Excellent Stephen Foster (G1) Day

Pope Jude fans enjoyed a lovely Stephen Foster (G1) Saturday at Churchill Downs,their third most important day of the year. The Steve Asmussen-trained PAPA KEN ($7.04) kicked off the festivities in the opener. The aggressively spotted EL MAGNIFICO ($5.88) kept the ball rolling in the fourth race while champion THORPEDO ANNA ($2.70) was too short to bet straight in the Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis (G2), but did combine with Royal Spa for a $6.60 exacta turning nothing into something. LUSH LIPS ($5.24) won the Tepin Stakes and partnered with regally-bred Princess Attitude for a $54.36 exacta. ROLL ON BIG JOE ($11.90) pulled off the upset in the Kelly’s Landing (G3) and coupled with hard-trying Dr. Venkman for a $46.26 exacta. Sierra Leone ran a solid second in the Stephen Foster (G1) as he returns to his best form and Reagan’s Wit scratched from the American Derby to race in the Manila (G3) at Saratoga on July 4.