Chief Cicatriz dominated Saturday’s $100.000 Aristides (G3) at Churchill Downs, drawing away to a 6 ¼-length decision to earn his first graded stakes victory. James Graham was up for Shawn Davis and the 5-year-old gelding completed 6-panels in a snappy 1:08.44.
A Roy Gene Evans homebred, Chief Cicatrix has managed to stay healthy this year after racing sparingly over past seasons and the Turf Paradise-based son of Munnings picked up his first win outside of Ariziona or New Mexico. Unplaced in a pair of Oaklawn Park starts last year, Chief Cicatriz rebounded from a fifth in the Churchill Downs S. (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
After opening 2018 with an easy tally, the chestnut made a successful title defense in the Phoenix Gold Cup at Turf Paradise in mid-February and Chief Cicatriz has now earned $286,881 from an 11-8-0-0 record.
He raced up close from the start of the Aristides, tracking opening splits of :21.30 and :44.02, and quickly put the race away with a sharp turn of foot into the stretch. Chief Cicatriz was off as the 2-1 favorite among seven foes,
Mr. Crow rallied to be a clear second at 3-1, 2 ¾ lengths better than 7-2 Wilbo in third. Awesome Saturday, Shadow Tracer, Heartwood and Smart Spree completed the order.
The Kentucky-bred Chief Cicatriz is out of the Grand Slam mare Super Buggy, who is a half-sister to the dam of multiple Argentinean champion and U.S. Grade 1 winner Suggestive Boy.
One race after the Aristides, Grade 2 winner Long On Value snapped an eight-race losing streak with a 1 ¾-length score in the $75,000 Mighty Beau overnight stakes.
Off as the 8-5 favorite, Long On Value was making his first start for Brad Cox and the 7-year-old horse became Thoroughbred racing’s newest millionaire, pushing his earning to $1,022,073 from a 31-8-5-5 career line. Florent Geroux was up on the 8-5 favorite and the Virginia-bred son of Value Plus completed 5-furlongs on the first time in :57.31.
