Millionaires and multiple graded stakes winners Arrest Me Red and Nobals were in close contact nearly every step of the six furlongs of the $125,000 Big Daddy Stakes on Saturday night at Turfway Park, and Arrest Me Red prevailed by a half-length at the line.
Arrest Me Red ($6.18), who is trained by Wesley Ward for Lael Stables, has now won three straight races, but was returning off a layoff. The 7-year-old gelding, whose biggest wins came in the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint in 2022 and the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational in 2021, was last seen winning two allowance races last year in Kentucky - in August at Kentucky Downs and in October at Keeneland.
Arrest Me Red, who broke from the rail in the field of five under Corey Lanerie, and 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Nobals, from post 2 under Gerardo Corrales, were both away alertly. Arrest Me Red had a head in front through the opening quarter of 22.35 seconds on the Tapeta, with the two classy veterans already beginning to separate themselves from their three foes.
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Around the turn, Arrest Me Red was still moving in hand, while Corrales was beginning to put Nobals under a ride. Lanerie shook up Arrest Me Red as they straightened away into the stretch, and the leader opened his biggest advantage of the night, about a length.
But Nobals, a two-time stakes winner at Turfway, wasn’t done yet. With both runners stoutly handled through the final furlong, Nobals was eating into Arrest Me Red's margin as the wire flashed overhead.
The time for the six furlongs was 1:11.84.
Pure Panic made up ground on the inside in the stretch to be third, 2 1/4 lengths behind the top two. Mischievous Rogue and One for My Brother rounded out the order of finish.
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