Month: June 2023

Rattle N Roll, who broke from the inside post in a field of eight older horses, was bottled up along on the inside rail for most of the way in Saturday's  $225,000 Blame Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, but the 4-year-old colt found running room with three-sixteenths of mile to the finish and ran down Call Me Fast to win by 1 ¼ lengths on his way a third straight graded stakes victory.

Happy American was another three-quarters of a length back in third.

Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the winner for trainer Kenny McPeek and owner Michael J. Mackin's Lucky Seven Stable. Rattle N Roll clocked 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.93 over a  fast track.

Just two weeks ago, Rattle N Roll won the Pimlico Special (G3) by a nose on Black-Eyed Susan Day. Prior to that, he won the $300,000 Ben Ali (G3) at Keeneland by 1¼ lengths.

Barber Road, who finished sixth in last year's Kentucky Derby (G1), was a surprise leader early on setting fractions of :23.98, :48.35 and 1:12.19 with Grade 1 turf winner Santin applying mild pressure in his dirt debut.

Rattle N Roll advanced to third down the backstretch in tight quarters along the inside. He was full of run around the final turn but was trapped behind the leader Barber Road, who maintained his path while racing on the rail. When the field left the turn and hit the top of the stretch, Barber Road drifted out ever so slightly, which left a small inside opening for Rattle N Roll, who made contact with the rail while slipping through. Once clear, Rattle N Roll proved to be much the best as the 8-5 favorite.

“Two starts ago at Keeneland (Call Me Fast) closed late and we were able to hold him off,” Hernandez said. “Today, he got the first run on us, but once I tipped my horse outside at the eighth pole he really responded well and finished up strong. This win is a credit to Kenny and his team. This horse always seems to show up and run well and he came back today on quick rest. But, Kenny and his team had him ready to go.”

Favorites won five of the six stakes races at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Rattle N Roll returned $5.48, $3.18 and $2.66. Call Me Fast, ridden by Julien Leparoux at 9-2, paid $4.44 and $4.12. Happy American, 14-1 under James Graham, paid $5.48 to show.

After Happy American, it was Barber Road, Santin, Pioneer of Media, Cooke Creek and Masqueparade.

The victory was worth $135,280 and increased Rattle N Roll's bankroll to $1,501,141 with a record of 8-1-2 in 18 starts.

“I think this horse benefitted at the end of last year and into this year running in Grade IIs and Grade IIIs,” McPeek said. “It taught him to mature. Brian had this horse loaded at the rail and it got a little tight there in mid-stretch but it was a credit to him and the horse for being patient and getting room to close. Smile Happy and Rattle N Roll are both owned by the Mackin family and it's a good problem to have moving forward with two very strong caliber horses for the classic races.”

Rattle N Roll is a Kentucky-bred son of Connect out of the Johannesburg mare Jazz Tune. He was bred by St. Simon Place.

The Blame is named after the 2010 Eclipse Award-winning older horse that handed Zenyatta her lone defeat in that year's Breeders' Cup Classic (GI) at Churchill Downs.

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Juddmonte scored a graded stakes double Saturday at Churchill Downs when their venerable 7-year-old homebred gelding Set Piece collared pacesetter Get Smokin with a sixteenth of a mile to run and comfortably won Saturday's 87th running of the $206,750 Arlington Stakes (G3) by one length.

One race earlier, Idiomatic won the $224,750 Shawnee (G3). Florent Geroux rode both winners for trainer Brad Cox.

A multiple graded stakes winner across North America, British-bred Set Piece ran 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:42.42 to record his fifth victory beneath the Twin Spires and become racing's newest millionaire. His most notable triumph came in last year's $400,000 Wise Dan (G2).

Get Smokin, who also finished second in last year's Arlington, dictated the terms through comfortable early splits of :24.16. :48.96, and 1:13.31. Not exactly a setup, the closer Set Piece, was last in the field of the six older horses before he tipped out with a five-wide move at the top of the stretch. He charged home with a powerful late kick and drove past Get Smokin at the sixteenth pole under a hand ride.

“He's one of my favorite horses I've ridden,” Geroux said. “He has no early speed so it's always tough in bigger fields because you can't go super wide turning for home but if you stay too far on the inside you end up in trouble. He always tries hard and I'm so happy he was able to get a win today.”

Set Piece, off as the odds-on 3-5 favorite, paid $3.52 for the win. Get Smokin, a 15-1 outsider under Ricardo Santana Jr., was another three-quarters of a length back in third under Declan Cannon.

Classic Causeway, Royal Patronage, and Kentucky Ghost completed the running order. Tiberius Mercurius was scratched.

Set Piece earned $122,760 for the win and improved his career record to 12-2-2 in 27 starts with earnings of $1,068,683.

“He's a barn favorite of ours,” Cox said. “Juddmonte sent him over to our barn in North America a couple years ago and he's knocked at the door of a Grade 1 in the past. Today he rallied strongly against a pace that wasn't very fast at all. He loves it here at Churchill and we're very proud of his win today.”

Set Piece, a son of Dansili  out of the Kingmambo mare Portodora, was bred in Kentucky by his owner.

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Webslinger, owned by Leonard Green's D. J. Stable, showed his 22-1 longshot victory in the $500,000 American Turf (G2) on the Kentucky Derby card May 6 was no fluke as he rolled to a 1 ¼-length win over Mendelssohns March as the odds-on 3-5 favorite in the $225,000 Audubon Stakes (Listed) Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Webslinger, ridden by Javier Castellano and trained by Mark Casse, ran 1 1/8 miles over  firm turf in 1:49.87.

“I thought Javier gave him a beautiful trip in this race that was very paceless,” said David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse. “He's a horse that each time you run him he seems to get better. He's proven that in his last couple of efforts, but today's race was a bittersweet one. Lois Green, who was the matriarch of the owner's family, died earlier this week. She was a wonderful woman and our heart goes out to the entire Green family during this time. Hopefully, this win was able to give them a little bit of happiness during a difficult week for their family.”

Breaking from the outside in the field of seven 3-year-olds, Webslinger relaxed in fourth and in the clear behind Lazarus, who set the pace through fractions of :24.34 and :49.04. Around the far turn, Mendelssohns March was the first to challenge the leader as he slipped through an opening along the rail after six furlongs in 1:13.78. Soon thereafter, Webslinger made a four-wide move leaving the turn and swept to the front at the head of the stretch. He kicked on nicely down the lane for his second straight stakes win over the Matt Winn Turf Course.

“There wasn't a whole lot of speed in the race but he was traveling nicely throughout,” Castellano said. “He put himself in a good position turning for him and was able to dig in late. He's a very consistent horse and always seems to run well each time.”

The $136,520 first prize increased Webslinger's earnings to $860,320 from a record of 4-2-1 in 9 starts.

Webslinger paid $3.42 for the win. Mendelssohns March, with Brian Hernandez Jr. up and off at odds of 4-1, outfinished Desert Duke, who was a half-length back in third under Mitch Murrill.

Scoobie Quando, Sharar, J.P. Race, and Lazarus completed the order of finish.

Webslinger, a gelded son of Constitution out of the Hard Spun mare Arana, was bred in Kentucky by Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

The Audubon is named after the historic Louisville neighborhood, which was named after after naturalist and famed bird artist John James Audubon. The neighborhood is near Churchill Downs.

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