A pair of thrilling stretch runs by the favorites kicked off the roads to the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
First came the $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G3) for 2-year-old fillies. Manuka Honey ($3.92), the strong 9-10 favorite, caught the leaders at the sixteenth pole and went on for a two-length victory over Scarlett Begonia, with Miss Anna a head back in third.
The 1-mile Pocahontas opened the road to the Kentucky Oaks on April 30, earning the top five finishers 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points. Stripe Show was fourth, followed by Betty Sue, For the Win and Pierette. The winner trained by Brian Lynch was ridden by Luis Saez.
“She really had to work for it today. There was some stage there where I thought she had a task ahead of her," Lynch said. "This filly just lays it down each time. We’re excited to see her stretch out a little bit more and get her to the Breeders’ Cup.”
The road to the Derby opened with the $300,000 Iroquois Stakes (G3) and 9-10 favorite Salahoudin ($3.98) delivered a last-to-first run and won by a half-length over He is No Lie.
Trained by six-time Derby winner Bob Baffert, the Uncle Mo colt is now 3-for-3 and earned 10 Derby qualifying points, with the next four finishers earning 5-3-2-1 points on a sliding scale. Caribbean Life was third, followed by Real Goodbar, Real Gone. Bearamour and Admiral's Order.
Ridden by Jose Oritz, who replaced Florent Geroux, sidelined indefinitely after being injured in a spill at Churchill Downs on Friday, Salahoudin covered the mile in 1:36.54.
Ortiz is used to last-to-first runs as the jockey aboard deep closer Golden Tempo, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner.
The field was reduced to seven following the scratches of Antivenom and Blessed Flyer.
Kerry's Kiss ($6.40) led gate-to-wire and posted a 1 ½-length victory over favorite Simply Joking in the $225,000 Princess Rooney Stakes (G3) and clinched a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 4-year-old daughter of Vino Rosso extended her winning streak to four in a row. It was her first graded stakes win.
-- Al Hudaiba ($3.30) took charge past the sixteenth pole and won the $500,000 Summer Stakes (G1) by 1 ¾ lengths over Oscar, earning a fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 30. The 2-year-old Godolphin-owned colt is trained by Charlie Appleby and was ridden by William Buick.
-- Voyager ($9.50) swept to the lead at the top of the stretch and held on for a 1 ¼-length win in the $500,000 Natalma Stakes (G1). Trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Javier Castellano, the bay filly by Justify earned a fees-paid spot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).
-- Notable Speech ($2.80) gave trainer Charlie Appleby another victory at Woodbine after staging a strong rally for a 1 3/4-length win over Deterministic in the $1 million Woodbine Mile (G1). The win, the 10th in 19 career starts for the Godolphin-owned 5-year-old and boosted his earnings close to $4.5 million. The son of Dubawi picked up a fees-paid spot to the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1).
Gimme a Nother (2-1), a 6-year-old trained by Graham Motion, stated her case as a top mare by winning the $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) for a fourth straight graded stakes win, earning a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) next month.
Unbeaten in her seven starts in her native South Africa, Gimme a Nother added to previous wins in the U.S. that include the Beverly D (G2) at Colonial Downs on Aug. 1 and the Eatontown Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park on June 13. She has won 11 of 15 career starts. John Velazquez was aboard.
-- Hotazhell pulled off a 50-1 upset in winning the Irish Champion Stakes for 79-year-old trainer Jessica Harrington, a shocking result with 33-1 shot Wimbledon Hawkeye a nose back and 11-4 favorite Constitution River third for trainer Aidan O'Brien. The win clinched a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
Hotazhell, a 4-year-old colt with nearly $1.5 million earnings, is unlikely to come to America based on Harrington's comments after the race. Her plan calls for a final race at Ascot – the Champions Stakes on British Champions Day on Oct. 17 – before retirement.
As for the race Saturday, Harrington said: "I didn't think he deserved to be 50-1, he came here in good form and last year, on ground that was always too quick for him, he kept on trying but he got his conditions today and went and did it. The horse is very tough, knows where the winning post is, and put his head down on the line."
-- Blue Bolt, the 4-5 favorite, won her fifth consecutive race for trainer Andrew Balding, capturing the Matron Stakes (G1) and earning a fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
