(Further Ado / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Churchill Downs Media Team / Darren Rogers:

COX LOOKS TO MATT WINN AS RESET FOR FURTHER ADO

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Friday, June 5, 2026) – Spendthrift Farm’s Grade I winner and beaten Kentucky Derby 152 favorite Further Ado will attempt to get his summer campaign back on track in Sunday’s $500,000 Matt Winn Stakes (Grade III) at Churchill Downs, a race trainer Brad Cox has previously used as a springboard to success later in the season.

“Spendthrift has been great to work with in managing this horse,” Cox said. “One of our major goals before the Derby was the Blue Grass and our team did a good job getting him there. I felt like after the Derby it was a good opportunity to reset with him a bit.”

In 2022, Cox sent Cyberknife to the Matt Winn following an 18th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Cyberknife rebounded with a victory in the Matt Winn before going on to capture the $1 million Haskell Stakes (GI) at Monmouth Park nearly six weeks later.

Further Ado stamped himself as one of the leading contenders on the Road to the Kentucky Derby when he rolled to an 11-length victory in the Blue Grass Stakes (GI) at Keeneland. He was bet to the 5-1 favorite in the Kentucky Derby (GI) but finished a disappointing 11th.

“He’s trained well coming out of the Derby and I thought keeping him at home for the Matt Winn would be a good spot,” Cox said. “We’ve had success in this race in the past as a steppingstone to the Haskell with Cyberknife, who is another son of Gun Runner. I thought those two races made a lot of sense for him as his next goals.”

Contested at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds, the Matt Winn shares the Sunday spotlight with the $225,000 Leslie’s Lady Stakes, featuring multiple graded stakes winners Explora and On Time Girl. First post for the nine-race program is 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern), with the Matt Winn scheduled as Race 8 at 4:22 p.m. and the Leslie’s Lady carded as Race 6 at 3:18 p.m.

The field for the Matt Winn in order of post position (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

  • Stop the Car (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh, 8-1)
  • Potente (Florent Geroux, Bob Baffert, 7-2)
  • Pavlovian (Luis Saez, Doug O’Neill, 10-1)
  • Our Moneyman (Axel Concepcion, Bret Calhoun, 15-1)
  • Corona de Oro (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dallas Stewart, 12-1)
  • Taptastic (Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen, 9-2)
  • Further Ado (Irad Ortiz Jr., Cox, 1-1)
  • Steel Imperium (Vincent Cheminaud, Caio Caramori, 30-1)

The field for the Leslie’s Lady from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

  • A Fine Chardonnay (Brian Hernandez Jr., Ian Wilkes, 4-1)
  • Shilling (Manny Esquivel, Kenny McPeek, 30-1)
  • Explora (Florent Geroux, Bob Baffert, 7-5)
  • Sneaky Good (Jose Ortiz, Brad Cox, 6-1)
  • Have Faith (Cristian Torres, Dallas Stewart, 20-1)
  • On Time Girl (Irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox, 9-5)
  • Brooklyn Blonde (Luis Saez, Michael McCarthy, 12-1)

CHURCHILL DOWNS TIES RUN DEEP THROUGHOUT BELMONT STAKES DAY CARD–Saturday’s Belmont Stakes Day card at Saratoga Race Course will feature a rematch between Kentucky Derby 152 winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade, two of 25 horses with Churchill Downs ties entered across the seven stakes races on the Belmont Stakes Day program.

The contingent includes the following horses, either based at Churchill Downs or exiting races beneath the Twin Spires:

Race 7 – $500,000 Just a Game Stakes (GI)

  • Classic Q

Race 8 – $400,000 True North Stakes (GIII)

  • Bentornato
  • Be You
  • Imagination

Race 9 – $500,000 Jaipur Stakes (GI)

  • Litigation
  • My Boy Prince

Race 10 – $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes (GI)

  • Crude Velocity
  • Englishman
  • Gilded Bandit
  • Obliteration
  • Six Speed
  • Stradale

Race 11 – $1 million Metropolitan Handicap (GI)

  • Knightsbridge
  • Nysos
  • Saudi Crown
  • Vibe

Race 12 – $1 million Manhattan Stakes (GI)

  • Make Me King
  • Rhetorical
  • Test Score

Race 13 – $2 million Belmont Stakes (GI)

  • Chief Wallabee
  • Commandment
  • Emerging Market
  • Golden Tempo
  • Powershift
  • Renegade

Four members of the Churchill Downs jockey colony also will be in action and are named on a combined 35 mounts throughout the program:

  • Florent Geroux (Races 5, 9, 10)
  • Irad Ortiz Jr. (Races 1-6, 8-14)
  • Jose Ortiz (Races 3-14)
  • Luis Saez (Races 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14)

The Belmont Stakes Day program gets underway at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern), with the Belmont Stakes field going to post at approximately 7:04 p.m.

Guests in attendance Saturday at Churchill Downs can watch and wager on the Belmont Stakes. Following the conclusion of Churchill Downs’ 11-race program at approximately 5:59 p.m., the Belmont Stakes will be shown on televisions throughout the facility and on the Big Board.

DOWN THE STRETCH – Live racing beneath the Twin Spires resumed Friday for Senior Day where guests 60 and older could enjoy a discounted lunch on Millionaires’ Row. First post for the nine-race card was 12:45 p.m. and it included a $123,624 carryover in the $1 Jackpot 8 in Race 9.