Frontrunning Goliad pulled a $21.14 upset in Saturday’s $1.8 million Mint Millions (G3) at Kentucky Downs, while Pennsylvania shipper Neecie Marie went last to first in the $1.3 million Ladies Marathon (G3).
Mint Millions (G3)
A feast-or-famine type throughout his career in Southern California, Goliad has acquired the virtue of consistency in Franklin, Kentucky. The Richard Mandella veteran just wired a $500,000 handicap in his local debut on Sept. 1, and he wheeled back on six days’ rest to repeat the feat in a tougher spot.
Goliad was accordingly dispatched as a 9.57-1 shot here with Flavien Prat. Drawn on the outside in post 9, the Perry Bass II and Ramona Bass homebred soon overtook pace rival Tut’s Revenge and posted an opening quarter in :23.14 on the firm course.
Once Goliad got into high-cruising mode through fractions of :44.92, 1:08.00, and 1:20.37, he could not be caught. The seven-year-old gelding held sway by one length in a final time of 1:33.38.
Cash Equity, coming off a third in the same handicap that Goliad won, chased him home in a nearer second on Saturday.
“Here is your new handicapping angle — bet the horses that are running back in six days,” Cash Equity’s trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., noted. “They ran first and second!”
Talk of the Nation, the slight favorite at 2.78-1, churned on into third another three-quarters of a length back. Next came slow-starting Reckoning Force; Emmanuel, who made a brief bid but ultimately stalled; Irish Aces; defending champion Ancient Rome, the 2.96-1 second choice; Tut’s Revenge; and Funtastic Again.
Ancient Rome’s trainer, Charlie Hills, commented on his seventh-place effort.
“We ran a little bit flat today,” Hills said. “They went very fast, and the ground is very quick today. We obviously ran below par. He was a little bit wide and had to take back. It’s a long way to come (from his British base), but the money is good.”
Mountain Bear and Strong Quality were scratched.
Although Ancient Rome was unable to duplicate his 2023 heroics, his sire War Front registered another victory through Goliad. War Front is now responsible for three Mint Millions winners, including Flavius in then-record time in 2020.
Goliad, who was racing for the maximum purse as a Kentucky-bred, earned a windfall of $1,195,200. His resume reads 20-6-4-1, $1,758,571.
Prat had ridden Goliad to his debut win as a juvenile in 2019, and their other notable partnership was a runner-up effort in that fall’s Cecil B. DeMille (G3). The bay endured a stop-start career for several seasons until finally stringing together a complete campaign so far in 2024. Goliad broke through with his first stakes score in the Feb. 3 Thunder Road (G3) at Santa Anita, only to regress to sixth in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) and a trailing 11th in the May 27 Shoemaker Mile (G1). He was rejuvenated for Kentucky Downs.
“This was the first time I rode him in a long time,” Prat said following the Mint Millions. “It felt like he was going easy. He’s a tricky horse to ride, but what a great job by Mr. Mandella.
“The first part, he’s nice and relaxed. Then you do about a furlong, and he gets on the bridle and gets his momentum going. If you fight him, he just fights back. So I was just trying to keep him happy.
“To be honest, at the eighth pole, I was worried because I knew they were coming. He was just brave enough to win, to stay on. Like I said, just a great job by Mr. Mandella.”
“That race (the Sept. 1 handicap) was like a breeze to him,” assistant trainer Taylor Cambra said. “We wouldn’t have run him back if he wasn’t 100%. He’s been great all the way coming up to this race, to take a shot. We always knew he had the talent. He’s good right now, and he loves this track. So we went ahead and took advantage of it.”
Ladies Marathon (G3)
Michael Milam’s Neecie Marie thrived on a drop in class and a step up in trip for the 1 5/16-mile Ladies Marathon, sweeping to a dominant 2 3/4-length victory.
The Butch Reid filly had been mixing it up at the top tier of the division this season. After nailing the odds-on Whitebeam in the May 11 Beaugay (G3) in their mutual reappearance, Neecie Marie was runner-up to Didia in the New York (G1), and she was most recently third to Moira in the Beverly D. (G2) at Colonial Downs.
Those formlines proved key at Kentucky Downs, although Neecie Marie was again something of an overlay. In keeping with her pattern of offering value, she went off as the 4.01-1 third choice.
Bettors backed the Aidan O’Brien invader, Greenfinch, and Chop Chop into virtual co-favoritism at 2-1 and 2.01-1, respectively. While Greenfinch tracked the pace before checking in a one-paced fourth, Chop Chop ran evenly in fifth.
Neecie Marie was patiently ridden by Joel Rosario, who allowed her to settle at the back of the pack through an opening quarter in :25.16. Up front, Angel Nadeshiko carved out splits of :48.71, 1:11.94, and 1:36.47, attended by defending champion Vergara. In the stretch, Vergara tackled the pacesetter, but she was about to be overwhelmed herself.
By that point, Neecie Marie was kicking into top gear on the outside. The daughter of Cross Traffic put the race away in short order and clocked 2:07.16.
Vergara held second by a length from the 16-1 Three Priests, a Japanese-bred mare based in England with Roger Varian. Three Priests had been competing over further, and she handled the cutback well to close for third. Greenfinch, Chop Chop, Forever After All, Angel Nadeshiko, Viva La Red, and Loved Reiko concluded the order under the wire.
Pennsylvania-bred Neecie Marie wasn’t eligible for the Kentucky-bred purse boost, but the winner’s check of $595,200 still put her on millionaires’ row with $1,160,150 in career earnings from a 14-6-3-1 line.
The initial idea was to run in last Saturday’s Flower Bowl (G2) at Saratoga, until Reid opted to change targets and point for Kentucky Downs.
“I felt pretty confident,” Reid said of Neecie Marie’s chances in this spot. “Let’s say I knew the distance isn’t going to be a challenge, which is the whole key to the race. Actually, Frankie Dettori rode her last time (in the Beverly D.) down at Colonial, and he said, ‘you can put her in wherever you want, and she’ll go as far as you want.’
“The anxious moment was probably coming into the race because the track had been so speed-favoring, but you have to run your race with what your filly does. You can’t alter your plans from there. Joel just did a fantastic job.”
Rosario deflected the credit to Neecie Marie.
“She felt very good; she handled it,” the winning rider said. “She was getting into that huge stride, and she just loved the turf today. I rode her to keep her in contention, not getting too far back. After that, she just did all the work. I got to the lead probably sooner than I thought I was going to be, but it was good for her. She was having fun, and she kept going.
“(Reid) didn’t give me any instructions. He told me to just ride her because I know her.”
Rosario had also guided Neecie Marie to her graded breakthrough in the Beaugay as well as her second in the New York. Her first stakes victory came against fellow state-breds in the 2023 Mrs. Penny S. at Parx. She promptly proved herself at a higher level with close seconds in last fall’s Jockey Club Oaks (G3) and Sands Point (G2).
