Mr. Money (Goldencents), a breakout winner of the GIII Pat Day Mile S. on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard, followed up with another visually impressive score here.
The handsome bay fired a five-furlong bullet in :59 4/5 (1/17) beneath the Twin Spires May 31 and was heavily favored to make it two straight. He broke well and was placed in a tracking second as Knicks Go (Paynter) showed the way through fractions of :24.19 and :47.80. Always traveling nicely beneath Gabriel Saez, the Allied Racing Stable colorbearer gained command leaving the quarter pole and leveled off nicely down the lane, reporting home as a much-the-best winner in a sharp final clocking.
Fourth at 41-1 while making his stakes debut in last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Mr. Money was seventh in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 16 and fifth in the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby Mar. 23.
The Pat Day Mile, captured by Mr. Money by 5 1/4 lengths, is quickly shaping up as a key race. It has already produced GI Woody Stephens upsetter Hog Creek Hustle (Overanalyze) (second), narrow Prairie Mile S. runner-up Captain Von Trapp (Trappe Shot) (fourth), 29-1 GI Preakness S. runner-up Everfast (Take Charge Indy) (fifth), and runaway Texas Stallion S. winner Mr Money Bags (Silver City) (13th).
“The way this horse was training after the Pat Day Mile, we had an idea he'd run a big race,” winning trainer Bret Calhoun said. “Gabe rode him perfectly tonight and he's proving his talent, that's for sure.”
Saez added, “That was about as easy as you can do it. This horse has been so impressive all along and Bret and his team's hard work is paying off. I'm so thankful to Bret and Chester [Thomas] for letting me ride this horse. The 1 1/16-mile distance was a little test tonight. He certainly proved he can do it.”
Pedigree Notes:
Mr. Money is one of five stakes winners–two graded–for North America's leading third-crop sire, Goldencents. The bay colt, who was a $130,000 yearling at Keeneland's 2017 September sale, is the first blacktype performer for his young Tiznow dam, who also has juvenile colt Mr. Kidd (Palace) and a yearling filly by Awesome Again who sold as a weanling for $190,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. The mare's 2019 foal was a filly by Speightstown. The mare's granddam produced Well Armed (Tiznow), winner of the 2009 G1 Dubai World Cup, as well as the dam of 2017 GI Maker's 46 Mile S. American Patriot (War Front), and there are a slew of other blacktype performers in the family. Mr. Money's broodmare sire Tiznow, who has 30 blacktype winners as a damsire, has been used with this particular family several times.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
MATT WINN S.-GIII, $150,000, Churchill Downs, 6-15, 3yo,
1 1/16m, 1:42.28, ft.
1–MR. MONEY, 120, c, 3, by Goldencents
1st Dam: Plenty O'Toole, by Tiznow
2nd Dam: O' Toole, by Distorted Humor
3rd Dam: Well Dressed, by Notebook
($130,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Allied Racing Stable, LLC; B-Spruce Lane Farm (KY); T-W. Bret Calhoun; J-Gabriel Saez. $91,140. Lifetime Record: 8-3-2-0, $491,220. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Signalman, 123, c, 3, General Quarters–Trip South, by Trippi. ($32,000 Ylg '17 FTKOCT). O-Tommie M Lewis, Steve Crabtree, Dean Demaree, David Bernsen, Jim Chambers and Magdalena Racing; B-Monticule (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $29,400.
3–Proverb, 120, c, 3, Flatter–Peisinoe, by Yes It's True. ($170,000 2yo '18 OBSAPR). O-Harlow Stables LLC; B-English Range Farm (FL); T-Ron Moquett. $14,700.
Margins: 6HF, 2, 3/4. Odds: 0.60, 4.80, 19.30.
Also Ran: Armistice Day, Knicks Go, Limonite, Nolo Contesto.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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