Barry Geraghty: Jockey announces retirement aged 40
Leading Irish jump jockey Barry Geraghty announces his retirement aged 40.
Statement Victory for Art Collector in Blue Grass Stakes
Art Collector  painted a rosy picture for his Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve prospects by defeating 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver and 11 other colts and geldings in the $600,000 Toyota Blue Gra
Art Collector Emerges As a Kentucky Derby Contender With Blue Grass Triumph
Bruce Lunsford's homebred Bernardini colt, Art Collector, threw his hat into the ring for the Kentucky Derby with a victory over top 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver in Saturday's Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.
Trained by Thomas Drury and ridden by Brian Hernandez, Art Collector sat just behind Swiss Skydiver and jockey Mike Smith, took command in mid-stretch and drew away to win by about three lengths in 1:48.11 for nine furlongs on a fast track. Swiss Skydiver, coming off three consecutive graded stakes wins over fillies, finished second, with Rushie third, Enforceable fourth and Attachment Rate fifth in the field of 13 3-year-olds.
The top four finishers earned 100-40-20-10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, to be run on Sept. 5.
The Blue Grass was the first stakes victory for Art Collector, who was coming off back-to-back allowance wins at Churchill Downs. This was trainer Drury's first graded stakes win as well.
Shivaree, breaking from the inside post, took the early lead, outrunning Swiss Skydiver to the first turn and setting an opening quarter mile fraction of :23.25. Swiss Skydiver took over the in the run down the backstretch after a half mile in :46.61, with Art Collector just behind that pair in third.
Going into the far turn, Swiss Skydiver continued to control the pace, but Art Collector and Rushie began to apply more pressure. After six furlongs in 1:10.63, Art Collector remained the primary challenger for Swiss Skydiver. He ranged up alongside the filly in mid stretch after a mile in 1:35.31, then gradually pulled away in the final sixteenth.
Art Collector, produced from the Distorted Humor mare Distorted Legacy, broke his maiden on turf at Kentucky Downs in his second start when under the care of Joe Sharp. After a seventh-place finish on turf in the G3 Bourbon Stakes, Sharp moved Art Collector to dirt, where the colt finished sixth and then first in two races at Churchill Downs last November. He was disqualified from the win for a medication violation and Lunsford subsequently moved the horse to Drury's care.
Art Collector won  a May 17 allowance sprint at Churchill Downs, coming from off the pace, then wired a four-horse field on June 13, his final start before the Blue Grass.
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Art Collector Draws Away in Blue Grass
Bruce Lunsford homebred Art Collector (Bernardini) put his name in the hat for the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby with a victory in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Saturday. Engaged in a three-way duel for control through the opening stages, the 2-1 shot ended up a close third just off MGSW filly Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and Shivaree (Awesome of Course) as the first quarter went in :23.25. Maintaining that position while running off the fence through a :46.61 half-mile, the dark bay ranged up menacingly outside of Swiss Skydiver with 10 charging up behind as Shivaree called it quits with three-eighths left to run. Swiss Skydiver turner for home in front, but Art Collector was right with her and those two drew away from the rest of the field down the lane. Art Collector shrugged free of the filly in the final sixteenth and rolled clear to a 3 1/2-length victory. Swiss Skydiver held second over Rushie (Liam’s Map).
“It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster ride,” said trainer Tom Drury. “Everybody was fighting the same thing with COVID-19 and the uncertainty. I’m at a loss for words. It takes a village to get these things; there’s a lot of people who have done their part. I’m just honored to be able to share this with my staff and everyone that worked to get him here.”
As for the Derby, Drury said, “It took me my whole life just to get to this one win. I’m going to enjoy this one and we’ll worry about that tomorrow.”
Graduating at second asking on turf at Kentucky Downs last September, Art Collector was seventh in the GIII Bourbon S. on grass at Keeneland last October and was sixth in his first try on dirt in November at Churchill Downs. He romped by 7 1/2 lengths in a six-panel event in the slop on the Churchill main track Nov. 30, but was disqualified from purse money after a positive test for previous trainer Joe Sharp. Transferred to Tom Drury after that, Art Collector won a seven-furlong test at Churchill Downs May 17 and won by 6 1/2 lengths when stretched to 1 1/16 miles in Louisville June 13.
Pedigree Notes:
Art Collector is the 46th graded stakes winner for 2006 champion 3-year-old colt Bernardini, a reliable conduit of A.P. Indy. He is also the third of Bernardini’s 75 black-type winners specifically out of a Distorted Humor mare, including 2017 GI Vosburgh S. winner Takaful. Additionally, Art Collector was the second graded winner of the day at Keeneland out of a daughter of Distorted Humor, following Guarana’s win in the Madison. Bruce Lunsford bred Art Collector and his dam Distorted Legacy, a half to Lunsford-bred GSW and 1999 GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. runner-up Vision and Verse (Storm Cat), but they are originally from a multi-generation Greentree Stud family. Distorted Legacy’s granddam is a half-sister to the Greentree stars and later sires Hatchet Man (The Axe II) and Stop the Music (Hail to Reason). Lunsford has gotten colts the last two years out of Distorted Legacy, both by Into Mischief.
Saturday, Keeneland
TOYOTA BLUE GRASS S.-GII, $600,000, Keeneland, 7-11, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.11, ft.
1–ART COLLECTOR, 123, c, 3, by Bernardini
1st Dam: Distorted Legacy (SW & GISP, $421,466), by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Bunting, by Private Account
3rd Dam: Flag Waver, by Hoist the Flag
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Bruce Lunsford (KY); T-Thomas Drury, Jr.; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. $360,000. Lifetime Record: 8-4-1-0, $548,475. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ * Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Swiss Skydiver, 118, f, 3, Daredevil–Expo Gold, by Johannesburg. ($35,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Peter J. Callahan; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $120,000.
3–Rushie, 123, c, 3, Liam’s Map–Conquest Angel, by Colonel John. ($70,000 2yo ’19 OBSMAR). O-Jim & Donna Daniell; B-Ocala Stud (FL); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $60,000.
Margins: 3HF, 4 3/4, NK. Odds: 2.30, 2.20, 7.30.
Also Ran: Enforceable, Attachment Rate, Mr. Big News, Finnick the Fierce, Tiesto, Hard Lighting, Basin, Shivaree, Hunt the Front, Man in the Can.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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