A Heroic Performance in the Shadwell Mile

Bowies Hero | Coady

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Venturing beyond the borders of California for the first time since he broke his maiden at first asking at Lone Star and was sold privately, Bowie's Hero emerged from a crush of horseflesh in the final sixteenth of a mile to secure a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile Nov. 3 with a 3/4-length success in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.

Settled slightly behind midfield, but not that far away, as Diamond Oops and the outposted Real Story (Fast Bullet) locked horns up front, Bowie's Hero slipstreamed the four-wide move around the second turn from Divisidero (Kitten's Joy) and was steered to the outside of that one at the entrance to the stretch. Diamond Oops, scratched from Friday's GII Phoenix S. in favor of this apparently more ambitious spot, plugged on gamely one off the inside and defending champion Next Shares rallied up the fence to be a late threat, but Bowie's Hero found that little bit extra down the center and was along in the dying strides. 'TDN Rising Star Valid Point (Scat Daddy) was forced to steady in the final furlong after racing handy to the pace and could do no better than 10th as the 12-5 chalk.

Bowie's Hero could easily have stayed at home for Saturday's GII City of Hope Mile, but connections rolled the dice and it paid dividends.

“About a million dollars compared to $200,000,” said assistant trainer Josh Flores, referencing the difference in the purse money between the two races. “We've always had the confidence in this horse. He's had some tough trips. Today, [jocke] Flavien [Prat] was able to put him in the right spot and he was able to fly home.”

Winner of the 2018 GI F.E. Kilroe Mile S. for his lone victory from five starts in 2018, Bowie's Hero was the 2 1/4-length winner of the nine-furlong GII Eddie Read S. at Del Mar July 21 and was exiting a troubled fifth in the GII Del Mar Mile H. Aug. 18.

Pedigree Notes:
By the winner of the 2005 Breeders' Cup Mile, Bowie's Hero was produced by an unraced half-sister to GSW Mint Lane (Maria's Mon); Sister Girl Blues (Petionville), dam of GSW and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Firing Line (Line of David); and to the dam of GISW Sharp Azteca (Freud). Remembered, who sold for $550,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale, foaled a filly by Gun Runner this season.

Saturday, Keeneland
SHADWELL TURF MILE S.-GI, $1,000,000, Keeneland, 10-5, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.20, fm.
1–BOWIES HERO, 126, h, 5, by Artie Schiller
1st Dam: Remembered, by Sky Mesa
2nd Dam: Sister Girl, by Conquistador Cielo
3rd Dam: Scipio, by Danzig
($16,000 RNA Wlg '14 KEENOV; $17,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP;
$32,000 2yo '16 EASMAY). O-Agave Racing Stable, ERJ Racing,
LLC and Madaket Stables LLC; B-Pope McLean, Pope McLean
Jr. & Marc McLean (KY); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Flavien Prat.
$600,000. Lifetime Record: 21-8-1-3, $1,478,970. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*.
2–Diamond Oops, 126, g, 4, Lookin At Lucky–Patriotic Viva, by
Whywhywhy. ($42,000 RNA Wlg '15 KEENOV). O-Diamond 100
Racing Club, LLC, Amy Dunne, D P Racing LLC and Patrick L.
Biancone Racing LLC; B-Kin Hui Racing Stables LLC (KY);
T-Patrick L. Biancone. $200,000.
3–Suedois (Fr), 126, g, 8, Le Havre (Ire)–Cup Cake (Ire), by
Singspiel (Ire). (€165,000 4yo '15 ARARC). O-George Turner
and Clipper Logistics; B-Elisabeth Vidal (FR); T-David O'Meara.
$100,000.
Margins: 3/4, NO, NO. Odds: 8.20, 12.20, 20.00.
Also Ran: First Premio, March to the Arch, Next Shares, Divisidero, Van Beethoven, Bandua, Valid Point, Admission Office, Vintager (GB), Robin of Navan (Fr), Real Story. Scratched: Get Western, Emaraaty (GB). 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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