$2.4M-earner Brilliant Berti headlines $300K Green River Island
Ellis Park stakes previews by Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media photo above of Brilliant Berti winning Churchill Downs’ Grade 2 Wise Dan last year)
Five Stakes Highlight Day 2 of Ellis Park’s Summer Showcase Weekend
HENDERSON, Ky. (Monday, July 27, 2026) – Klein Racing’s multiple graded stakes-winning turf specialist Brilliant Berti will face an accomplished oversubscribed field of 15 older horses entered in Sunday’s 10th running of the $300,000 Green River Island (Listed), the featured event on Day 2 of Ellis Park Racing & Gaming’s Summer Showcase weekend.
The Green River Island, run at 1 1/16 miles, will go as the finale on the competitive 10-race card with a post time of 4:12 p.m. CT. First post is 11:50 a.m.
Along with the Green River Island, Sunday’s five-stakes lineup includes the $250,000 Pucker Up (Listed), $250,000 Sunkissed (Listed), $250,000 Tri-State Turf Sprint (Listed) and $250,000 Water Tower.
Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Brilliant Berti brings an impressive résumé to the Green River Island with seven wins from 17 starts and earnings of more than $2.4 million. A homebred son of Noble Mission (GB), Brilliant Berti scored a gutsy three-quarter-length victory in last year’s Wise Dan (GII) at Churchill Downs and a neck victory in the 2024 Bryan Station (GIII) at Keeneland. The 5-year-old will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. and break from post No. 2.
The Green River Island features several other accomplished turf runners, including Saint George’s speedy six-time winner Quatrocento; Carl R. Moore Management’s recent Churchill Downs allowance winner Lambeth; and Carl Pollard’s millionaire Mercante, who is also cross-entered in Saturday’s Arlington Million (GI) at Colonial Downs.
The field for the Green River Island in order of post position (with jockey and trainer):
- Sumood (Ben Curtis, Brendan Walsh)
- Brilliant Berti (Hernandez, DeVaux)
- Johny’s Rendezvous (Jaime Torres, Phil Bauer)
- Quatrocento (Mario Gutierrez, Fausto Gutierrez)
- Lambeth (Umberto Rispoli, Joe Sharp)
- Native Runner (Cristian Torres, Rusty Arnold II)
- Tapit Shoes (Luan Machado, Ed Moger Jr.)
- Vote No (Axel Concepcion, Kelsey Danner)
- Flying Mohawk (Francisco Arrieta, Whit Beckman)
- Money Supply (Yedsit Hazlewood, Joe Sharp)
- Giocoso (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux)
- Mercante (Florent Geroux, Brian Knippenberg)
- AE: Herchee (Edgar Morales, Hellen Pitts-Blasi)
- AE: Smokey Mandate (Danny Sheehy, Mike Maker)
- AE: Clever Mischief (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
Sunday’s card features an all-stakes, all-turf Late Pick 5 sequence, which as a low 15% takeout. The $3 all-turf Pick 3 sequence will begin with the $250,000 Water Tower in Race 7 and also include the $250,000 Tri-State Turf Sprint (Listed) and $300,000 Green River Island.
Sunday is the culmination of the Summer Showcase weekend, which includes seven stakes across Saturday and Sunday worth a combined $1.75 million. Live racing kicks off Friday with a post time of 11:50 a.m.
For the latest information about racing and gaming from Ellis Park, visit www.ellisparkowensborogaming.com.
GRADE I WINNER TROUBLESHOOTING TAKES ON FAMILIAR FOE JOE SHIESTY IN $250,000 TRI-STATE TURF SPRINT – Donamire Farm’s Grade I-winning homebred Troubleshooting will face Foster Family Racing, Lonnie Reynolds, Vicki Mills and Donald Coomes’ talented Joe Shiesty, along with 10 other competitors, in Sunday’s ninth running of the $250,000 Tri-State Turf Sprint at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming.
