With Brown Storm and Tut's Revenge setting a resolute pace, Achard settled In Love into fourth in the field of nine older horses, gradually picking up steam before getting through on the inside at the top of the stretch and taking command. Kentucky Ghost ate at his deficit in the final eighth-mile but didn't threaten the winner. He did, however, nail Brown Storm to take second by a head. In Love covered the mile and 70 yards in 1:38.55.

Those who bet the winner certainly were in love, as the 5-year-old trained by Paulo Lobo paid $19.40 while racing in blinkers for the first time.

“I won the last time at Arlington,” Achard said, referencing a neck allowance victory over yielding turf. “That was pretty good. We thought that would be an easier swing, but we had to fight. Today was even better.

“I knew that there was enough speed in the race, which is good for us because he can be a little bit tough sometimes. We got the pace and were just behind chilling. When I asked him to go, he just went.”

Trainer Vicki Oliver said the distance was too short for Kentucky Ghost to be most effective. “He ran really well,” she said. “That was our biggest concern, that it would be too short for him. He's always been a mile and an eighth-type of horse. His mom was a mile-and-a-half type of horse. We were hoping to get the pace that we got. We just couldn't close into it at a mile and 70 yards.”

Kentucky Ghost's jockey Rafael Bejarano thought he was in a winning position until Achard made his decisive, clever move.

“I had a good trip. I saved ground and had a beautiful position coming down the lane,” Bejarano said. “I let him out in the stretch and my horse gave me a good run, a good finish, but the winner today he stole the race. He had a good trip inside and he kept going.”

Though born in Brazil, In Love raced in Argentina in 2019 before Bonne Chance farm owner Alberto Figueiredo sent him to Lobo in the United States, where he's now won three of seven starts. The only times he wasn't competitive was in the slop in a Keeneland allowance. He also finished eighth, beaten 6 1/2 lengths, in his only previous U.S. stakes, Churchill Downs' Grade 2 Wise Dan.

“Since he came here, he's run very well,” the Lexington-based Lobo said. “The day of the Wise Dan, after the race he came back a little sick with a virus. I think that's why he didn't perform well that day.”

Since he wasn't born in Kentucky, In Love wasn't eligible for the $100,000 in Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund purses that help fatten the pot for each $400,000 division of the TVG. But he still earned a healthy $178,560 to more than double his earnings to $279,700 off a 4-2-2 record in 12 starts.

Even without racing for the maximum purse, In Love still provided the 30-year-old Achard his biggest victory since coming to America three years ago. Earlier this year the Indiana Grand-based jockey won Arlington Park's Grade 3 Chicago Stakes, but that race was worth $100,000, with Abby Hatcher earning $57,600.

“Now it's even better,” Achard said of this victory.

In Love is a son of the Japanese Sunday Silence stallion Agnes Gold and out of the Brazilian mare Last Bet, who is by the Irish-bred Know Heights.

“We bred him in Brazil, and we send our best stock to race in Argentina,” said Figueiredo. “This horse is no exception. When all the COVID started to stop all the races over there, we put him on a plane with two others. It was well worth the bet we made on him.

“This horse never disappoints us. And to be frankly honest, I always expected a little bit more from him. Even in his time in Argentina. He was always a horse that worked so well. Sometimes he did not do the same in the afternoon. But with time and more experience, and now maybe with the blinkers, I think we'll figure out more of him.”

A year ago, Figueiredo and Lobo brought the Brazilian-bred Ivar to Kentucky Downs, finishing third in the race now known as the WinStar Mint Million but in his next start won Keeneland's Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile. Ivar subsequently finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

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The 6-year-old owned by Bloom Racing led from gate to wire under jockey Julien Leparoux to become the first horse to win three stakes at the track. In his lone losing performance at Kentucky Downs, he was second by three-quarters of a length in last year's Tourist Mile (now the WinStar Mint Million).

In the first division of the TVG, In Love came from off the pace under Alex Achard to win by 2 ¼ lengths at 8-1.

Sent off as the 2-1 favorite, Snapper Sinclair paid $6. The son of City Zip trained by Steve Asmussen completed the mile and 70 yards in 1:40.24 and finished three-quarters of a length in front of Bob and Jackie.

“When the horse loves the track, it's a big help and he obviously does,” Leparoux said. “He travels good on it. Going downhill or uphill he is very comfortable with it. It's a big effort for us and I'm glad he won it today.”

Snapper Sinclair picked up his seventh win in 33 career starts and the first-place purse money of $239,320 pushed his career earnings to $1,793,250. While he has run well at other tracks during his career, all of his stakes victories have come at Kentucky Downs.

