Churchill Downs | Horse Racing Free Tips

Travel Column Becomes First Graded Winner for Frosted in Golden Rod

Travel Column (Frosted) endured a checkered passage–to say the least–in Saturday’s GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill Downs, but showed a fair bit of courage to hit the wire first.

A half-step slow out of the gates and pinched back soon after, Travel Column was last to make the clubhouse turn and was taken hold of by Florent Geroux as Farsighted (Bernardini) took them along at a sensible clip. The $850,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga acquisition was slipped a bit of rein at about midway and improved her position into midfield and within striking distance as they hit the turn. Going well as they neared the stretch, Travel Column had absolutely nowhere to go at the three-sixteenths and was carefully maneuvered across three sets of heels to lay down a four-path challenge in the final furlong. Recent debut winner Clariere (Curlin) hit the front with time ticking away, but Travel Column had the answers and raced past that one en route to a determined success. Odds-on Simply Ravishing (Laoban), a close fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 6, was also tardily into stride and raced prominently. She took command a fair way out, but was a sitting duck late and could not hang on for a top-three finish.

Travel Column made her first trip to the races on the Kentucky Oaks undercard Sept. 4, sailing home a 4 1/4-length winner of a six-furlong maiden to become a ‘TDN Rising Star.’ Taking the next logical step in Keeneland’s GI Darley Alcibiades S. Oct. 2, she missed the kick, sat a midfield trip and made minor inroads late to be third behind Simply Ravishing.

Pedigree Notes:
Travel Column was offered through the consignment of her co-breeder Denali Stud at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, and her hammer price ranked as the most expensive of her sire’s 67 first-crop yearlings reported as sold in 2019. The second black-type winner (Frosted’s Australian-bred son Ingratiating was a listed winner at first asking at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne Oct. 3) and first graded winner, Travel Column is a half-sister to an American Pharoah colt that fetched $1.25 million from Speedway Stables to be the second most expensive horse at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase in September. Swingit is the dam of a weanling colt by City of Light and was bred back to Audible.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
GOLDEN ROD S.-GII, $200,000, Churchill Downs, 11-28, 2yo, f,
1 1/16m, 1:43.98, ft.
1–TRAVEL COLUMN, 122, f, 2, by Frosted
1st Dam: Swingit (MSW, $345,353), by Victory Gallop
2nd Dam: Free Ransom, by Our Native
3rd Dam: Pay the Ransom, by J. O. Tobin
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($850,000
Ylg ’19 FTSAUG). ‘TDN Rising Star’ O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Mr. &
Mrs. Bayne Welker Jr. & Denali Stud (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Florent Geroux. $119,040. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1,
$209,184. *1/2 to Neolithic (Harlan’s Holiday), G1SP-UAE,
MGISP-USA, $2,278,028. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Clairiere, 122, f, 2, Curlin–Cavorting, by Bernardini.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $38,400.
3–Coach, 122, f, 2, Commissioner–And Stay Out, by Exchange
Rate. ($65,000 Ylg ’19 FTKOCT). O-Kueber Racing, LLC; B-Three
Lyons Racing LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $19,200.
Margins: 1, 2HF, HF. Odds: 4.90, 5.00, 6.30.
Also Ran: Simply Ravishing, Princess Theorem, Alexandria, Lady Lilly, Lady Traveler, Farsighted. Scratched: No Mo’ Spending. 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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Pegasus World Cup Is ‘Likely Next Spot’ For Newly-Minted Grade 1 Winner Bodexpress

Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable's Bodexpress is set to make his return journey to South Florida on Monday following his 11-1 upset victory in Friday's Grade 1, $500,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare at Churchill Downs

“Everything is good,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., the assistant to his father. “He'll spend a few days in Ocala, Fla. before returning to Gulfstream Park West. Gulfstream Park is our home track. So, the likely next spot could be the ($3 million) Pegasus (G1).”

Bodexpress, most known for his antics in the 2019 Preakness Stakes, gave jockey Rafael Bejarano his first victory in the Clark.

“It means a lot to my career to win this race,” Bejarano said. “I spent many years at Churchill in the past and this was always a big race to win in the Fall Meet. I'm glad we were able to do so now that I'm back home in Kentucky.”

Bodexpress improved his overall record to 4-4-3 through 17 starts. The 4-year-old son of Bodemeister has now banked $694,600 in earnings.

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Nov. 29 Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

BROWN UNVEILS JUDDMONTE BLUEBLOOD

5th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:46p.m.

Juddmonte homebred PRECIPITATE (Pioneerof the Nile) makes her career bow for trainer Chad Brown. Her dam is a half-sister to champion Close Hatches (First Defence), who is the dam of MGSW & MGISP Tacitus (Tapit); and to SW & MGISP Lockdown (First Defence). The dark bay prepped for this with a best-of-188 half-mile in :48 flat over the Belmont training track Nov. 22. Michael Trombetta unveils a half-sister to last year’s GI Breeders’ Dirt Mile Spun to Run (Hard Spun) in Paradise Song (Frosted). She is also a half-sister to SW Tap It All (Tapizar).

