The Bashford Manor Stakes Friday night left racegoers wanting more from a pair of early-season 2-year-old winners at Kentucky tracks.
Churchill Downs graduate Copper Bullet received most of the prerace hype, but Keeneland winner Ten City was odds-on favorite and got a cleaner trip in the Grade 3 $100,000 race at Churchill Downs.
Before a thunderstorm plowed through Louisville, delaying the Grade 3 $100,000 Debutante for 2-year-old fillies, Ten City held off a determined Copper Bullet by 1 1/2 lengths with Hardworkcleanlivin 6 3/4 lengths farther back in third. Two last-out winners at Presque Isle Downs (Erie, Pa.) completed the field with I'm Corfu disrupting others before fading to last.
Copper Bullet, with Florent Geroux aboard, led the opening quarter but had traffic problems near the quarter pole and into the lane. Ten City veered outside at the head of the stretch and steered clear of trouble under Robby Albarado, his fast-rated six furlongs in 1:10.45. The dark bay or brown colt paid $3, $2.10 and $2.10.
"It was just a tough trip," said Geroux, whose mount was 7-5 second choice. "He worked his way up there on the inside and there was a lot of stuff going on in a very short field. He ran great. He was probably the best today, but the trip didn't help."
Ken McPeek trains the winner, a Run Away and Hide colt from the Rock Hard Ten mare Maiden America. A seven-length debut winner April 19 going 4 1/2 furlongs, Ten City has earned $98,000 in two starts after selling cheaply as a yearling.
"I was so proud to pick a horse this talented out of the (yearling) auction for only $12,000," said McPeek, whose national stable includes a winter/spring division at Oaklawn Park. "This horse has shown a lot of talent throughout the early stages of his career. It's a horse that trainers dream to be around."
Winning the Bashford Manor for the third time, Albarado said McPeek "has always been high on this colt. He told me once he gets his legs stretched out he'll come with a run. I saw the horse in front was stopping rather quickly, so I got my horse in a good position and everything worked out well today."
McPeek said "there's a good chance" Ten City will rest over the summer and return in Churchill Downs' Grade 3 $150,000 Iroquois, the first scoring race on the road to the 2018 Kentucky Derby.
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen called Copper Bullet "a good horse and hopefully we'll get on track." Willis Horton, of Marshall, co-owns the More Than Ready colt with Winchell Thoroughbreds.
Said Albarado: "You'll see these two later up the road."
* Favored filly Sunny Skies, winning the Debutante in the slop, gave McPeek and Albarado a sweep of Friday's 2-year-old stakes at Churchill Downs. The race was delayed about an hour and was conducted over a sealed surface rated "sloppy." The dozen fillies were held in the paddock during the weather delay.
Sunny Skies went six furlongs in 1:11.83, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over longshot Upset Brewing and paying $4.60, $3.40 and $2.80. Shaun Bridgmohan rode Upset Brewing and Jon Court had the mount on third-place finisher Waki Patriot.
Sunny Skies is a homebred daughter of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom produced by the Marquetry mare Skyscape. Nancy Polk races the filly under Normandy Farm.
"I think you'll see her and Ten City as workmates this summer," McPeek said.
Albarado scored a stakes triple aboard three-time meet winner Limousine Liberal in the $70,893 Kelly's Landing. The 5-year-old Successful Appeal gelding clipped seven furlongs in 1:23.08 for trainer Ben Colebrook, previously winning the Grade 2 $500,000 Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard and the Grade 3 $100,000 Aristides June 3. Limousine Liberal is a six-time winner from 16 starts with career earnings of $847,687.
Sports on 07/02/2017