“He definitely has an affinity for Kentucky Downs,” said Jeff Bloom, president of Bloom Racing, which partners with Chuck and Lori Allen on many of their horses. “Clearly, this is a track that Snapper is very fond of and Snapper is horse we're all fond of. He's the coolest horse there is. He's just the best.”

The horse was named for a jockey played by Mickey Rooney in the 1936 movie “Down the Stretch.”

The TVG was Snapper Sinclair's fourth start of the season and first since finishing second in the G3 Opening Verse at Churchill Downs on April 29. He opened the season with an allowance victory at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 4 and turned in a solid fourth-place finish in the G2 Godolphin Mile on the Dubai World Cup program on March 27. He was beaten a neck and a nose for second.

“This is exactly where he needed to be,” Asmussen said. “He got a little bit of a break. I'm glad he was ready for Kentucky Downs. He definitely made us proud. He definitely shines here at Kentucky Downs. He's been a very special horse, that's even after making the trip over to (Dubai) this year. Just very proud for the Blooms and the Allens. Snapper has been very good to us for a long time.

“He ran beautifully today. He responds very well for Julien here, and very pleased to have him on him. Just a great victory celebration.”

Leparoux said the race did not play out the way he expected when Snapper Sinclair broke sharply and was quickly in front.

“I didn't really want to be on the lead, to be honest, but he took me there very easy,” Leparoux said. “He was traveling very nice. He pointed his ears around the turn so I knew he was going to finish up good.”

With first Penalty and then Midnight Tea Time in pursuit in second, Snapper Sinclair set early fractions of 23.38 and 47.65 seconds. He had a one-length lead through six furlongs in 1:12.57.

Bloom, a former jockey, smiled as he described his reaction when Snapper Sinclair was setting the pace.

“He had been off a little bit, he was fresh, he broke so well and Julien said he was going so well, there was a change of plans,” Bloom said. “If you look at all of his races here at Kentucky Downs it's different every time. With Snapper, put him out there and he'll figure it out.”

Bob and Jackie, trained by Richard Baltas, hopped at the start and got away sixth in the field of nine. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez moved him into contention a couple of lengths behind Snapper Sinclair, but he could not overcome the handicap he gave himself in the long run through the stretch.

“I think it's a race he could have won,” Velazquez said. “Broke slow, and that's it. He ran a good race. (Snapper Sinclair) loves it here. And everything went his way, too. He loves the course and everything went his way.”

Lori Allen was surprised to learn that he was the first horse to win three stakes at the track.

“I had no idea. That's awesome,” she said. “He should have a race named after him here. He loves this race. He came so close last year, he's nearly a four-time winner. But he tries everywhere. Everywhere he goes, boy, he never lets us down. He puts it all down every time.”

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For each card of the meet, J.D. Fox of the Champagne and J.D. Show will single out a price play with his reasoning for what makes the horse worth a look when they might go overlooked.

On Wednesday's card, Fox turns his attention to the TVG Stakes, a one mile and 70-yard race for 3-year-olds and up that have not won a stakes race in 2021. His spotlight horse is 15-to-1 on the morning line, but he has the back class to suggest his comeback tour might make a lucrative stop in southern Kentucky.

Kentucky Downs' 2021 meet takes place Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12. First post each day is at 12:20 p.m. Central.

Watch today's Longshot Look presented by Kentucky Downs below:

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“She's a really incredible filly, a little on the quirky side,” said Fenella O'Flynn, who serves as an assistant trainer, van driver and whatever needs done for Maryland-based trainer Michael Dickinson. “But she's a really, really nice filly. She trained lovely here the last couple of days. We had to stay the extra couple of days of course, but it was better for her. We traveled here and we'll travel again tomorrow to Tapeta Farm.”

Guided by Irad Ortiz, Jr. while well off the rail, 3-1 second betting choice Theodora B. set the pace with slow fractions of 26.23 seconds for the first quarter-mile, 51.32 seconds for the half, and 1:15.85 for six furlongs. Mrs. Sippy, sent off as the 9-10 favorite under Joel Rosario, bided her time in fourth, fifth and then sixth of six starters while around four lengths back heading down the hill at the top of the backstretch.

Turning for home, Theodora B. had registered a mile in 1:39.78 and was still in front with Mrs. Sippy fifth by 2 1/2 lengths. Theodora B. dug in with gas still in the tank to hit the finish line first.

“She broke really good,” said Ortiz, the reigning Eclipse Award jockey who pulled within two wins of Tyler Gaffalione's meet-leading eight for the riding title with only Wednesday's card remaining. “She broke in front. I didn't want to fight with her too much. She relaxed going up the hill, going down the hill, waiting for me. When I called, she was there.”

