Derbies in Iowa and Indiana mark weekend horse racing

Good Cheer, shown winning the 2025 Kentucky Oaks, returns to action in Friday's Iowa Distaff at Prairie Meadows. Photo by Coady Media, courtesy of Churchill DownsJuly 10 (UPI) -- The parade of regional Derbies Oaks winds its way through Indiana and Iowa this weekend with the added twist of last year's Kentucky Oaks winner returning to action in Iowa.

>On the global scene, Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin operation and trainer Charlie Appleby got off to their usual rousing start at Newmarket's July festival.

>Classic

>Texas Derby winner Desert Gate tops a field of nine for Saturday's $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows. The Omaha Beach colt, trained by Bob Baffert, followed the Texas effort with a fading, fourth-place finish in the Ohio Derby. That was 1 1/8 miles, while this race is one-sixteenth shorter.

>Desert Gate also was entered for Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indiana, but is expected to scratch in favor of Iowa. That leaves the Indiana heat pretty wide open with Our Moneyman, Out of the Woods, Creole Chrome and Leading Change all getting some props on the morning line.

Desert Gate, shown winning the 2025 Best Pal at Del Mar, is the favorite in Friday's Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows. Photo by Benoit Photography, courtesy of Del Mar Turf ClubIt's tempting to look to Leading Change, a Gun Runner colt making just his second start for trainer Brad Cox and Wathnan Racing. The $800,000 yearling purchase won his debut by 6 1/2 lengths June 7 at Churchill Downs.

>Navajo Warrior has climbed the class ladder for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the past year to win the Grade III Pimlico Special in his last start. He gets another test in Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap -- a wide-open renewal of a race with a storied history. The winners' list includes subsequent Breeders' Cup Classic winners Black Tie Affair and Knicks Go.

>Bendoog, a 7-year-old son of Gun Runner, was a force in Dubai in 2023 for trainer Bhupat Seemar. After finishing sixth in that year's World Cup, he came to the United States and trainer Bill Mott. He's been a useful ATM, but with a bad case of "second-itis" that he could cure in Saturday's $100,000 Michael B. Schaefer Memorial at Horseshoe Indiana.

>Distaff

>Prom Queen, a Quality Road filly trained by Brad Cox, is the morning-line favorite for Friday's $100,000 Indiana Oaks at Horseshoe Indiana, even though her trend has been in the wrong direction since a victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks in March.

>Mizumi, a Justify filly from the Baffert barn, enters Friday's $225,000 Iowa Oaks with two wins from as many starts, including the Grade III Summertime Oaks last month at Santa Anita. She's the favorite but none of the other five can be dismissed easily.

>Brad Cox ships 2025 Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer to Iowa as odds-on favorite in Friday's $100,000 Iowa Distaff at Prairie Meadows. That's a risky odds-on, as the Medaglia d'Oro filly did not win again last year in three starts and makes her 4-year-old debut here well down the class ladder -- no offense to Prairie Meadows.

>The Godolphin homebred has been working well enough at Churchill Downs. Queen Azteca, whose best efforts came in Dubai, would be the backup pick in a field of six.

>Saturday's $100,000 Mari Hulman George Memorial at Horseshoe Indiana has a field of 12, with a case to be made for just about any of them.

>Sprint

>Nakatomi, who has raced from coast to coast and in England and Dubai, visits Iowa for the first time as the favorite in a big field set for Saturday's $100,000 Iowa Sprint at Prairie Meadows.

>The 7-year-old Firing Line gelding, trained by Wesley Ward, has finished third, second and fifth in the last three runnings of the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen and was eighth in the 2021 Norfolk at Royal Ascot in his second start.

>Filly & mare sprint

>Goodall, winner of the Purple Martin at Oaklawn and last month's Jersey Girl Stakes at Saratoga, returns as the favorite in Friday's $225 Grade III Victory Ride at the Spa. Tommy Jo, whose three-race winning streak ended with a fifth place in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, makes her 2026 debut.

>Friday's $100,000 Saylorville at Prairie Meadows has a field of eight and looks from any angle to be a tossup.