Contested at 5 ½ furlongs, the Tri-State Turf Sprint will go as the afternoon’s eighth race at 3:12 p.m. CT.
Trained by Greg Foley, Troubleshooting used last year’s Dade Park Dash at Ellis Park as a steppingstone to victories in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes (GI) at Kentucky Downs and Bryan Station (GIII) at Keeneland. Troubleshooting began his 4-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish in a Keeneland allowance before finishing third behind Doncho and Joe Shiesty in the Mighty Beau (Listed) at Churchill Downs. Jockey Tyler Gaffalionewill have the mount in the Tri-State Turf Sprint from post No. 11.
The speedy Joe Shiesty will break from post No. 3 under Fernando De La Cruz for trainer Eric Foster. The 5-year-old has won seven of 21 starts and is knocking on the door of $1 million in earnings with $991,227. Along with his runner-up effort to Doncho in the Mighty Beau, Joe Shiesty’s 2026 campaign includes a victory in the Big Daddy Stakes (Listed) at Turfway Park and a runner-up finish to Yellow Card in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (GII) on Kentucky Derby Day.
The field for the Tri-State Turf Sprint from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
- Let My People Go (Florent Geroux, Mike Maker)
- My Own (Francisco Arrieta, Foster)
- Joe Shiesty (De La Cruz, Foster)
- Cinister Cix (Edgar Morales, Shane Sands)
- Mondogetsbuckets (Umberto Rispoli, Chris Block)
- Jet Sweep Joe (Gerardo Corrales, Paul McEntee)
- Its Bourbon Thirty (Luan Machado, Jerry O’Dwyer)
- Eakly (Abel Cedillo, Donnie K Von Hemel)
- Golden Afternoon (Jaime Torres, Nick Vaccarezza)
- Nothing Better (Yedsit Hazlewood, Jorge Duarte Jr.)
- Troubleshooting (Gaffalione, Foley)
- Okiro (Joe Bravo, Jose Garoffalo)
EAST JABIP (IRE) SEEKS FIRST STAKES SCORE IN $250,000 PUCKER UP (LISTED) – Blue Bird Stables, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Ken Reimer’s recent Tepin Stakes (Listed) runner-up East Jabip(IRE) will seek her first stakes victory when she takes on seven other 3-year-old fillies entered in Sunday’s $250,000 Pucker Up presented by AG Revolution (Listed) at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming.
Trained by Brian Lynch, East Jabip began her career a perfect 2-for-2, breaking her maiden at Gulfstream Park before winning a first-level allowance at Keeneland. Following her allowance victory, Lynch sent East Jabip to Horseshoe Indianapolis for the Cleopatra Handicap, where she finished fifth as the 4-5 favorite. She returned to action six weeks later in the Tepin Stakes at Churchill Downs, finishing second by 5 ¾ lengths to Tam Tam. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione, who won the 2025 Ellis Park riding title, will return to town for the mount and break from post No. 6.
The field for the Pucker Up from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
- Dreaming of Alys (Francisco Arrieta, Phil D’Amato)
- Turner’s Charm (Ben Curtis, Brendan Walsh)
- One Sweet Girl (Jaime Torres, Carlos David)
- How About Now (Axel Concepcion, Rusty Arnold II)
- Bohemian (Umberto Rispoli, Joe Sharp)
- East Jabip (IRE) (Gaffalione, Lynch)
- Embrace Time (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox)
- Infinite Sky (Luan Machado, Brad Cox)
Run at 1 1/8 miles, the Pucker Up starts the all-stakes, all-turf Late Pick 5 sequence in Race 6 at 2:12 p.m. CT.
FIVE-TIME STAKES WINNER MEDORO HEADLINES $250,000 SUNKISSED – C R K Stable’s five-time stakes winner Medoro leads an oversubscribed field of 14 talented fillies and mares entered in Sunday’s ninth running of the $250,000 Sunkissed presented by Sterling Industrial (Listed) at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming.
