Einstein gets terrible trip in Stephen Foster

Ouch!! Anyone see that horrendous trip that Einstein got in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs? Ridden by Julien Leparoux, the 7-year-old Brazilian-bred checked around the first turn and then was continually shut out of racing room through the stretch until it was too late. Macho Again, at 7-1, had taken control on the outside by the time Leparoux found room. Einstein wound up third with Asiatic Boy taking second.

So, with the defeat, Lava Man is still the only horse to win Grade 1 races on all three surfaces -- artificial, turf and dirt. The popular gelding accomplished the feat over a two-year period, whereas Einstein was bidding to become the first horse to win all three in the same calendar year. I think he'll get another chance. Perhaps the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in the fall?

Einstein, still one of the early leading contenders for Horse of the Year, went postward at 6-5.