Arklow heads 38 nominees to Grade 2 Elkhorn

Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and the Estate of Peter Coneway’s Grade 1 winner Arklow tops a roster of 38 horses nominated to the 36^thrunning of the $200,000 Elkhorn (G2) to be run at 1½ miles over the turf on April 17.

Trained by Brad Cox, Arklow finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) here last fall before closing 2020 with a victory in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) at Del Mar. An earner of more than $2.6 million, Arklow finished sixth in last year’s Elkhorn.

Scheduled the day before the Elkhorn, the 26^th running of the $100,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the main track drew 28 nominations.

Headlining the nominees are Grade 1 winners Dunbar Road and Speech, both of whom have not run since competing here in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Peter Brant’s Dunbar Road, winner of the 2019 Alabama (G1), closed 2020 with a third-place finish behind champion Monomoy Girl in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) for trainer Chad Brown. 

Speech, winner of the Central Bank Ashland (G1) last July for trainer Michael McCarthy, finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. She is owned by the partnership of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables and Heider Family Stables.