Todd Pletcher trainee Kingsbarns excelled within the $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes June 29 at Churchill Downs, outrunning fellow graded stakes winners Pyrenees, Skippylongstocking, and First Mission to document the primary Grade 1 stakes victory of his profession. The triumph earned him an computerized fees-paid beginning place into the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders’ Cup Traditional at Del Mar by way of the Breeders’ Cup Problem “Win and You are In” Sequence.
Kingsbarns, who gained the Grade 2 2023 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby final yr as a 3-year-old, has taken the subsequent step at age 4. Returning to Churchill Downs for the primary time since a 14th-place end within the 2023 run for the roses, Kingsbarns ran like he may show an element within the Traditional and different main races for older males this season.
Fourth early below jockey Luis Saez, Kingsbarns settled two lengths off the tempo of favored First Mission, as that one set comfy fractions of :24.13 and :48.38 within the 1 1/8-mile race. On the flip, with Skippylongstocking making use of gentle stress to the chief, Kingsbarns made his transfer, advancing large into third after six furlongs in 1:11.86.
Kingsbarns then took command in early stretch and pulled away for a 2 1/2-length victory over Pyrenees, who grinded away to seize the place whereas no menace to the winner who raced the 1 1/8 miles on a quick monitor in 1:48.09.
“We’re extraordinarily happy with this horse’s effort and for your entire workforce behind him,” stated Pletcher. “Clearly successful a Grade 1 is an incredible accomplishment. I believe we have seen this yr he is been in a position to settle higher than when he was a 3-year-old and present that new dimension. He sat an ideal journey in the present day and actually kicked effectively when turning for dwelling.”
A lot of the prime finishers within the Stephen Foster loved clean journeys, together with Godolphin‘s First Mission, who was with out an excuse in ending fourth, crushed 3 1/4 lengths. Pyrenees and present finisher Skippylongstocking, the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap winner, surged previous him within the closing sixteenth.
“Tremendous dissatisfied,” stated First Mission’s coach, Brad Cox. “He did not reply when the winner got here as much as him. That is it, regroup.”
First Mission gained the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes introduced by Twinspires early final month at Churchill Downs and, like Kingsbarns, had been in pursuit of a stallion-making Grade 1 victory.
Horseplayers ignored Kingsbarns Saturday, letting him drift up from his 6-1 morning line to odds of virtually 10-1. He paid $21.90 to win.
Although he had been upset by Pyrenees within the Grade 3 Pimlico Particular final month, Kingsbarns’ different begins in 2024 had every resulted in victories, together with a 3 1/4-length triumph within the April 20 Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland after a half-length triumph in a March 2 allowance non-obligatory claiming race at Gulfstream Park.
Kingsbarns performed a pace-pressing function within the Pimlico Particular, however within the Stephen Foster, Saez reverted to stalking techniques he utilized in these earlier victories. Nonetheless, figuring out that there was little tempo within the discipline, he sat near the leaders.
“Across the far flip, he actually discovered his stride properly and simply took me from there,” Saez stated. “He fought exhausting down your entire stretch.”
Each Saez and Pletcher each collected their first wins within the prestigious Stephen Foster.
By the years, Stephen Foster winners Black Tie Affair (1991), Superior Once more (1998), Saint Liam (2005), Blame (2010), and Gun Runner (2017) added a Breeders’ Cup Traditional win throughout the identical season.
