KY Cup Classic (Grade 3)- $300.000 Purse
TP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
March 22, 2025

The field is set for Saturday’s running of the KY Cup Classic, and there are some very big names that will be taking part in it. It’s a $300.000 Grade 3 that debuted in 2006 but has not been run every year and this is just the tenth edition of the race. The race was a Grade 2 from 2006 through 2011, but then did not appear again until 2018, when it was a small ungraded race running for $100.000. It took another hiatus after 2020, and would be seen again last year, when it had its present Grade 3 designation and $300.000 purse. That race was won by All Take, for Alydar Stables. That gelding is still running exceptionally well, and while he would have been eligible to defend his title, he is not a part of the field. There’s no shortage of talent here without him, though, so let’s meet them now:

1- Themefrom Antarctica (Ajm Stables, ridden by An Lopez)- Since July, this Slither gelding has rolled off wins in five of six races, with two of them being Grade 3’s. He would win the Harlan in December, but two starts later would be put in an optional claimer with the $75.000 tag, and Ajm Stables picked him up for that price. Now, Themefrom Antarctica races for the first time with his new trainer, and while he’s been good in Grade 3’s, this is probably his biggest test, given the depth of the opposition.

2- Disciplinary (Nakamura Stables, ridden by Je Toledo)- Off to a strong start thus far in 2025, with wins in his first two races, each being open allowances. He’s been very good in that type of race, but Disciplinary is also a veteran at the stake level. You have to go back to March of last year to find the last time he did win a stake, and that was the $125.000 Shackleton at GP. Very rarely is this horse not in the mix at the end, even if his finishing position is not the greatest.

3- Bad Debt (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by S Elliott)- A great three-year-old season saw him grab a win in none other than the KYD last year. However, since then and the PRK, we really have not seen much of him. He would have as three-month layoff before running in the Travers, where he was decent though did not cash in a part of the purse. Won the OK Derby but struggled in the BC Classic as well as the Pegasus World Cup. He has some good work times, still, and this seems like a good spot for him after those races.

4- General Zod (Royalty Stables, ridden by E J Zayas)- Finished his three-year-old campaign showing promise, hitting the board $250.000 Cherokee Mile and the Grade 2 Pincay Stakes, but what the general needs is that true signature victory. That did not come last month in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap at OP, where he was passed by quite a few late and finished towards the back. His works are fantastic, but as of right now, he could be seen as an underachiever based on those times.

5- Fusaichi Future (Rock Creek, ridden by P Husbands)- He had run only in overnights before Rock Creek picked him up in private sales for $30.000 in November. A couple weeks after the sale, he would win an open allowance at TUP, then did much more by heading to AQU and winning the $150.000 Queens County Handicap. Unfortunately, he did not come close to following that up well in the Grade 2 San Pasqual, but everyone is entitled to a throw out. Still, against this company, that will make it hard for me to pick him.

6- Face The Lunatic (Martyparty, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Just a bit shy of $1,000.000 in career earnings for this five-year-old. Last year started very well, with three wins, including routing the field in the $150.000 Birdstone then running second in the Grade 1 JC Gold Cup, losing only to the great Spankersville. However, since then, he has not been as good, and while I can easily forgive that subpar outing in the BC Classic, I wish he would have done more in the San Pasqual. He did come on well there at the end and should be a threat here.

7- Everythings Fine (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by A Beschizza)- Through the fall of 2023, everything did seem fine for this one, but then he hit a long dry spell where most of the races saw him come home empty handed. There were a couple of thirds in there, but not much to get that excited about. That was the case last time out, when he was a 38/1 longshot but surprised the field in the NY-bred Say Florida Sandy for his first win in 18 months. Is he about to get hot? We shall see.

8- Walk Em Down (Mb Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- Bad Debt was too much for him the KYD, but Walk Em Down bounced back two weeks later by winning the PRK. That would lead to a great summer that saw him win both the Dandy and the Travers at the Spa, and later he would be third in the PA Derby. He has not earned anything since then, struggling in the BC Classic as well as the Pegasus World Cup. After a couple of months, the Rotarian colt wants to show that he still has plenty left to accomplish and this is a great spot to show it.

9- Master And Commander (John Henry, ridden by D Cabrera)- Spent the majority of racing career running for Fractious, and did appear in the PRK. Later, he would place second in each of the Dwyer and the Travers, and that would lead into the biggest win of his career: the Grade 1 California Crown at DMR. After the BC Classic, he would be sold to John Henry for $200.000, and they have made one start together. It was not pretty, as he was well off the pace in the LA Stakes, and the trainer is hoping to put that in the rear view quickly.

10- Propel (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by G W Corbett)- Looks to extend his winning streak to three here in the KY Cup Classic, but has never faced a field like he will here. He has certainly earned the opportunity, taking an optional claimer here in February, before turning in a career high 101 SRF with a wire-to-wire victory in the $125.000 Stymie at AQU. There were no reigning TC winners in that field like he sees here, though he’s never been as good as he is right now.

Prediction: 8-6-3-2

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES