Rattle N Roll Looks to Shake Up Clark Stakes

As consolation prizes go, a $600,000 stakes race still presents a sizable financial opportunity. That is what is in front of Lucky Seven Stable's Rattle N Roll, who faces nine rivals in the Clark Stakes (G2) Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs. Earlier this month, he failed to draw into the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar after shipping west and not drawing in from the also-eligible list. Though he would have been a longshot in the Classic, likely one of the highest on the odds board, the early tempo of the 1 1/4-mile Classic would have suited late-running Rattle N Roll, if not the company. Splits of :22.43, :44.96, and 1:09.44 kickstarted the rally of victorious Sierra Leone, who stopped the clock in 2:00.78. As for the pace makeup of the 1 1/8-mile Clark, entrants Most Wanted and Cooke Creek regularly go to the lead, and others such as Bolzy, who adds blinkers, and Grand Aspen have inside post positions from which their riders may utilize their position to go forward. If some of them mix it up early, Rattle N Roll may get sufficient pace and be primed for a top closing performance under Brian Hernandez Jr., trainer Kenny McPeek's go-to rider. A 5-year-old son of Connect, Rattle N Roll took the 2021 Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland as a 2-year-old. At age 3, he won three stakes, and then last year at age 4, he captured three grade 3s in the spring before running second in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs. But he would tail off after that in the fall of 2023 and did not reappear until after a year layoff when third in the Sept. 28 Lukas Classic (G2) at Churchill Downs. Beaten 3 3/4 lengths by victorious Hit Show, one of the Clark favorites, and 3 1/2 lengths by runner-up Cooke Creek, McPeek looks to have Rattle N Roll close that gap with a comeback race advancing his horse's fitness. Wathnan Racing's Hit Show is one of two streaking prospects for trainer Brad Cox, the other being Gary and Mary West's Most Wanted. Both are sons of Candy Ride (ARG). Hit Show has won three stakes in a row, with the Oct. 26 Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland following the Lukas Classic and the Aug. 4 West Virginia Governor's Cup (G3) at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort preceding it. The 3-year-old Most Wanted is unbeaten in four starts. His two stakes triumphs came in the Aug. 11 Ellis Park Derby at Ellis Park and the Sept. 29 Oklahoma Derby (G3) at Remington Park. Florent Geroux, who has been riding both colts this year, stays aboard Most Wanted, while Tyler Gaffalione picks up the ride on Hit Show. The Clark, downgraded from a grade 1 to a grade 2 beginning in 2023, did not lure any Breeders' Cup competitors to return on a little less than four weeks of rest. All but Oct. 20 allowance optional claiming winner Piroli come off last-out races in grade 2s or grade 3s.