One day after the 157th Belmont Stakes (G1) wraps up the 2025 Triple Crown season, five 3-year-olds who ran in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G2) will meet again under the Twin Spires in the June 7 Matt Winn Stakes (G3).
The Matt Winn, named after Churchill Downs' early and mid-20th-century executive, was extended from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles and became a grade 3 in 2011. Since then, it has become a worthy late spring contest for horses that showed promise at one point or another on the Derby trail and are due for a reset after the Triple Crown is over. This year, the race will be broadcast on FanDuel TV.
Racetrack: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.
Date: June 8
Purse: $400,000
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Race: 8
Post Time: 4:22 p.m. ET
Notable winners: Cyberknife (2022), Maxfield (2020), Mr. Money (2019), McCraken (2017), Gun Runner (2016), Tapiture (2014).
First held: 2002
1. Gaming (5-1 morning-line odds): He might be overlooked slightly in betting pools despite his connections as he did not run in the Kentucky Derby, instead finishing a solid third in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) on the May 3 undercard at Churchill. He finished second in an Oaklawn Park stakes going a two-turn mile in the race prior and fits with this field in terms of speed figures, although a mile and a sixteenth might be a bit too long for him.
JOCKEY: Florent Geroux; TRAINER: Bob Baffert
2. Final Gambit (5-2): Made his first start on dirt in the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby and finished well on a sloppy track to nab fourth behind three divisional leaders. A stone-cold closer who will need a contested pace to set up his rally and might not get it, especially with less real estate to work with. Flavien Prat skips the final day of Saratoga's Belmont Stakes Festival meet on Sunday to fly in and ride.
JOCKEY: Flavien Prat; TRAINER: Brad Cox
3. Chunk of Gold (6-1): Gained entry to the Kentucky Derby with a pair of runner-up finishes in Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots prep races, then checked in ninth in the Run for the Roses after clipping heels with a rival early in the race. He has not won since his debut back in December and would seem hard-pressed to do so here.
JOCKEY: Jareth Loveberry; TRAINER: Ethan West
4. Just a Fair Shake (15-1): The outsider in this field ships in from Maryland, where he has hit the board in all five of his career starts and most recently finished second by 7 1/2 lengths to Belmont Stakes entrant Crudo in the Sir Barton Stakes going 1 1/16 miles. He faces a class test here, and a minor award appears to be his ceiling.
JOCKEY: Jaime Rodriguez; TRAINER: Daniel McKenzie
5. Burnham Square (7-2): Had a rough trip in the Kentucky Derby yet still managed to finish sixth, and prior to that rallied from last to win the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, edging pacesetting East Avenue. Has a versatile running style and could race closer to East Avenue this time before pouncing.
JOCKEY: Brian Hernandez Jr.; TRAINER: Ian Wilkes
6. Coal Battle (9-2): One of the feel-good stories of the year starts a new chapter as this hard-trying runner makes his first start since the Kentucky Derby. He was within striking range midway through the Derby but fell back and ended up 11th, defeated by 17 lengths. The Derby's 1 1/4-mile distance was too long for him and, if he can match the efforts he showed earlier this year at Oaklawn Park, he's got a chance.
JOCKEY: Corey Lanerie; TRAINER: Lonnie Briley
7. East Avenue (4-1): Nearly won the Blue Grass Stakes going 1 1/8 miles back in April after setting the pace, only to yield at the finish and lose to Burnham Square by a nose. He was expected to vie for the lead in the Kentucky Derby but he stalked the pace instead and finished a well-defeated eighth. Luis Saez gets aboard for the first time, and Saez's expertise as a pace rider, plus a cutback in distance, make him a win threat.
JOCKEY: Luis Saez; TRAINER: Brendan Walsh
THE PICK: Burnham Square
LIVE LONGSHOT: Coal Battle
SUPERFECTA: 5-7-2-6
