jose Ortiz], Trouble Calling [post 14, Tyler Gaffalione], Later Than Planned [post 15, Umberto Rispoli], and Creole Chrome [post 16, Umberto Rispoli] have been entered as also eligible.

The Mint Franklin-Simpson is carded as Race 11 as the last-of-5 stakes to be run on the final day of the U.S. Open of Turf Championships with a 5:17 PM CT post time. First post for Labor Day Monday’s 14-race card is 11:30 AM CT.

The 1/ST BET Kentucky Downs Meet will be broadcast live each day of the seven-day meet on Peacock, FanDuelTV, as well as Kentucky Downs’ YouTube channel @kydownsracing. NBC Sports also will provide live coverage of Opening Day from 3:00-5:00 PM CT, while NBC will air Kentucky Downs on Saturday, September 5 during the same time slot.

Contact: Ryan Martin

(502) 523-4935