Azeri Is Upset by Mayo On The Side

Azeri, the 7-10 favorite, lost by a head to Mayo On The Side in the $280,250 Humana Distaff Handicap on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Azeri, the 2002 horse of the year, lost for the third time in 18 starts. The 6-year-old mare, ridden by Mike Smith, carried 125 pounds, 11 fewer than Mayo On The Side, who was ridden by Pat Day and paid $13. Randaroo ran third and Keiai Sakura was fourth in the four-horse field.

“I had to stop her twice, and that cost her,” Smith said of Azeri. “I had to take her up going away, then I had to go around on the backstretch. Still, my horse ran game and coming into the stretch I thought I was going to win.”

Smith said that Mayo On The Side passed Azeri near the wire, and Azeri came on again.

“My horse jumped past Azeri,” Day said, “then she kind of put her head up and waited on Azeri. Azeri came back and put a head in front, but fortunately we were running in the shadow of the wire and just got her.”

The time for seven furlongs over a track labeled fast was 1:22 3/5. A downpour hit Churchill Downs later, resulting in a sloppy track for the Kentucky Derby.

In other stakes on the card, Speightstown ran seven furlongs in 1:21 1/5 -- third-fastest clocking in the 70 runnings of the Churchill Downs Handicap -- to beat McCann’s Mojave by 3 1/2 lengths; Lunarpal won the $100,000 Three Chimneys Juvenile; Shaconage, paying $40.60, won the $100,000 Argent Mortgage; and Stroll outfinished Sweet Return in the $400,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic.

Congaree, the 9-10 favorite, ran fourth in the Churchill Downs Handicap.