It was bingo for Bango on a wet Friday at Churchill Downs, as he took sole possession of the record as the winningest horse at the Louisville, Ky., track with a 2 1/4-length win in an allowance/optional-claiming race.
The 7-year-old Bango, a homebred for Fred and Debbie Schwartz's Tamaroak Stable and trained throughout his career by Greg Foley, now owns 12 wins beneath the twin spires, breaking the track's modern-day recorded mark that he shared with Ready's Rocket. The latter scored 11 wins at Churchill Downs, all at the claiming or starter-allowance level. In a career spanning from 2005-12, Ready’s Rocket won 20 of 74 starts overall.
Bango has now won 15 of 38 career starts and has earned more than $1.6 million. Although he is a stakes winner at Ellis Park and Turfway Park, and is graded stakes-placed at Keeneland, the majority of his success has come at Churchill. His local wins include the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Aristides Stakes, the 2021 Kelly’s Landing, the 2022 Bet On Sunshine, the 2023 St. Matthews, and the 2023 Louisville Thoroughbred Society, along with a maiden special weight in 2019 and five allowance/optional-claiming races.
Foley, a Churchill Downs-based native of nearby Oldham County, counts Tamaroak as longtime clients – he trained Bango’s dam for the breeders.
"I just want to congratulate Fred and Debbie," an emotional Foley told Churchill Downs publicity after Friday's win. "They've been so good to me for so many years, and this is just a special day."
A field of four wound up contesting Friday's third race, a $148,000 allowance/optional-claimer for 3-year-olds and up who had not won four other-than, or who had not won $58,000 twice other-than in 2024, or who entered for a claiming tag of $175,000, after Disco Ball was a vet scratch on the way to the gate. The quartet went to the post on a sloppy, sealed track as Hurricane Helene impacted Kentucky
Bango and Tyler Gaffalione had an adventurous first quarter mile, breaking last in the field of four, bounding up within a few strides on the inside of the two leaders, and then easing back off the throttle again. Spankster, with Angkor to his outside, went for the lead. Angkor, favored off a third in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes last out, emerged with a narrow lead through the opening quarter in 22.18 seconds. Bango was tucked behind the two frontrunners, to the inside of stakes winner Minnesota Ready, as the field paired up in a close group down the backstretch.
Angkor tried to begin stealing away on the turn and led by a length through the half in 45.79, with Minnesota Ready bidding on the outside. But in the small field, Bango had plenty of room to maneuver, and looked full of run as he came up the inside. He drew clear down the lane, finishing the six furlongs in 1:09.76.
In the winner's circle presentation, a banner was held up recognizing Bango's accomplishment. Foley was also presented with a placard to place on the outside of his barn recognizing the win record. Churchill presents similar placards to trainers for local Grade 1 wins.
Friday's effort marked Bango's first win from three starts this year, and first trip to the winner's circle in more than a year. After tying the Churchill win mark in the Louisville Thoroughbred Society in September 2023, he finished that season by finishing third in the Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland, then third in the Bet On Sunshine.
The popular runner returned to the races off a six-month layoff in the St. Matthews the first week of May and faded to fourth after prompting the pace. His most recent start prior to Friday came in the Kelly’s Landing on June 29, when he showed little while finishing eighth.
A brief break from the races while the Kentucky circuit moved to Ellis for the summer seems to have agreed with Bango. He fired two strong works this month at Churchill in preparation for his return, including a bullet half-mile last Saturday.
"This spring, he was training great, and we thought he'd get it done - I don't know, he just got mentally out of the game a little bit," said Foley, adding that his team tried "a few little things" to freshen Bango. "His works of the last three or four weeks have been phenomenal."
Now, Bango is back - and in the record books.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.