About an hour and a half after last year's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine makes her return to Churchill Downs in the GI La Troienne S., the 2017 GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) makes his own return trip to the Louisville oval in the GII Alysheba S. Always Dreaming reeled off three straight wins last spring, including the GI Florida Derby, before his authoritative win in the Kentucky Derby, but not much went right for the handsome bay for the rest of the season. A well-beaten eighth in the GI Preakness S., he skipped the GI Belmont S. and resurfaced with a tepid third-place showing in the July 29 GII Jim Dandy S. and concluded his sophomore season with a lackluster ninth in the Aug. 26 GI Travers S. Sidelined by severe ulcers, the Derby winner pressed the pace before settling for second in his 4-year-old debut in the Mar. 31 GII Gulfstream Park Hardacre Mile last time out.
Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday), a successful turf performer early in his career, made a seamless transition to the dirt when he ran away with last year's Jim Dandy. Off the board in the Travers and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, he ended 2017 on a promising note when second, beaten just a half-length, in the Nov. 24 GI Clark H. at Churchill. He looked like a force to reckoned with in the handicap division with a 2 1/4-length win in the Mar. 24 GII New Orleans H.
The hard-knocking veteran Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), already an earner of over $4.4 million, has hit the board in four of five Churchill starts, including a win in the 2014 GI Clark H. The 7-year-old got a confidence booster with a 6 1/2-length win in the Apr. 8 GIII Tokyo City S. travelling 1 1/2 miles at Santa Anita last time out.
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