>Juvenile

>Trainer Ward scratched undefeated Life is Good filly Waggley from last weekend's Grade III Sanford at Saratoga, but renews his faith in her by pitching her in against colts in Saturday's $100,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile at Prairie Meadows.

>Sunday's $125,000 (Canadian) Victoria Stakes on the Woodbine all-weather has a field of seven to go 5 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather course. None has more than one previous start.

>Juvenile fillies

>Nine signed on for Sunday's $125,000 (Canadian) My Dear Stakes on the Woodbine all-weather. As with the Victoria, most make their second start.

>Cardio Cat is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in Friday's $100,000 Prairie Gold Lassie at Prairie Meadows.

>Turf

>Fort George, Minaret Station and Ole Crazy bone figure in a field of seven, plus three "main track only" entries for Saturday's $250,000 Grade II Bowling Green at Saratoga.

>A wildly competitive field of 10 is entered for Saturday's $100,000 Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial at Horseshoe Indiana.

>Filly & mare turf

>Ten are set for 1 1/16 miles in Saturday's $100,000 Powder Break at Gulfstream Park. Those solving the handicapping riddle should be well rewarded.

>Charlene's Dream, Miwa and In the Stars top the morning line in a field of 11 for Saturday's $100,000 Indiana General Assembly Distaff Handicap.

>Turf sprint

>A somewhat shorter roster this weekend includes Saturday's $250,000 Grade II Caress for fillies and mares at Saratoga; Friday's $100,000 William Garrett and $100,000 Clarksville for fillies and mares at Horseshoe Indianapolis; and Saturday's $100,000 My Frenchman for 3-year-olds at Monmouth Park.

>Around the world, around the clock

>England

>Saturday's Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket lends its name to the entire three-day meeting -- fittingly this year as the race looks to be a powerhouse.

>The field includes three Royal Ascot winners in the favorite, Commonwealth Cup winner Venetian Sun, King Charles III winner Mission Control and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Almeraq.

>Add to that list crack Japanese sprinter Satono Reve, who stayed in England after a second straight runner-up showing in the Jubilee, and a clutch of potential upsetters and the 6-furlong dash has plenty to consider.

>Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes winner Precise is nearly even money in Friday's Group 1 Falmouth Stakes for fillies and mares. Ballydoyle stablemate True Love was entered, but instead was dispatched across the channel to Sunday's Group 1 Prix Jean Prat for 3-year-olds at Deauville.

>Those races aside, the meeting recently has been a playground for Charlie Appleby's Godolphin forces.

>Godolphin got things off on the right lead in Thursday's Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes as 8-year-old Rebel's Romance took the lead from stablemate Arabian Crown some 2 furlongs out and held on to beat that one by 1/2 length.

>Almeric was third and Convergent completed the skimpy order of finish. It was Rebel's Romance's 22nd career victory and Appleby said he would "love to" return to the Breeders' Cup.

>Earlier in the day, Appleby saddled another Godolphin winner, as Inner City Blues, a Blue Point colt, won the Group 2 July Stakes for 2-year-olds by 1 1/4 lengths, running his record to 2-for-2.

>On Thursday at Doncaster, Ottoman Chief, a 2.2-million Guineas Godolphin acquisition, never really got going in his debut race and finished fifth in the Champagne Trial. Godolphin's second entry, Quest for Stars, saved the day with a front-running victory.

>Other important weekend tests for the 2-year-olds include Saturday's Group 2 Superlative Stakes at 7 furlongs and Friday's Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge for 2-year-old fillies.

>On Friday at York, Spicy Marg, runner up to Venetian Sun in the Coronation Cup, takes on older rivals in the Group 3 Summer Stakes.

>At Ascot, entries for Saturday's Group 2 Summer Mile include More Thunder, runner-up to Ten Bob Tony in the Group 1 Queen Anne at the Royal meeting; Queen Anne fourth Zeus Olympios; Docklands, third in the Group 1 FWD Champions Mile in Hong Kong two races back; and the progressive 5-year-old French raider No Lunch.