2023 Iroquois Stakes Preview

The prep season for the most iconic event in American horse racing begins Saturday, September 16, at Churchill Downs with the Iroquois Stakes. The race, a traditional feature of the opening weekend of the Churchill Downs fall meet, covers a mile on the dirt track. Not only does it offer a $300,000 purse, but also 10-5-3-2-1 Road to the Kentucky Derby points for horses placed in the top five.

Nine juvenile colts, including seven trying a graded stakes race for the first time, have entered the Iroquois. In fact, though all nine are winners, none of the horses in the field has won in stakes company before. Thus, this race will be a showcase for new talent in the juvenile division, as well as an interesting and profitable betting opportunity.

Though it is not a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race, the winner of the Iroquois does earn partial entry fees for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile through the Dirt Dozen program. And, horses who run well in the race typically continue into that picture. Watch for the top few horses to return in further preps for both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as well as the Kentucky Derby.

2023 Iroquois Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 16
• Track: Churchill Downs
• Post Time: 4:55 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: one mile on the dirt
• Age/Sex: two-year-olds
• Where to Watch: TVG.com, FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Iroquois Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the nine entrants for the 2023 Iroquois Stakes, including their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Iroquois Stakes Prep Race Results

Three of the runners come out of stakes races last out, though none of them won those stakes engagements. Seize the Grey was third in a washed-off edition of the Skidmore on a muddy Monmouth surface. Edified was fifth in the Saratoga Special (G2) last out; Market Street put up a runner-up effort in that same race, though since finished seventh in the With Anticipation (G3) on the lawn.

The other six entrants all come straight out of victories in maiden special weight company. Three of them graduated on the dirt at Ellis Park: Gettysburg Address won at six furlongs on August 6, Liberal Arts won a seven-furlong race on August 13, and West Saratoga won a dirt mile there on August 5.

The other three runners come from maiden wins at different tracks. Union Roll graduated going six furlongs on the Monmouth Park dirt on August 13, Risk It won at six furlongs at Saratoga on August 19, and Patriot Spirit graduated in a seven-furlong race on August 25 at Colonial Downs.

Iroquois Stakes Contenders

These are the nine runners in the race, organized by post position.

1. Liberal Arts: Liberal Arts returns to Churchill Downs for the first time since his third-place debut on May 25; he got a slow start that day and chased on with enough interest to suggest the track footing was probably not the issue. He has shown steady improvement in his last two starts. He overcame a far-outside gate last out to break his maiden in stalk-and-pounce fashion. He will have to improve further to be a win candidate in this spot, and this inside post may be trouble, but his last-out win at an extended sprint trip is a point in his favor.
2. West Saratoga: A stretch out to a two-turn mile last out at Ellis Park got him off the mark in his fifth career start. This could be a tough task for him, though: he is drawn down inside of other speeds, and the cut back to the one-turn trip may not benefit him if he got his awakening going two turns.
3. Union Roll: He comes into the Iroquois off of a debut win at Monmouth Park, where he chased close to the early pace and drew off in the lane to win by 5 ¼ lengths. The Todd Pletcher is bred for the step up in trip, and trainer Todd Pletcher is a 22 percent winner when stepping horses up to a mile or more for the first time.
4. Edified: The first of two runners in the field for trainer Steve Asmussen, he graduated in stalk-and-pounce fashion on debut at Ellis Park on July 1, but finished a troubled fifth in the Saratoga Special next out. He gets a switch to Asmussen regular Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the irons, and he should be able to work a closer trip if he gets a better start. He has some pedigree for the step up in trip, and he is a half to Grade 1 winner Constellation, who was multiple graded stakes-placed as a juvenile.
5. Market Street: He started his career with a frontrunning debut win over the slop at Ellis Park on June 29, but has yet to win in three starts since. The D. Wayne Lukas trainee has run in graded company each time, facing more pressure up front each time and weakening each time. He was second to Rhyme Schemes in the Saratoga Special two back, making him the only graded stakes-placed horse in the field, but his races have come back on the slow side, and he has a lot to find.
6. Seize the Grey: He is one of two horses who broke his maiden on the Saratoga dirt, though he did so over a sloppy track at second asking, July 29. He cut back for the 5 ½-furlong Skidmore, a race in which he finished third after some serious trouble. A maiden win over 6 ½ furlongs suggests the extra distance should help him along, and his adaptability last out suggests he may be more than just one-way speed. This gives him price potential.
7. Gettysburg Address: This Brad Cox trainee comes into the Iroquois Stakes off of a debut win at Ellis Park. He showed tactical speed, a positive in the sense of working out a trip. And, being by Constitution out of Jojo Warrior, he should be able to handle the stretch to a mile and beyond. The morning-line price seems a bit of a pipe dream given the tendency of Brad Cox horses to be overbet, but he does have significant upside if he does stay one of the longer shots in the field.
8. Risk It: The morning-line favorite earned that status after a dominant gate-to-wire debut victory at Saratoga four weeks ago. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione, a perennial champion at Churchill Downs, returns to the irons for this race. His relatively-outside gate gives him a good shot for a good trip with his speed, though he still has to prove that he can either handle more of a fight on the front end or that he is just fast enough to clear against a deeper field.
9. Patriot Spirit: This Mike Campbell trainee looked good on debut at Colonial Downs under veteran Jesus Castanon, stalking the pace and drawing clear to win by six handy lengths. That victory came over seven furlongs, suggesting the son of Constitution will be a good fit for the one-turn mile this time around.

Iroquois Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Iroquois Stakes?

A: The race happens Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 4:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is the ninth of 11 races on the day. The card features four other stakes, including the Pocahontas Stakes. Like the Iroquois is the first Kentucky Derby points race, the Pocahontas is the first race of the year to offer qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Iroquois Stakes?

A: Trainers Bill Mott and Dale Romans are tied for the most Iroquois Stakes wins with four each. Though both are actively training, neither has entered a horse in the 2023 edition. Among trainers with horses entered in this year’s Iroquois, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen previously won this race three times, most recently with Lucky Player in 2014. He can tie Mott and Romans this year if either Edified or Risk It.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Iroquois Stakes?

A: Risk It is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Iroquois Stakes off of his 4 ½-length victory in a maiden special weight at Saratoga. The son of Gun Runner is a likely favorite in this race, given that he is the only one in the field coming in from a last-out victory at Saratoga, though make sure to watch whether another horse like Union Roll, Patriot Spirit, or Edified takes significant betting action.

Q: Who is the best Iroquois Stakes jockey?

A: Retired jockey Pat Day leads all riders with four victories in the Iroquois between 1985 and 2002. Among jockeys riding in the 2023 edition of the race, two have won it before. Jockey Rafael Bejarano won in 2005 with Catcominatcha, while jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. won the race in 2014 with Lucky Player.

Q: Who won the Iroquois Stakes in 2022?
A: Curly Jack won the 2022 edition of this race for trainer Tom Amoss and jockey Edgar Morales; he would go on to finish fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, though he was off the road to the Kentucky Derby early in his sophomore season. Neither Amoss nor Morales returns to the field with a horse this year.