The Churchill Downs spring meet wrapped up on Sunday with an action-packed card featuring five listed stakes.
Up first was the $225,000 Debutante S., a six-furlong dash for juvenile fillies. Vodka With a Twist, coming off a gate-to-wire maiden victory at Churchill, carved out splits of :21.51 and :45.47 under Flavien Prat to win by three lengths in 1:10.58. The Phil D’Amato trainee hails from the first crop of foals sired by Thousand Words and races for the partnership of Medallion Racing, Omar Aldabbagh, and William Strauss. So There She Was, Fortuna Mia, Glee, Adeera, Daisy Duke, and La Marinera completed the order of finish.
In the seven-furlong $175,000 Maxfield S. for three-year-olds, graded stakes-placed Raging Torrent started as the favorite at just over even-money after obliterating a $100,000 allowance optional claimer over the same distance at Churchill. With Antonio Fresu aboard, the Doug O’Neill trainee set fractions of :22.37, :44.65, and 1:09.22 before edging away to beat Remington Springboard Mile S. winner Otto the Conqueror by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:22.04. World Record, Carbone, and Hold My Bourbon trailed home Raging Torrent, a son of Maximus Mischief owned by Mark Davis.
Fillies and mares took center stage in the $175,000 Anchorage S., a 1 1/8-mile grass contest in which Walkathon proved best. Coming off a respectable fifth-place finish in a deep edition of the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2), Walkathon escaped with easy fractions of :24.18, :49.54, and 1:14.01 under Brian Hernandez Jr. before clocking strong closing splits to score by half a length over Forever After All, with Heavenly Sunday, Be My Sunshine, Personal Best, Embrace Me, and Tower Bridge completing the order of finish. A Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred trained by Ian Wilkes, Walkathon reached the finish line in 1:49.69. The five-year-old daughter of Candy Ride had previously won the 2022 Regret (G3) over the Churchill turf.
In the $225,000 Bashford Manor S. for two-year-olds, Politicallycorrect proved best for trainer Christopher Davis and jockey Jose Ortiz. In a complete departure from his gate-to-wire debut victory at Churchill, the son of Violence trailed a 12-horse field during the early stages of the Bashford Manor, but launched a wide rally into fractions of :21.41 and :45.97 to dominate by five lengths in 1:10.56. Smoken Wicked, Ivan the Great, Mo Hair Sam, Conquering Cat, Bodacious, Spiralizer, War Tax, Enduring Spirit, Moneyline, Happyflyer, and Heat trailed home Politicallycorrect, who campaigns for the partnership of Walmac Farm, Five Fillies Stables, and Ryan C. Ritt.
The stakes action wrapped up with the $300,000 Hanshin S. a one-mile contest for older horses. Cagliostro, coming off a strong runner-up finish in the Blame (G3) at Churchill, relished the drop in class and pressed splits of :23.09 and :46.09 before taking command to score by one length over Tumbarumba, Raise Cain, Three Technique, Charge It, Happy American, Extra Anejo, Frosted Grace, and Zozos. The son of Upstart stopped the clock in 1:34.87 under Flavien Prat to secure his first stakes win for owner Wathnan Racing and trainer Cherie DeVaux.
