Ideally positioned in third early, Double O Racing's Foreign Relations grabbed the lead and drove clear in midstretch to win the $225,000 Louisville Stakes (G3) Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Ridden by Declan Cannon for trainer Conor Murphy, Foreign Relations was making his stakes debut and earned his second win overall from seven career starts.
Early on, Foreign Relations tracked Time for Trouble and English Conqueror, who led the field through pedestrian fractions of :25.58, :52.48, 1:19.33, 1:45.31, and 2:09.51. Around the final turn, chestnut gelding ranged into contention with a three-wide move, poked his head in front before the final furlong and kicked home strongly for the win.
Foreign Relations, who won by 1½ lengths, paid $16.80 after finishing 1½ miles in 2:32.47 on turf rated as good.
Favorite Limited Liability, who vied for finished second in the final sixteenth, outfinished English Conqueror by a half length.
A 5-year-old son of Karakontie out of the Mr. Sidney mare Quest, Foreign Relations was bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd.
His owners picked him up for $25,000 at the 2020 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, where Pedro Bernal Perez consigned him.
The $132,800 winner's share of the Louisville purse boosted Foreign Relations' lifetime purse earnings to $197,021.
Louisville Quotes
Declan Cannon (jockey, Foreign Relations, winner) – “I sat a really good trip just off the early pace. Down the lane he really tried hard to the wire. I think Connor (Murphy) and his team found out what this horse likes doing best going long on the grass.”
Connor Murphy (trainer, Foreign Relations, winner) – “This horse can be a little bit quirky and I was thankful to get Declan on him because he knows him well. He's worked him in the mornings and rode him in the past. We entered him in an allowance race but actually scratched to go in the Louisville. The allowance was going a little shorter than this race (1 3/16 miles). We broke his maiden at Turfway a couple starts back and knew his best distance would be a mile-and-a-half on the grass. He really ran well today and we're very proud of his effort.”
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