Last seen fading to an uncharacteristic 12th in the Godolphin Mile (G2) on Dubai World Cup night, Saudi Crown returned triumphant in Sunday’s $150,000 R.A. “Cowboy” Jones S. at Ellis Park. The classy gray was the opening act of a stakes double for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux, who combined to win the $260,000 Ellis Park Derby with the unbeaten Most Wanted.
R.A. “Cowboy” Jones S.
FMQ Stables’ Saudi Crown was ready to fire off the bench, despite facing early pace pressure. The 0.68-1 favorite was a length up through an opening quarter in :23.01, but then Pipeline advanced to pester him. After forcing the issue through fractions of :45.92 and 1:09.91, Pipeline paid the price turning for home and wound up seventh.
Saudi Crown, still traveling well within himself, opened up by two lengths. Geroux asked him to find more when Injunction rallied inside the final furlong. Saudi Crown appeared to be tiring by that stage, but he still had 1 3/4 lengths to spare while finishing the mile in 1:36.57.
Injunction saved the runner-up spot by a neck from deep closer Happy American, whose furious rally is another indication to how fast the pace was. Happy American had been detached last out early, as many as 14 lengths behind Saudi Crown.
Saudi Crown’s resume reads 10-5-2-1, $3,070,985. A near-miss second in last year’s Dwyer (G3) and Jim Dandy (G2), he carried his speed 1 1/8 miles in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) with the assistance of a sloppy track at Parx. The 1 1/4 miles of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) was a bridge too far, and Saudi Crown retreated to 10th.
Focusing on shorter goals this season, Saudi Crown galloped in the Jan. 20 Louisiana (G3) at Fair Grounds and came close to glory in the Saudi Cup (G1), only to be run down late in third. Wheeling back a month later for the Godolphin Mile backfired, but a fresh Saudi Crown promises to be a major player back home. The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) would be a logical target.
“It was a good start back for him today,” Geroux told Ellis Park publicity. “This being his first start since competing overseas, it was a good spot to get back before bigger races this fall. He usually shows a lot of speed, but he doesn’t always have to be on the lead.
“There was some other horses with speed in the race today, but he took me to the front. He showed his class. I think he handled the one-turn mile today very well, and this sort of distance suits him a lot better than the mile and a quarter. I’d expect his campaign the rest of the fall to include races at a mile.”
Saudi Crown’s distance limitations might not have been apparent on paper. He’s by 2017 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Always Dreaming and out of the Tapit mare New Narration.
Ellis Park Derby
Gary and Mary West’s homebred Most Wanted wired the one-mile Ellis Park Derby in his stakes debut with a 1:35.86 that was better than his Ellis debut on July 21 by more than a second. Note that the up-and-coming sophomore had three factors on his side: race fitness, less weight (a 118-pound impost compared to Saudi Crown’s 124 pounds), and a softer pace scenario. The 3.03-1 chance also had to respond to a more serious challenge down the lane.
A half brother to $4.5 million earner Life Is Good, whose marquee wins include the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Most Wanted got away with fractions of :24.27, :47.38, and 1:11.14. Not This Boy pursued throughout and drew alongside nearing the wire, but Most Wanted kept his nose in front.
Who Dey, the 1.21-1 favorite, was compromised by a stumbling start on the rail. Finding himself further back than forecast, the Ohio-bred eventually churned into third. With a better break, Who Dey likely would have secured better position, and that may have made the difference in his one-length loss.
Most Wanted, a son of Candy Ride and the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk, is 3-for-3 with $279,553 in earnings. Unraced until this summer, the dark bay rallied from just off the pace in his Churchill Downs unveiling June 21 and followed up in a July 21 allowance over this track and trip.
“When he broke that sharply,” Geroux said after the Ellis Park Derby, “I just wanted to make sure we had enough energy left for the stretch. In each of his three starts, he continued to improve. I think he’s starting to get better. It just took some time for him to figure things out, but the way he won today was very professional. When he dug in late in the stretch, you could tell he didn’t want to lose.”
Audubon Oaks
Cox and Geroux also had the 1.25-1 favorite in the $173,500 Audubon Oaks, but Tarifa succumbed by 2 1/4 lengths to stretch-running Fibber. Trained by Chris Hartman and ridden by Axel Concepcion, the Flatland Racing Stable runner drove to her first stakes score in 1:23.52 for seven furlongs.