TJCIS PPs

HALF TO MUCHO MACHO MAN DEBUTS

6th-CD, $85K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 3:27 p.m.

Dallas Stewart unveils the latest sibling to GI Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno) in AMERICAN CITIZEN (American Pharoah). In addition to that earner of over $5.6-million, the bay is a half to GSW Marconi (Tapit), a $2-million KEESEP buy, and SW Southern Girl (Tapit). TJCIS PPs

PRICEY TAPIT FILLY MAKES CAREER BOW

11th-CD, $85K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 5:56 p.m.

Michael and Katherine Ball went to $600,000 at KEESEP to acquire CLOSET SHOPPER (Tapit), who debuts here for Ben Colebrook. Her dam is a full-sister to GISW Sweet Lulu (Mr. Greeley); and a half to MGSW & GISP Anchor Down (Tapit) and GSW Iron Fist (Tapit). Steve Asmussen unveils another juvenile of intrigue in Fold Em (Curlin), who is a full to MGSW & MGISP Tenfold. TJCIS PPs

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Bodexpress Upsets Clark At 11-1 For First Career Stakes Win; Eyes Pegasus Next

Bodexpress, who made headlines as the riderless horse in the 2019 Preakness, is now a Grade 1 winner. The 4-year-old colt grabbed the lead with three-sixteenths of a mile to run and turned back a challenge from 8-5 favorite Code of Honor to win Friday's 146^th running of the $500,000 Clark Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade 1) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., by one length.

Owned by Top Racing LLC (Lucas Noriega), Global Thoroughbred (Rafael Celis) and GDS Racing Stable (Gustavo Delgado), Bodexpress clocked 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.12 under jockey Rafael Bejarano, who rode the winner for trainer Gustavo Delgado. Son Gustavo Delgado Jr. was on hand to saddle the winner for his father.

The lofty $282,100 first prize lifted the bay Kentucky-bred's earnings to $694,600 from a record of 4-4-3 in 17 starts.

“This is a different horse than we saw last year during the Triple Crown campaign,” Delgado Jr. said. “He's really matured. Turning for home I thought we had a really good shot. The horse deserves this most of all. I'm very happy for everyone involved but we are so happy for Bodexpress.”

Breaking from post position No. 8 in the full field of 14, Bodexpress was forwardly placed throughout the race. Phantom Currency dictated the early pace (:23.39 and :47.94) and had a 1 ½-length advantage on Bodexpress leaving the first turn into the backstretch run. Mr Freeze found room along the rail and raced alongside Bodexpress. The trio bunched around the far turn and the leader began to fade. Mr Freeze briefly took over after six furlongs in 1:12.77 but Bodexpress made a three-wide move, stuck a nose in front at the three-sixteenths pole and inched clear inside the final furlong. Code of Honor made a four-wide bid down the stretch but did not have enough to get by the winner.

“This horse just showed so much run today,” Bejarano said. “I'm so proud of him. (Phantom Currency) was going so fast on the lead and we were able to sit a really good trip just behind him. He relaxed very nicely for me and turning for home I could feel I still had a lot of horse underneath me. He had a lot of energy in deep stretch when we needed it to hold off the rest of the horses. It's very special winning a race like this returning to Kentucky to ride this year. This is my home and we've had a lot of success here in my career. This was very special.”

Bodexpress, at odds of 11-1, rewarded his backers with mutuels of $25.40, $10.60 and $7. Code of Honor, with John Velazquez up, returned $4 and $3. Owendale, under Florent Geroux, was another length back in third and paid $3.80 to show.

“We got into a good spot on the backstretch in between horses,” Velazquez said of Code of Honor. “We were chasing the speed of (Phantom Currency) and turning for home we didn't have a lot of room. When I finally got a spot to run around the eighth pole, (Bodexpress) kept going and we weren't able to catch him.”

Coastal Defense finished fourth and was followed by Mr Freeze, Silver Prospector, By My Standards, Bourbon Calling, Crafty Daddy, Title Ready, Multiplier, Aurelius Maximus, Plus Que Parfait and Phantom Currency. In Love (BRZ) was scratched from the also-eligible list.

This was the first stakes victory for Bodexpress, who entered the race off a dominating 11 ¼-length allowance win over 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park West on Oct. 17.

Bodexpress qualified to the 2019 Kentucky Derby (GI) as a maiden with a second place finish behind Maximum Security in that year's $1 million Florida Derby (GI). He placed 13^th in the Derby and, two weeks later, unseated jockey John Velazquez when he reared at the start of the Preakness. He galloped around the track far removed from the inner rail and became a social media sensation.

Next up for Bodexpress is a likely run in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (GI) at Gulfstream on Jan. 23.

Bodexpress is son of Bodemeister out of the City Zip mare Pied a Terre and was bred by Martha Jane Mulholland.

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