Troubleshooting Headlines Saturday’s Grade III, $300,000 Commonwealth Turf

Donamire Farm’s Grade I-winning homebred Troubleshooting will attempt to cap his 3-year-old year with another graded stakes score when he takes on 10 rivals that entered Saturday’s 20th running of the $300,000 Commonwealth Turf (Grade III) at Churchill Downs.

The Commonwealth Turf, run at 1 1/16 miles on grass for 3-year-olds, will be the featured race on Saturday’s 11-race program that starts at 1 p.m. (all times Eastern). The Commonwealth Turf field will go to post in Race 10 at 5:25 p.m.

Troubleshooting, trained by Greg Foley, notched his career-defining Grade I victory in early September when he won the 6 ½-furlong Franklin Simpson (GI) at Kentucky Downs by a half-length under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Following that race, Troubleshooting stretched out to one mile in the Bryan Station Stakes (GIII) at Keeneland where he scored a gusty neck victory as the 7-2 favorite. A son of Not This Time, Troubleshooting is out of the stakes-winning mare Into Trouble, who was campaigned by Donamire Farm and trainer Ben Colebrook. Troubleshooting will once again have the riding services of Tyler Gaffalione for Saturday’s affair and break from post No. 2.

One of Troubleshooting’s opponents will be this year’s King’s Plate winner Mansetti. Owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling and trained by Kevin Attard, Mansetti scored an 18-1 upset victory in the 166th running of the $725,444 King’s Plate on Aug. 16 at Woodbine. Overall, the Canadian-bred has recorded five victories from 10 starts with other notable wins coming in the Marine Stakes (GIII), Woodstock Stakes (Listed) and Clarendon Stakes. His regular rider Pietro Moran has the call and they’ll exit post 6.

Other rivals in the race include Rocker O Ranch’s Secretariat Stakes (GII) winner Giocoso; Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing and Kaleta Racing’s Jeff Ruby Steaks (GIII) runner-up Flying Mohawk; and Aaron and Victoria Haberman’s John Battaglia Memorial (Listed) winner California Burrito.