Reached by phone, Dickinson said he was looking at three stakes for Theodora B. but opted for Kentucky Downs because of the 1 5/16-mile distance. In her last start, the 5-year-old mare led all the way to take Woodbine's Grade 2 Dance Smartly. She could return to Woodbine for the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor, for which this stakes has produced three winners.

Theodora B. now has six wins from 18 starts with five seconds and three thirds. With $306,900 in purse money she collected, her career earnings stand at $647,911.

Delta's Kingdom, the longest-odds starter in the field at 15-1, was second until upper stretch and checked in third, another two lengths back. She was followed by English Affair, Siberian Iris and Over Thinking, who was unable to overcome a slow start. The winning time for 1 5/16 mile was 2:09.72 on a course rated good.

Theodora B. paid $8.20 to win, $3.20 to place and $2.80 to show. Mrs. Sippy returned $2.40 and $2.20, while Delta's Kingdom's $2 show tickets were worth $3.40.

Dickinson, who invented the Tapeta all-weather racing surface that is being installed at Turfway Park, was not at the track. The horseman whose reputation surged when called the Mad Genius by turf writer Bill Finley — and who became immortalized when Dickinson objected to being called a genius — is famous in racing circles for having a female associate walk the course in stiletto heels to check out the turf.

O'Flynn said she walked the course twice.

“The first time after the rain. It wasn't so bad. I'm glad it stopped Sunday morning,” she said. “It had nearly two days to dry out. I walked it again yesterday it was better and today was perfect. The turns are just a little bit soft but we got over that.”

And no, she didn't wear stilettos. “He (Dickinson) actually asked me if I had them with me,” she said. “I said I didn't. He said he was going to overnight them to me. But I said I didn't get them. But it was perfect, and she ran brilliant.”

Dickinson pointed out that Theodora B. was carrying four pounds more, 126-122, than her rivals.

“She was nervous as a young horse,” he said. “She lost a couple of races in the paddock in her younger days. So it's taken her a bit of time to grow up.”

Asked if he was a great fit for a quirky horse, Dickinson paused and said, “Do I understand her? Well, does anybody really understand women and horses? Maybe there are some, but I'm not one of them.”

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The $400,000 Untapable Stakes for 2-year-old filly sprinters and $400,000 Music City Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters are new this year, with the $500,000 TVG Stakes at 1 5/16 miles in its 10th running.

The 11-race card was moved from Sunday to Tuesday because of the rain that pelted the area during Saturday's races and again Sunday morning. Any horses who were early scratches out of Sunday's races now have been reinstated, with horsemen having to re-scratch if they wish to come out. Scratch time for Tuesday's races is Monday at 9 a.m. Central, with stakes horses on the also-eligible list having until 10 a.m. Tuesday to draw into the field.

Here's a look at the stakes:

$500,000 TVG Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 5/16 miles (race 9, 4:32 p.m. Central) — Mrs. Sippy is the even-money favorite in the field of six as she makes her second start of her 5-year-old season, having been second in Saratoga's Grade 3 Waya Stakes at 1 1/2 miles by a neck. A Grade 2 winner last year, Mrs. Sippy also was a close second in Belmont's Grade 1 Flower Bowl to top mare Sister Charlie.

Michael Dickinson ships in from Maryland with 5-2 second choice Theodora B., front-running winner of Woodbine's Grade 2 Dance Smartly in her last start. She's also run well over courses with some give in the ground so anticipated overnight rain shouldn't be an issue.

Trainer Rusty Arnold scratched English Affair, winner of Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf in a bog, out of Saturday's $500,000 English Channel Ladies Turf in hopes of getting softer turf and also the longer distance. The irony is English Affair now might encounter firmer turf, with the forecast calling for sunshine Monday and Tuesday. Rounding out the field California invader Siberian Iris, Over Thinking and Delta's Kingdom.

Here's the field in post position order (with jockey, trainer and odds): Delta's Kingdom (Florent Geroux/Bill Mott 20-1), Theodora B. (Irad Ortiz/Michael Dickinson 5-2), Mrs. Sippy (Joel Rosario/Graham Motion even), English Affair (Rafael Bejarano/Rusty Arnold 7-2), Siberian Iris (Flavien Prat/Richard Mandella 12-1), Over Thinking (Luis Saez/Victoria Oliver 8-1).

$400,000 Untapable for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs (race 10, 5:04 p.m. Central) — The Wesley Ward-trained Red Ghost is the 3-1 favorite in the field of 11 off winning her debut by 8 1/2 lengths at Saratoga in a race taken off the turf.

