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Mintd Runs Down Juliet Foxtrot For 12-1 Mint Julep Surprise

Getting a ground-saving trip under Ricardo Santana Jr., Irish-bred Mintd was up in the final sixteenth of a mile to deliver a 12-1 upset of 1-2 favorite Juliet Foxtrot in Saturday's Grade 3 Mint Julep Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky..

Trained by Brendan Walsh for the partnership of Bradley Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables LLC, Team Hanley, Tim and Anna Cambron, Mintd covered 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:43.92, winning by a half length. Juliet Foxtrot, coming off a G1 victory in the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in April, finished second under Tyler Gaffalione, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of She'sonthewarpath. They were followed by Handy Woods, Vezpa, Tuned, Lashara and Flash n' Dance in the field of eight fillies and mares, four years old and up. Crystal Ball, Dominga and Sister Hanan were scratched.

Mintd, a 5-year-old mare by Olympic Glory, was registering her first stakes victory in nine career starts – the first four in her native Ireland and five U.S. starts since March 2020. She paid $27.20 to win.

Longshot Flash n' Dance led the field of eight fillies and mares through early fractions of :23.90 and :48.66 as Juliet Foxtrot (GB) tracked from second with Hendy Woods in the clear in third and Mintd (GB) rated along the inside in fourth.

Juliet Foxtrot put away the pacesetter while leaving the far turn in 1:13.41 for six furlongs. The odds-on favorite spurted clear at the head of the stretch but Mintd was determined down the lane, drew within a half-length of Juliet Foxtrot (GB) at the sixteenth pole and put her away in the final yards for the win.

“Brendan and his team were very confident in this filly today, which gave me a lot of confidence as well,” Santana said. “I tried to keep her close to the early pace and we had a great trip.”

“It was a tough field on paper with a lot of nice fillies and mares entered,” said Walsh. “This horse has been very progressive in her development. She ran a great race on Kentucky Oaks Day and had a beautiful breeze over the turf (at Churchill Downs). I thought we had a good chance against some very nice fillies and Ricardo gave her a fantastic ride.”

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‘Rock The Downs’ This Saturday At Downs After Dark

Churchill Downs will get loud Saturday night as the Louisville, Ky. racetrack hosts the final Downs After Dark presented by Budweiser of the Spring Meet.

The theme for Saturday night's Downs After Dark is “Rock the Downs.” Guests are encouraged to break out their best rocker wear with vintage band T's, leather jackets, denim, plaid or even glam as they catch the grooves and dance to favorite rock covers between live races.

The first race on the 11-race nighttime card is 6 p.m. (all times Eastern).

The spacious 30,000-square-foot Plaza adjacent to the saddling paddock will be the heartbeat of the party. There will be live music on the Plaza Stage throughout the night, including Amos Hopkins & Friends from 5:30-8 p.m. and classic rock hits from Aerosmith to ZZ Top and every rock band in between by Rock United from 8:30-11:30 p.m.

Other features events include CirqueLouis Stilt Walkers, LED Jugglers, and three between-race music performances from the Pagoda as local actors perform rock ballads from the jukebox musical We Will Rock You. Additionally, there will be a laser light show on the facades of Churchill Downs' clubhouse once the sun sets.

Two specialty cocktails will be sold at the Old Forester Paddock Bar and Spend a Buck Bar on the second floor of the Clubhouse in the Food Court. “All Started With the Blues” is a tribute to legendary American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Robert Johnson and features Old Forester, Sweet Tea, Lemonade, Triple Sec and a Lemon and Mint garnish. “The Wolfman” is an homage to the legendary rock disc jockey and includes Finlandia Vodka, Chambord, Lemonade and a Blackberries garnish.

Admission gates will open Saturday at 5 p.m. and the first race is 6 p.m. The final race will be 11:10 p.m. and the on-track party will continue in the Plaza area until 11:30 p.m. The last call for alcohol will be post time for the final race of night.

Saturday's marquee entertainment event is paired with stellar horse racing, including the $150,000 Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes (Grade 3) for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

According to the National Weather Service, Saturday's forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high near 90.

General admission to Downs After Dark is $12 and it includes an official program. No one under the age of 18 will be admitted to the track unless they are accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Limited premium dining packages are available starting at $69 per person. Outdoor-third floor box seats are on sale for $27 per person. Reserved seating can be purchased online at www.ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets.

Churchill Downs will be back to normal with no restrictions starting Friday as the Commonwealth of Kentucky is slated to allow Kentucky businesses, venues and events to return to full capacity.

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Grade 1 Winner Juliet Foxtrot Headlines Mint Julep, Saturday’s Downs After Dark Feature

Juddmonte's Grade 1-winning homebred Juliet Foxtrot (GB) leads a field of 11 fillies and mares that were entered in Saturday night's $150,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile Old Forester Mint Julep, run over the Matt Winn Turf Course, is carded as Race 9 with a post time of 10:11 p.m. (all times Eastern). The 11-race Downs After Dark program gets underway at 6 p.m.

Juliet Foxtrot, trained by Brad Cox, cruised to a two-length victory in the April 10 Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland. The daughter of Dansili (GB) was transferred to the care of Cox in 2019 from European-based conditioner Charles Hills. Since arriving stateside, Juliet Foxtrot has run some of her best races including victories in the 2019 Modesty (G3) and the 2020 Gallorette (G3).

The six-time winner will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione from post No. 2.

Other top horses that entered the Mint Julep are Robert and Lawana Low's four-time stakes heroine She'sonthewarpath and Stonestreet Stables' $150,000 Indiana Grand Stakes winner Hendy Woods.

The complete field for the Old Forester Mint Julep from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

Mintd (IRE) (Ricardo Santana Jr., Brendan Walsh)
Juliet Foxtrot (GB) (Gaffalione, Cox)
Hendy Woods (Florent Geroux, Mark Casse)
Vezpa (BRZ) (Joe Talamo, Paulo Lobo)
Lashara (GB) (Julien Leparoux, Mark Casse)
Dominga (Shaun Bridgmohan, Cox)
Flash n' Dance (Marcelino Pedroza, Marcus O'Donnell)
Tuned (GB) (David Cohen, Graham Motion)
Crystal Ball (James Graham, Rodolphe Brisset)
Sister Hanan (Corey Lanerie, Ben Colebrook)
She'sonthewarpath (Adam Beschizza, Steve Margolis)

Wagering is available online at www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Saturday is Downs After Dark – Rock the Downs presented by Budweiser. The evening of entertainment features live racing, music from Rock United on the Plaza Stage, themed cocktail specials, LED jugglers and stilt walkers from CirqueLouis and music performances from the Pagoda. Guests are encouraged to break out their best rocker wear including vintage band shirts, leather jackets, denim, plaid or even glam.

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