“It's some form of a consolation prize, but obviously not why we were here,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher told NBC's Nick Luck after Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Up to the Mark scored a 3 3/4-length victory under Irad Ortiz Jr. in Saturday's Grade 1, $1-million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday.
The Turf Classic, inaugurated in 1987 after Churchill Downs installed its infield turf, immediately preceded the 149th running of the G1 Kentucky Derby. The Repole-St. Elias ownership tandem, Pletcher, and Ortiz would have been represented in the Derby by pre-race favorite Forte, but the son of Violence was scratched on the morning of the race with a foot bruise.
Winning his first stakes and fourth race overall from nine starts, Up to the Mark completed nine furlongs on firm turf in 1:47.31. The Kentucky-bred son of Not This Time out of Belle's Finale, by Ghostzapper, paid $7.26 to win as the favorite in the field of eight older runners that included just one prior G1 winner, Santin.
Hong Kong Harry rallied for second under Flavien Prat, with Spooky Channel and Joel Rosario 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Ocean Antique, under Juan Hernandez, was fourth, with Santin and Tyler Gaffalione fifth, Wolfie's Dynaghost sixth, Earls Rock seventh, and Bye Bye Melvin eighth. Master Piece and Steady On were scratched.
Ortiz allowed Up to the Mark to settle into sixth position in the early going as Manny Franco urged Bye Bye Melvin to the lead from the outside post. Bye Bye Melvin set fractions of :23.91, :48.03, and 1:11.65 through the opening six furlongs, with Santin in closest pursuit.
Gaffalione, aboard Santin, turned up the pressure on the front-runner entering the far turn and smoothly moved to the lead. Ortiz, with a ton of horse under him, swung Up to the Mark four wide into the stretch and quickly pounced on Santin, putting his head in front at the furlong pole, with the opening mile clocked in 1:35.44.
Irish-bred Hong Kong Harry, shipping to Kentucky from California for trainer Phil D'Amato, had just one horse beat in the run down the backstretch, Spooky Channel, and those two closed to get the minor awards.
Bred by Ramspring Farm, Up to the Mark was purchased for $450,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale from Taylor Made Sales Agency. He didn't debut until July of his 3-year-old season, winning a Saratoga maiden race on a sloppy track but lost his next four starts.
Switched to the turf in January, the bay colt ran off two consecutive allowance/optional claiming wins at Gulfstream Park, then finished third behind Chez Pierre and 2022 male turf champion Modern Games in the G1 Makers Mark Mile at Keeneland April 14.
This was Pletcher's third Turf Classic victory, following wins by English Channel in 2006 and Colonel Liam in a dead-heat with Domestic Spending in 2021.
The post Forte’s Connections Win ‘Consolation Prize’ In Turf Classic With Up To The Mark appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
