Easter Gift returns for second Clark Handicap

Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – Easter Gift, trained by Chad Brown, will give Friday’s $500,000 Clark Handicap another try at Churchill Downs. The 5- year-old was third last year behind Will Take Charge and Game On Dude.

Owned by Robert LaPenta, Easter Gift will start the 1 1/8-mile Clark from post 5 in the nine-horse field with Joel Rosario again riding. Rosario was aboard when the horse finished just two lengths in back of Will Take Charge at 9-1. Easter Gift is 8-1 in the morning line for Friday.

“He ran so well in it last year and was beaten by two really good horses and he has experience over the track at Churchill,” Brown said. “He was in better form last year heading into the Clark, however his most recent race, the allowance win, was okay and he seems within reach now of getting to his best numbers. That was one of his best numbers, so he should be right there.”

Easter Gift, with 17 career starts, did not get back to the races until July’s Monmouth Cup when he finished eighth. Three weeks later he was sixth in Saratoga’s Alydar Stakes but won an allowance race last month at Belmont Park.

“He had some physical issues that delayed his return as a 5-year-old,” Brown said. “When he returned to the races he was training well, but he didn’t run well in his first two times I ran him this year and I’m not exactly sure why. He had been training well and came out of the races well, but he didn’t fire.”

Easter Gift comes into the Clark with seven wins, three seconds and two thirds for $668.033.

Here is the Clark field from the rail out: Hoppertunity, Martin Garcia, 7-2; Prayer for Relief, Ricardo Santana Jr., 6-1; Knights Nation, Julien Leparoux, 30-1; Departing, Robby Albarado, 3-1; Easter Gift, Joel Rosario, 8-1; Protonico, Joe Bravo, 8-1; Constitution, Javier Castellano, 7-2; Looking Cool, Chris Landeros, 50-1 and Pick of the Litter, Corey Lanerie, 9-2.

The Clark has an approximate post time of 5:35 p.m. ET.

Categorized in: Horses