American Turf

Sy Dog (Slumber {GB}) looks to keep his perfect record intact as the likely favorite in the GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs Saturday. A decisive winner at first asking at Belmont in October, the dark bay rallied to win by a nose in Aqueduct's Central Park S. Nov. 27. He was last seen slingshotting to victory in Keeneland's GIII Kentucky Utilities Transylvania S. last out Apr. 8. Transylvania third-place finisher Coinage (Tapit) also returns here. Winner of last term's GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga, the chestnut checked...

Du Jour worked out a perfect trip under Flavien Prat to provide Bob Baffert with a rare graded stakes winner on the turf. A debut second on the Del Mar lawn last November behind next-out stakes winner Cathkin Peak (Ire) (Alhebayeb {Ire}), the bay was third when switched to the Santa Anita main track Jan. 3 behind subsequent GIII Robert B. Lewis S. runner-up Roman Centurian (Empire Maker). He broke through back on the lawn in Arcadia Feb. 19, and doubled up after setting pace in a Mar. 28 optional...

A Thread of Blue (Hard Spun), who led every step of the way to cause a 13-1 upset in the 9 1/2-furlong Saratoga Derby Aug. 4, will be pointed for a start in the final leg of the Turf Trinity, the inaugural Jockey Club Derby to be contested over a mile and a half at Belmont Park Sept. 7. "He came out of the race really well, we'll look at [the Jockey Club Derby]," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin told the NYRA notes team. "We weren't sure if he'd get a mile-and-three-sixteenths...