Commonwealth Turf May Give Herchee Season-Ending Bang

The days of running strictly against their own age group are numbered for the 2021 crop and the Commonwealth Turf Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs Nov. 23 will likely be the final opportunity for it’s nine runners.

The chance to earn a graded stakes victory and the winner’s share of a $300,000 purse is an enticing way to end the season, especially for a gelding rising the ranks like Herchee .

“I love being able to stay with straight 3-year-olds this time of year,” said his trainer Helen Pitts. “Hopefully we’ll go out and end the year on a bang.”

The son of Twirling Candy is lightly raced with four starts, having only made his debut June 30 at Churchill Downs. He won that day by 3 1/2 lengths and followed with a successful jump to allowance company at Ellis Park.

The 100% Racing Stable homebred hit the board in his first two stakes attempts behind the talented Brilliant Berti , including a last-out third by 1 1/4 lengths in the Oct. 26 Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland. Brilliant Berti won’t be in the starting gate this time, leaving the door open for Herchee in his first start at 1 1/16 miles.

Video: Bryan Station S. (G3T)

“His last two races have definitely been against tougher company, but he stepped up to the plate and tried his heart out,” Pitts said. “He loves the game and he doesn’t like getting beat.

“There are some decent horses in here, it’s no easy spot. But we’re back on our home turf and running out of our own stall. I’m looking forward to it.”

Included in his competition is another rising 3-year-old, Frankly Speaking’s Dashman .

“The Commonwealth is a great opportunity to run him against straight 3-year-olds for a pretty good purse one last time before we head down to Gulfstream for the winter,” said Nic Lynch, assistant trainer for his father, Brian. “We really do think he fits and we think he’s going to show it on Saturday.”

After some quality starts at 2, the Oscar Performance colt returned from a seven-month layoff to win his seasonal debut in a July 22 Ellis Park maiden race. Like Herchee, he followed up with a victory in allowance company at Kentucky Downs.

“He’s definitely stepped it up as a 3-year-old. He showed a lot of talent at 2, so when he came and won off the layoff at Ellis it confirmed he was a runner,” Lynch said. “For him to knock out the allowance in his next start, usually that’s a sign of a pretty talented horse.”

Dashman - Alw - KD - 090124 — Photo: Coady Media

Dashman wins an allowance race at Kentucky Downs

In his stakes debut, the Oct. 5 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack, he got stuck in traffic entering the stretch and was fourth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths, behind two-time grade 1 winner Carson’s Run and multiple grade 3 winner Deterministic .

“He didn’t have the greatest trip, one of those races you draw a line through and march on,” Lynch said. “I think he has a great post (3) for this race and has tactical speed where he can make his own trip.”

Another horse on the improve is the late-closing Ak Sar Ben Derby for owner Millard R. Seldin Revocable Trust and trainer John Ortiz. After taking six attempts to break his maiden, the Tapiture gelding rattled off a second victory in a row in the Oct. 6 Hawthorne Derby, getting to the front just in time to win by a head. He shortens up in distance Saturday as his last four starts have all come at 1 1/8 miles.