Tarifa, the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) winner who was last seen finishing ninth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), was softened up by an early pace battle. The Godolphin homebred did well to finish a clear second under top weight of 122 pounds, spotting four pounds to her rivals.
Fibber placed in three sprint stakes before Hartman claimed her for $100,000 at Churchill. The Frosted filly has compiled a mark of 10-4-1-3, $365,700.
“I thought the seven-eighths distance was well within her range, and I think she can handle a mile, too,” Hartman said. “Axel put on a beauty of a ride today.”
“I just tried to remain as patient as I could with her,” Concepcion said. “When I was able to find ground, she really responded for me.”
Ellis Park Juvenile
Boardshorts Stables’ Owen Almighty justified his 0.67-1 favoritism in the $175,000 Ellis Park Juvenile, putting himself in line for the Sept. 14 Iroquois (G3) at Churchill. A convincing debut winner beneath the Twin Spires on June 20, the Brian Lynch pupil made it two in a row here.
Owen Almighty, part of the early pace scrum with Politicallycorrect, had much more left for jockey Cristian Torres. The Speightstown colt put Politicallycorrect away by 4 3/4 lengths and polished off seven furlongs in 1:24.36.
Politicallycorrect, the hero of the Bashford Manor S. in his latest outing, was four lengths clear in second. Third-placer Three Echoes likewise sported prior stakes form, having filled the same spot in the Tremont S. and Sanford (G3) at Saratoga.
“He’s certainly taking us in the right direction from just two starts,” Lynch said of Owen Almighty. “I’d have to think the Iroquois would be next after this race. Our goal with him is to get to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) this fall, and he’s on the right path.”
Ellis Park Debutante
Stilettos suggested that she was an above-average Texas-bred when crushing a state-restricted maiden at Lone Star Park by more than 16 lengths. The Collinsworth Thoroughbred Racing homebred backed up that idea in open company during the $129,505 Ellis Park Debutante and remained perfect from two starts.
Dispatched as the slight second choice at 2.05-1, Stilettos was in a virtual match race throughout with 1.97-1 favorite Rich City Girl. Stilettos dueled her into submission and edged away to a 1 1/2-length decision beneath Brian Hernandez Jr. Her final time of 1:25.14 was considerably slower than Owen Almighty’s time in the Juvenile.
“She won in Texas on debut, and it was so impressive,” Hernandez said. “You don’t see a horse win by 16 lengths and not have talent.
“Around the turn (in the Debutante), my filly was doing everything so easily. I was watching Rich City Girl to our inside and she wasn’t moving as fluidly around the turn. My filly got a little green in the stretch, but that’s probably because it was only her second time out. But she did all of that on her own.”
“This filly was showing quite a bit in the morning down in Texas,” trainer Bret Calhoun said. “The Collingsworths are from Texas, and we decided to debut her at Lone Star. You never really know what they beat in those races, but since she’s gotten to Kentucky, she’s gotten bigger and stronger.
“I told Brian that she didn’t have a lot of experience, but she’s been working in company quite a bit in the mornings. She broke like a rocket and we weren’t planning to be on the lead. After she broke so fast, Brian put her there and it really worked out. In the future I can’t see why she can’t stretch out. She doesn’t seem to have much distance limitations at this stage.”
Stilettos, a daughter of Upstart, has more of a Kentucky pedigree.
Groupie Doll S.
The stakes-laden day concluded with an upset in the $175,000 Groupie Doll S., as Pigalle got up as the 23-1 longest shot on the board in her stakes debut. A homebred for historic Claiborne Farm, the Blame filly nabbed fellow outsiders Fancy and Mystic Pleasure in a tight finish. Taxed, the 1.10-1 favorite, raced in a contending position before fading to fifth.
Pigalle, who clocked the mile in 1:36.99, sports a mark of 10-5-3-0, $332,084.
Jockey Luan Machado shed further light on Pigalle’s effort.
“She was a longshot, but we really liked her before the race,” Machado said. “I told Tommy (Drury, her trainer) I think we could win. I expected her to be close to the lead, but she had a bad couple steps out of the gate, and I had to work a position out of there. I’m glad Tommy had her ready to go.”
“We all know Blame fillies get better with time,” Drury said. “We got her some starter eligibility to gain her confidence. Now we are able to reap the rewards to being patient with her. Such an honor to win a race like this for Claiborne. She was all try, and I’m just so proud of my filly.”
