Strike Power to Stand in Louisiana

GSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Strike Power (Speightstown–Gold d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) was purchased by breeder Nathan Granger in partnership with Jay Adcock's Red River Farm, where he will stand stud in Louisiana. The deal was brokered by Jack Brothers of Hidden Brook Farm. He will stand the 2022 season for $2,000 LFSN.

Owned and bred by Don and Donna Adam's Courtlandt Farm, Strike Power retires with a record of 20-4-4-1 and earnings of $497,935. His career was highlighted by a win in the 2018 GIII Swale S.

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Bango Just Holds On In Kelly’s Landing; Art Collector Finishes Sixth

Tamaroak Partners LLC's 4-year-old homebred colt Bango tracked pacesetter Strike Power, took the lead from that rival at the top of the stretch and then held off a determined late run from Mucho to win Friday's 11th running of the $107,025 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs by a nose. Last year's Blue Grass (G2) winner Art Collector, the 6-5 favorite who made his first start of the year, finished a non-threatening sixth.

Trained by Greg Foley and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Bango ran seven furlongs over a fast track in 1:21.25 to collect his second stakes win of the meet. Previously, he held off fellow Kelly's Landing rival Long Range Toddy to win the $150,000 Aristides (Listed) by a half-length on May 29.

Friday's triumph was worth $65,640 and boosted Bango's bankroll to $459,197 with a record of 18-7-1-1. Six of his victories have come in nine starts at Churchill Downs.

“This is why we get up early in the morning and do our job,” Foley said. “It makes it all worth it when horses like this run as well as they do. Bango loves Churchill Downs. He's a neat little horse and Tyler gave him a great ride.”

Strike Power led the field of nine older horses through early splits of :22.63 and :45.32 with Bango rating comfortably in third from the outside. Around the turn, Bango ranged into contention and grabbed a slight lead from the early leader with a furlong to run. The winner put away Strike Power at the sixteenth pole but a fierce late run by Mucho triggered a photo finish at the wire.

“There was a little bit of speed to our inside so I just let him get settled down the backside,” Gaffalione said. “We got into a great position and I wanted to make sure I got the jump on the closers. He held on well and ran a big race.”

Bango is a son of Congrats out of the Smart Strike mare Josaka and was bred in Kentucky by her owners Fred and Debbie Schwartz who campaign under the nom de course Tamaroak.

Bango returned $15, $7.40 and $4.60 as the 6-1 fourth betting choice. Mucho, at odds of 19-1 under Gabriel Saez, returned $14.60 and $7.20 and finished two lengths in front of Strike Power who paid $3.60 to show under Ricardo Santana Jr. as the 4-1 third choice.

Aloha West, the 3-1 second betting choice, was fourth and was followed by Home Base, Art Collector, Bourbon Calling, Long Range Toddy and Relentless Dancer.

The Kelly's Landing honors the Summerplace Farm runner who earned $1,853,831 from a record of 10-3-2 in 27 starts for trainer Eddie Kenneally between 2004-09. The gelding won the six-furlong Aristides Handicap (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs in 2005 by stopping the teletimer in a track record 1:07.55 (since eclipsed). His biggest victory came in the 2007 Dubai Golden Saheen at Nad Al Sheba in the United Arab Emirates. Kelly's Landing also won the 2006 Phoenix (G3) at Keeneland and 2007 Mr. Prospector Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

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Whitmore Tries for Fourth Count Fleet

The ageless champion Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) will try for an unprecedented fourth victory in the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. in a competitive seven-horse field Saturday at Oaklawn.

Annexing the Count Fleet in 2017 and 2018, the chestnut ran into a buzzsaw in champion Mitole (Eskendereya) when second in 2019 and gutted out his third score in the race last year. Winless in his next three, he finished his campaign with an 18-1 upset of the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint to earn an Eclipse Award for champion male sprinter. Making his 8-year-old debut in the Hot Springs S., he was just out-gamed by re-opposing C Z Rocket (City Zip) in a neck decision. That runner was second to Whitmore in the Breeders' Cup, stopping a five-race winning streak that began in a $50,000 claimer at Churchill–his first race for trainer Peter Miller–and culminated in a conquest of the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S.

No Parole (Violence) scored a convincing victory in the GI Woody Stephens S. last June, but hasn't been quite the same since. The bay was off the board in both the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. and GII Phoenix S. and, after bouncing back to annex a Louisiana-bred stake at Delta Feb. 10, was fourth at 2-5 making his turf debut in the state-bred Costa Rising S. Mar. 20 at Fair Grounds.

Fringe contenders include Strike Power (Speightstown), a one-time graded stakes-winning 'TDN Rising Star' who had fallen off form until dominating a track-and-trip optional claimer with a 101 Beyer Mar. 11, and Empire of Gold (Goldencents), who makes his 4-year-old debut after overachieving when second in the Phoenix and fourth in the Breeders' Cup, both times at 51-1.

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