Blessed Flyer seeks to remain undefeated in Street Sense; First Laugh looks to extend Cox’s Rags to Riches streak

Oct 20, 2026 Kevin Kerstein/Kentucky Racing Communications

Blessed Flyer wins the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media / Credit to Cady Coulardot)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026) – Patricia’s Hope and Mark Farrar’s Blessed Flyer will attempt to remain undefeated when he faces seven rivals entered in Sunday’s 14th running of the $200,000 Street Sense (G3), part of the Stars of Tomorrow I program that opens the 24-day fall meet at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile Street Sense shares the spotlight with the $200,000 Rags to Riches. First post is 1 p.m. ET, with the Street Sense scheduled as Race 10 at 5:25 p.m.

Trained by Mike Tomlinson, Blessed Flyer is undefeated in two starts, including a 31-1 upset in the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs. The son of Dialed In was expected to be among the favorites in last month’s Iroquois (G3) but was scratched after getting loose while walking to the paddock. Brian Hernandez Jr. will have the mount from post No. 2.

Among his rivals are several promising maiden winners including Four G Racing, Lance Gasaway and Daniel Hamby III’s Mystik Bayou, a half-brother to Kentucky Derby 150 winner Mystik Dan for trainer Kenny McPeek; Bourbon Fueled Racing’s Staunch, a four-length maiden winner at Churchill Downs for trainer Brendan Walsh; Jeff Drown’s Card Man, who won a maiden special weight contest five weeks ago at Belmont Park for trainer Chad Brown; and Red Lane Thoroughbreds’ Jas, who will switch surfaces to dirt after finishing second in last month’s Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

The complete Street Sense field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Ritzy Rags (Rafael Bejarano, Destin Heath); Blessed Flyer (Hernandez, Tomlinson); Card Man (Flavien Prat, Brown); Mystik Bayou (Jose Ortiz, McPeek); Very Gifted (Manny Esquivel, McPeek); Jas (Keith Asmussen, Steve Asmussen); Staunch (Tyler Gaffalione, Walsh); and Never a Doubt (Junior Alvarado, Carlos David)

The Street Sense is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season, with the top five finishers receiving qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale toward a spot in the starting gate for the 153rd running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) on Saturday, May 1.

Inaugurated in 2005, Churchill Downs’ Stars of Tomorrow programs have helped launch the careers of some of horse racing’s biggest stars led by two Horse of the Year champions Gun Runner (2017) and Rachel Alexandra (2009); four Kentucky Derby winners Super Saver (2010), Mandaloun (2021), Mystik Dan (2024) and Sovereignty (2025); and seven Longines Kentucky Oaks winners Rachel Alexandra (2009), Believe You Can (2012), Monomoy Girl (2018), Secret Oath (2022), Pretty Mischievous (2023), Thorpedo Anna (2024) and Good Cheer (2025).

One race earlier on the program, Godolphin’s impressive seven-length maiden winner First Laugh headlines a field of seven two-year-old fillies entered in Sunday’s 14th running of the Rags to Riches.

Trained by Brad Cox, who has won five of the last nine editions of the Rags to Riches, First Laugh dominated her debut one month ago at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The daughter of Upstart drew post No. 7 for Sunday’s race and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Cox has won the last three editions of the Rags to Riches with Life of Joy (2025), Good Cheer (2024) and West Sunset (2023). He also won the race with Coach in 2020 and Monomoy Girl in 2017. Four of those five winners entered the Rags to Riches following debut victories at Horseshoe Indianapolis: Life of Joy (14 3/4 lengths), Good Cheer (8 1/4 lengths), Coach (4 1/4 lengths) and Monomoy Girl (3 3/4 lengths).

Godolphin also entered Wharfie, a daughter of Essential Quality who broke her maiden at second asking Sept. 19 at Belmont Park by 2 3/4 lengths. Trained by Bill Mott, Wharfie will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from post 2.

The complete field for the Rags to Riches from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Intraosseous (Hernandez Jr., Kinnon LaRose); Wharfie (Alvarado, Mott); Oh She Said Yes (Jose Ortiz, McPeek); Countthetrue (Edgar Morales, Wayne Catalano); Lunar Velocity (Francisco Arrieta, Ray Bryner); Juana Margarita (Prat, McPeek); and First Laugh (Irad Ortiz Jr., Cox)

Scheduled for 4:55 p.m., the Rags to Riches is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks Prep Season and awards the top five finishers qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale toward a spot in the starting gate in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Friday, April 30 at Churchill Downs.