Gun Runner returns to his old Kentucky home

Churchill Downs: Stephen Foster Handicap (Grade 1) 1m1f | dirt | 3yo+ (Sunday 2.43am BST)

Dubai World Cup runner-up Gun Runner (Steve Asmussen/Florent Geroux) is the star attraction as the four-year-old returns to domestic action under the floodlights at Churchill Downs in the Stephen Foster, the Grade 1 event that remembers the composer of the Kentucky Derby anthem, My Old Kentucky Home.

Gun Runner shoulders top weight against seven rivals in the $500,000 contest. On the plus side, however, he won a similar contest in the Clark Handicap at the same venue in November – and he won't be facing anything in the calibre of world champion Arrogate, who beat him by a couple of lengths at Meydan after a spectacular last-to-first charge.

Gun Runner, though, was five lengths clear of the third in Dubai and will surely be a tough nut to crack given the consistently high standard of his form overall – he won three more Graded stakes last term, when he was second in both the Pennsylvania Derby and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, and third in the Kentucky Derby.

"Gun Runner was a completely different horse last year during his three-year-old campaign," said trainer Steve Asmussen, who won the 2008 Stephen Foster with dual Horse of the Year Curlin.

"He has physically developed into a different animal. We knew with his type of running style and pedigree that he would keep getting better over time. We gave him a break after he ran in Dubai and he’s been training smoothly ever since; we're excited to run him."

The favourite's opponents are headed by front-runner Bird Song (Ian Wilkes/Julien Leparoux) and Honorable Duty (Brendan Walsh/Javier Castellano), one-two in the Grade 2 Alysheba on the Kentucky Oaks undercard, and Stanford (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez), who represents the Coolmore partnership of Michael Tabor, Sue Magnier and Derrick Smith.

Clark runner-up Breaking Lucky (Reade Baker/Luis Contreras) also tries his luck again – and he has a 7lb pull for

Also on Saturday

Churchill Downs: Fleur de Lis Handicap (Grade 2) 1m1f | dirt | 3yo+ f/m (Sunday 2.09am BST)

Dual Grade 1 winner Forever Unbridled (Dallas Stewart/Joel Rosario), last seen when third in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, kicks off her five-year-old campaign here, breaking from the rail against eight rivals under top-weight.

The presence of Big World (Tom Amoss/Florent Geroux) and Romantic Vision (Rusty Arnold/Julien Leparoux), one-two in the Grade 1 La Troienne on Kentucky Oaks day, make this no cakewalk after a seven-month absence.

Churchill Downs: Matt Winn Stakes (Grade 3) 1m½f | dirt | 3yo (Sunday 1.03am BST)

Unseen since his disappointing eighth in the Kentucky Derby, McCraken (Ian Wilkes/Brian Hernandez) returns to action in the race that honours the 'father' of Churchill Downs, Colonel Matt Winn, the former racecourse president largely credited with making the venue and its signature race what they are today.