Harrell Ventures' Main Event took charge soon after the start and led at every point of call to win in the $200,000 Kent Stakes (G3) Saturday at Delaware Park.
Jockey Eric Cancel guided Main Event to the front immediately in the 1 1/8 mile turf test for 3-year-olds, and the Bernardini colt was hounded throughout the early stages by Uncle Irish, who eventually faded to last. He asserted his dominance rounding the far turn, opening up by three lengths in early stretch, and held his command for a 1 ½-length triumph, his first graded stakes win.
French-bred Elizar, a maiden winner who was the 8-5 favorite after an unplaced finish at Belmont Park in the Penine Ridge (G2) June 4 in only his second start, settled next to last in the field of seven for the early running. He came four wide at the top of the stretch, and rallied strongly at the sixteenths pole before finishing second, three-quarter of a length in front of third-place finisher Tommy Bee.
Main Event, who is trained by George Weaver, covered the distance in 1:48:74 on turf rated as firm. He returned $10.60.
“I had a dream trip,” Cancel said. “I wanted to be forwardly placed with this horse because his best races have been on the lead or really close. I knew there was a lot of speed in the race, but I knew my horse was very game so I took it to them early. If they were going to beat me, they would have had to beat me running. Once I started making the turn at the three-eighths, I felt I still had plenty of horse so I let him go to get him more comfortable. By the quarter pole he kind of stayed steady like he was waiting for horses so I just tried to give him a very confident ride to the end.”
Since being moved to turf this year, Main Event broke his maiden January 30 at Gulfstream Park, then was second by a neck in the Palm Beach Stakes there March 5 before earning black type with victory in the Cutler Bay Stakes April 2. He came into the Kent after a lackluster ninth in the American Turf Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs May 7 but was ready to win Saturday.
With $120,000 winner's share of the Kent purse, Main Event earning improve to $246,333. He was a $130,000 purchase by agent Steve Young at the 2021 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds In Training. His career was launched later that year at Aqueduct, where he was unplaced in two maiden special weight races on dirt.
Bred in Kentucky by Godolphin and Eric and Elizabeth Buckley. Main Event is out of the Unbridled's Song mare, Total Knockout.
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