Blowout Scores Front-Running Victory In Churchill Distaff Turf Mile

In each of her last seven starts, Chad Brown-trained Blowout was in front in the early stages of her races, so it was not surprising to see jockey Flavien Prat put Peter Brant's 5-year-old Dansili mare in front when the field raced past the Churchill Downs grandstand for the first time in Saturday's Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile in Louisville, Ky.

When the field reached the far turn, with about three-eights of a mile to run, Blowout had opened a commanding lead of about eight lengths. It wasn't insurmountable, however, as the field began to close in on Blowout at the top of the stretch. New York Girl and Abscond looked as though they might run past the front-runner, and then New York Girl came flying late.

But Prat had just enough horsepower left to get to the finish in front with Blowout, crossing the wire with a half-length to spare in 1:36.30 for the one mile on firm turf. The fractions were :24.28, :48.39, 1:12.99 and 1:24.71. Irish-bred New York Girl, trained by Bill Mott and ridden by John Velazquez, finished second, a head in front of Brendan Walsh-trained Zofelle, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., The latter nosed out  Abscond, who finished fourth, with Got Storm fifth and She's Got You sixth. Jakarta was scratched.

Sent off as the 9-5 favorite, Blowout paid $5.80 for the win.

“She was running so easy up front and I thought the times were not that fast, so I was very happy,” said Prat. “Then when we came to the eighth pole, they all came after me and it looked like they might go by. But when she saw them, she regrouped and fired up again and we won it.”

Bred in England by the Wildenstein family's Dayton Investments Ltd., Blowout was produced from Deep Impact mare Beauty Parlour, winner of the 2012 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1,000 Guineas). She was purchased by Brant as a foal in Ireland at the Goffs November Sale in 2016.

“She has a tendency to wait on horses and we preferred to have a target but when the 1 scratched she found herself on the lead,” said Brown. “I thought Flavien did an excellent job settling her down, as you can see, she can be a little difficult to handle. I thought once they turned for home they were going to close in again and she was going to wait for horses but he said when she had the horses behind her, she kicked in again, thankfully. It's very rare for me (to have a horse build a big lead), as you know a lot of my horses come from off the pace but we learned with this horse to let her do her thing and that's where she wants to be. Mr. Brant was really determined to get a Grade 1 with her, it's a wonderful family; he owns the mother. She was so close in the Matriarch and she did what Blowout does when she makes the lead, she waits on horses. A lot of her defeats are not due to fatigue it's that she likes to wait on horses. She can be difficult; she wants to be forward, and she pulls, but she's actually better with a target. And it's hard to find two-turn races for her with a target because she's so fast. She had it momentarily in the Matriarch but when she surged to the lead, she lost it and waited. I thought that might happen today turning for home; as easy as the fractions were for her, :48, you'd think she'd be gone, and sure enough they closed in on her because she will wait for horses. I thought they'd (the others) be a little closer than that. I was surprised with how far in front she was at one point. But guided by the fractions, looking at it, from a stamina point there was no issue. At that point it was mental. She'll be heading to the Just a Game at Belmont next.”

Winner of three races, with seven seconds and one third from 11 starts, including the Wild Applause Stakes and Pebbles Stakes at Belmont Park in 2019, the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile was her first graded stakes score.

Prat first rode Blowout in her most recent start, the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar last Nov. 29, where she lost by a nose to Brown stablemate Viadera.

Owner Peter Brant (right) with Blowout and jockey Flavien Prat

 

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Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile Draws Multiple Grade 1 Winner Got Stormy

My Racehorse CA and Spendthrift Farm's Got Stormy heads a field of seven fillies and mares for the 36th running of the $500,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs, on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby.

The Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile will go as the day's sixth race with a 1:14 p.m. post time.

Trained by Mark Casse and featuring earnings of more than $2 million, Got Stormy will be making her second start in this race having finished second in 2019. A Grade 1 winner against males and females, Got Stormy opened her 2021 campaign with a nose victory over Saturday rival Zofelle in the Honey Fox (G3) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

A six-time graded stakes winner, Got Stormy will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and break from post five.

The field for the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile, with riders and weights from the rail out, is:

  1. Jakarta (Luis Saez, 118 pounds)
  2. She's Got You (Javier Castellano, 118)
  3. New York Girl (John Velazquez, 118)
  4. Zofelle (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118)
  5. Got Stormy (Tyler Gaffalione, 118)
  6. Blowout (Flavien Prat, 118)
  7. Abscond (Joel Rosario, 118)

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Beau Recall Runs Down Favored Newspaperofrecord In Churchill Distaff Turf Mile

Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing's Beau Recall was impressive late to upset Saturday's Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile at odds of 8-1, defending her 2019 title with a late move to pass 1-2 favorite Newspaperofrecord and win by about two lengths on the wire. Ridden by Manny Franco, the 6-year-old daughter of Sir Prancealot covered a mile over firm turf in 1:35.39.

It was trainer Brad Cox's fifth win in the past two days at Churchill Downs, after saddling a pair of maiden special weight winners in Travel Column and Essential Quality, Monomoy Girl to win the G1 La Troienne, and Shedaresthedevil to win the G1 Kentucky Oaks.

“I thought she had a big shot midway down the lane,” said Cox. “She did exactly what Manny (Franco) was instructed to do. He actually did exactly what Irad (Ortiz Jr.) did in the race last year when she won it. The race in California (the Grade II Yellow Ribbon Handicap) she never had a shot. I want to thank those owners for allowing her to run here at Churchill. She loves it here. We sort of knew coming into this week that it could be a big week for our stable. This is our home and to have this sort of weekend on the biggest stage in the sport is really special.”

Ridden for the first time by Javier Castellano, the Chad Brown-trained Newspaperofrecord went straight to the lead out of the gate. She pulled away to an easy two-length lead around the clubhouse turn, setting her own fractions of :23.99 and :47.93 under a moderate hold. Juliet Foxtrot and Belle Laura were up close in second and third, while La Signare, Beau Recall, and Daddy Is a Legend made up the rest of the field.

Rounding the far turn, La Signare was making up a lot of ground on the outside but never appeared to be a threat to the loose-on-the-lead Newspaperofrecord. The heavy favorite pulled away by several lengths at the top of the stretch, but appeared to idle on the front and was caught by the giant late rally of Beau Recall.

Beau Recall blew by Newspaperofrecord in the final sixteenth, crossing the wire about two lengths in front. Newspaperofrecord had to settle for second, with La Signare checking in third. Juliet Foxtrot finished fourth.

“She knows how to get it done,” Franco said. “I just rode her with confidence. I let her have the target in front of us. I was patient until we got in the clear and that's when I asked her to run and she just exploded.”

Bred in Ireland by Tom Wallace, Beau Recall is out of the Great Commotion mare Greta d'Argent. She was a $19,025 yearling at the Tattersalles Ireland sale, and broke her maiden in her home country before shipping to the United States. Under the care of trainer Simon Callaghan, the mare tallied a Grade 2 victory and a trio of graded stakes placings through November of 2018, and then was transferred to trainer Brad Cox.

Beau Recall won a listed stakes at the Fair Grounds, then was entered in the 2019 Keeneland January sale but did not meet her reserve when bidding stopped at $385,000. She returned to the track and racked up wins in the G2 Distaff Turf Mile and G2 Yellow Ribbon in 2019, and this year's edition of the Distaff Turf Mile is her first victory of 2020.

Overall, Beau Recall's record stands at 8-8-0 from 29 starts for earnings of over $1.4 million.

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