Durante Aims for Aristides Repeat Win

David Jacobson's accomplished sprinter Durante is poised to defend his title in the upcoming $275,000 Aristides (G3) at Churchill Downs. This stakes race, run at six furlongs, serves as a key local preparation for the $275,000 Bango (G3) on June 27. Durante, a 7-year-old gelding, boasts an impressive 48-race career with 11 wins and over $1.2 million in earnings. He achieved a significant 33-1 upset victory in last year's Aristides. Following that, he recently returned to the winner's circle with a neck victory in the G3 John A. Nerud Stakes at Aqueduct. Tyler Gaffalione will ride Durante from post No. 4.

Durante faces strong competition, including Bob Baffert's duo Cornucopian and Madaket Road. Cornucopian, owned by a prominent partnership, won the G3 San Carlos Stakes two months ago. His stablemate, Madaket Road, recently won an allowance race at Churchill Downs. Other notable contenders include Roll On Big Joe, winner of last year's G3 Kelly's Landing and the L Bet On Sunshine at Churchill Downs, and the G3 Count Fleet Turf Sprint runner-up Mad House. The Aristides is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, with the top three nominated finishers earning partial entry fees for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (GI) on October 31 at Keeneland.