Red Route One Travels to Prairie Meadows for Cornhusker

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ homebred Red Route One  ran below expectations when fourth at 2-1 odds in a slow-paced Pimlico Special (G3) May 17 at Pimlico Race Course.

A month and a half later, however, his effort looks better than it did on race day, buoyed by return performances from the race’s 1-2 finishers, Pyrenees  and Kingsbarns . They recently completed another exacta, this time with Kingsbarns finishing first, in the $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) June 29 at Churchill Downs.

The apparent strength of the Pimlico Special—as well as Red Route One’s accomplishments and $1.6 million bankroll—will likely make him the favorite over 10 rivals July 6 in the $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap (G3) at Prairie Meadows. He is one of three graded stakes winners in the 1 1/8-mile contest, the others being Hit Show , who took the 2023 Withers Stakes (G3), and the 2023 Clark Stakes (G2) winner Trademark . The latter is cross-entered in the $100,000 Michael G. Schaefer Memorial Stakes Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Cristian Torres, who rode Red Route One to win the West Virginia Derby (G3) last summer, is reunited aboard the 4-year-old son of Gun Runner   for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Red Route One carries top weight of 120 pounds.

Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds also start the up-and-coming Unload , another homebred son of Gun Runner whose customary front-running style should ensure pace and complement the late-running ways of Red Route One. Walter De La Cruz is aboard Unload.

A winner of four of 20 starts, Red Route One scored most recently in late March at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots when he rallied to defeat Touchuponastar  in a fast-paced New Orleans Classic (G2). Between that start and the Pimlico Special, he was third in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) behind Skippylongstocking , who showed in the Stephen Foster.

Gary and Mary West’s homebred Hit Show , a 2 1/4-length winner of an allowance optional claiming race May 11 at Churchill Downs, looms Red Route One’s leading adversary. In addition to winning the Withers last year, the Brad Cox trainee ran several top races in defeat, such as when second in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), and a dead-heat fourth in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Red Route One also competed in two legs of the Triple Crown, running fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and eighth in the Belmont.

Just a Touch Heads Iowa Derby

The Cornhusker anchors a four-stakes card Saturday night at Prairie Meadows that also includes the $100,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes, the $225,000 Iowa Oaks, and the $250,000 Iowa Derby.

Just a Touch , runner-up in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1)  and Gotham Stakes (G3) before finishing last in this year’s Kentucky Derby, top the 11-horse Iowa Derby.

The Cox-trained Impel  appears a short-priced favorite over Shimmering Allure  in the Iowa Oaks if Impel’s connections do not opt to run her instead in the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (G3), also on Saturday.