Trained by Peter Eurton, Medoro is a consistent daughter of Honor Code whose 16-race career includes six wins, four runner-up finishes and four thirds. Previously based in California with Eurton, Medoro won the 2024 Providencia (GIII), Blue Norther (Listed) and China Doll (Listed) at Santa Anita and the Osunitas (Listed) at Del Mar. She joined Eurton’s East Coast string at Fair Grounds to begin her 2026 campaign, winning the Marie G. Krantz Memorial before finishing third in the Jenny Wiley (GI) at Keeneland. Jockey Umberto Rispoli has the mount Sunday and will break from post No. 7.
Other talented fillies and mares entered in the race include G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Indiana General Assembly Distaff Handicap winner In the Stars; Carl R. Moore Management’s five-time winner Vive Veuve; and Three Diamonds Farm’s recent allowance winner Buttercream Babe, who is cross-entered in Saturday’s $250,000 Hummingbird Stakes (Listed) at Ellis Park.
The field for the Sunkissed Stakes in order of post position (with jockey and trainer):
- Bourbon Memory (Ben Curtis, Brendan Walsh)
- Stylish Sue (Jaime Torres, Joe Sharp)
- Buttercream Babe (Yedsit Hazlewood, Rusty Arnold II)
- Chilled (Mario Gutierrez, Vicki Oliver)
- Vive Veuve (Brian Hernandez Jr., Joe Sharp)
- Smiling Ellie (Francisco Arrieta, Mark Casse)
- Medoro (Rispoli, Eurton)
- Wind Flower (Cristian Torres, Bill Mott)
- Sanctify (William Antongeorgi III, Hutch Holsapple)
- Love You Anyway (Axel Concepcion, Rusty Arnold II)
- Rosell (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott)
- In the Stars (Edgar Morales, Rusty Arnold II)
- AE: Salty Senorita (Rafael Bejarano, Mike Maker)
- AE: Icona (IRE) (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
Run at one-mile on turf, the Sunkissed was carded as Race 9 of 10 with a post time of 3:42 p.m. CT.
BLACKMAIL LEADS NINE 3-YEAR-OLDS IN $250,000 WATER TOWER – Gary Barber’s stakes winner Blackmail leads a competitive field of nine 3-year-olds entered in Sunday’s fifth running of the $250,000 Water Tower at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming.
Contested at 1 1/8 miles on turf, the Water Tower will go as Race 7 of 10 with a post time of 2:45 p.m. CT.
Trained by Mark Casse, Blackmail will be in search of his second career stakes victory after winning the Woodhaven Stakes in April at Aqueduct. Blackmail’s eight-race résumé also includes a runner-up finish in the Pennine Ridge Stakes (GIII) in early June at Saratoga. Jockey Francisco Arrieta has the mount from post No. 2.
Other accomplished 3-year-olds entered in the race include Calumet Farm’s Black Gold Stakes winner Black Hornet; John Oxley, Linda Casse, Eric Long and TJR Thoroughbreds’ American Derby (Listed) third-place finisher Brave Force; and Midway Racing’s Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile (Listed) winner Street Beast, who is also cross-entered in Saturday’s $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (GII) at Colonial Downs.
The complete field for the Water Tower from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):
- Fancy Sailor (Brian Hernandez Jr., Brian Lynch)
- Blackmail (Arrieta, Casse)
- Aguila Negra (Amir Mendoza, Deivys Salvador)
- Knick’s Honor (Wesley Ho, Lynn Rarick)
- Street Beast (Luan Machado, Ben Colebrook)
- Brave Force (Vincent Cheminaud, Jack Sisterson)
- Royal Causeway (Cristian Torres, Dallas Stewart)
- Black Hornet (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh)
- Swerve (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux)
The Water Tower Stakes kicks off the $3 all-turf Pick 3 sequence, which also includes the $250,000 Tri-State Turf Sprint (Listed) in Race 8 and the $300,000 Green River Island (Listed) in Race 10.