Mad Maddy certainly has an experience edge, with four seconds in four maiden races, the last two on turf at Saratoga. The daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for Ron Winchell, co-owner of Kentucky Downs and whose Winchell Thoroughbreds bred and campaigned champion Untapable, the 2014 Kentucky Oaks and Breeders' Cup Distaff winner for whom the stakes is named.

Other contenders include Ellis Park debut winners La Libertee, Lady Edith, Emro and Lady Goldstart; out-of-state invaders Taylor's Tourist (Louisiana), Fouzia (Florida), Kewpie Doll (Maryland), Becca's Bouquet (Texas). Taylor's Tourist is an interesting horse at 12-1 odds in the morning line, coming in off a 9 3/4-length win at Evangeline Downs. And while that's considered the comparative minor leagues to Kentucky, New York and California, her speed figures for that performance put her in the thick of things should she take to the grass. Mike Maker, Kentucky Downs' all-time win leader, will saddle Herald Angel, who was second in a New York-bred maiden race at Saratoga. The fact that he didn't keep the filly in New York with his Belmont Park division is telling.

Here's the field in post position order (with jockey, trainer and odds): Lady Goldstart (Chris Landeros/Ian Wilkes 8-1), Taylor's Tourist (Florent Geroux/Scott Geiner 12-1), Red Ghost (Jose Ortiz/Wesley Ward 3-1), Becca's Bouquet (Robby Albarado/Scott Geiner 20-1), Herald Angel (Irad Ortiz/Mike Maker 12-1), Kewpie Doll (Tyler Gaffalione, Cathal Lynch 20-1), Fouzia (Julien Leparoux/Saffie Joseph Jr. 20-1), Lady Edith (Colby Hernandez/Tommy Drury 6-1), Mad Maddy (Ricardo Santana/Steve Asmussen 8-1), La Libertee (Adam Beschizza/Mark Casse 9-2), Emro (Shaun Bridgmohan/Brad Cox 6-1).

$400,000 Music City for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs (11th race, 5:36 p.m. Central): Kimari, scratched out of Saturday's $500,000, Grade 3 Real Solution Ladies Sprint, is the 3-1 favorite, with trainer Wesley Ward also entering her in Wednesday's closing-day feature, the $500,000, Grade 3 Franklin-Simpson against males. However, on Saturday Ward said his plan is to run Kimari in the Music City. In two starts this year, Kimari won Oaklawn Park's Purple Martin in the slop then was a rallying second after being left at the start in Royal Ascot's Group 1 Commonwealth Cup in England. Kimari was one of the top 2-year-old turf sprinters of either sex.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Finite, who stamped herself as one of the best of her generation over the winter, comes in off almost a six-month layoff following the surgical removal of a bone chip after a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks. After winning a Kentucky Downs maiden race a year ago in her only start on turf, Finite reeled off four stakes victories on dirt, capped by the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra in New Orleans.

The Shug McGaughey-trained Enola Gay, winner of Keeneland's Grade 2 Appalachian at a mile before finishing fifth in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Oaks, shortens back to sprinting over the course where she won her debut last year. She's My Type, trained by Christophe Clement, won Saratoga's $100,000 Coronation Cup in her last start and never runs a bad race.

Santa Anita stakes-winner She's So Special and Lighthouse ship in from California. Other contenders include Grade 3 Florida Oaks winner Outburst, Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks runner-up Lucrezia and stakes-winners Miss J McKay and She's So Special. Mom's Red Lipstick, Fashionable Lady, Poseidon's Passion and Lucky Jingle were early scratches but now have been reinstated into the field unless their connections opt to again scratch them.

Here's the field in post position order (with jockey, trainer and odds): Lucrezia (James Graham/Arnaud Delacour 12-1), Outburst (Florent Geroux/Eddie Kenneally 20-1), Mom's Red Lipstick (Ricardo Santana, Chris Block 30-1), Bredenbury (Luis Saez/Graham Motion 12-1), Enola Gay (Julien Leparoux/Shug McGaughey 9-2), She's My Type (Joel Rosario/Christophe Clement 5-1), She's So Special (Flavien Prat/Peter Miller 12-1), Finite (Jose Ortiz/Steve Asmussen 8-1), Lighthouse (Umberto Rispoli/Simon Callaghan 8-1), Kimari (Irad Ortiz/Wesley Ward 3-1), Miss J McKay (Tyler Gaffalione/Cathal Lynch 10-1), Hear My Prayer (Rafael Bejarano/David Fisher 30-1), Fashionable Lady (Florent Geroux/Michael Ann Ewing 30-1), Evil Lyn (Shaun Bridgmohan/Mike Maker 20-1), Poseidon's Passion (Mitchell Murrill/James Gulick 30-1), Lucky Jingle (Jose Ortiz/Graham Motion 30-1).

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