Utah Beach, who is in the best form of his career, has wound up with a little extra competition in the $200,000 Chorleywood Stakes for older horses going 1 3/8 miles on the Churchill Downs turf in Saturday’s nightcap. Graded stakes winners Anglophile and Highway Robber were both supplemented here after the weather wreaked havoc on their stakes plans last week in Saratoga.
Utah Beach has already bested Anglophile, as well as a number of others in this field. Graded stakes-placed last year, Utah Beach, the 5-year-old son of English Channel, has blossomed in Kentucky this spring, winning the Grade 3 Elkhorn at Keeneland and the Grade 3 Louisville at Churchill Downs, both at 1 1/2 miles.
The late-running Utah Beach overcame slow opening splits in the Elkhorn – the first half went in 50 seconds – to get up by a head, with Anglophile finishing third. In the Louisville, the pace was moderately quicker – 48.84 for the half – and they came home quickly, with the final time of 2:26.70 just .20 seconds off 1994 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Tikkanen’s course record of 2:26.50.
In that race, Utah Beach’s surge carried him 1 1/2 lengths clear of graded stakes winner Verstappen, who had attended the pace and who takes another crack at the winner here. Also coming back is 2024 Louisville winner Sugoi, another pace-pressing type, who would be dangerous if he returns to his career-best form of last year.
Also emerging from the Louisville are Rebel Red and Tapit Shoes, who encountered trouble when pacesetting Idratherbeblessed slowed abruptly going into the Louisville’s final turn. That forced Missed the Cut, who was tracking, to swerve out to avoid a collision. Rebel Red clipped Missed the Cut’s heels and fell, with Tapit Shoes running into Rebel Red and losing his rider. Both horses walked off the course.
The majority of this field has not run at this 1 3/8-mile distance. Rebel Red is one of those who has, finishing third behind a pair of quality foes, Integration and Limited Liability, in the Grade 2 Red Smith last fall after never being far off the lead.
Anglophile is coming off a strong effort at this distance, as he was second by a length to multiple Grade 1 winner Far Bridge in the Grade 2 Man o’ War. He was intended to stretch out to two miles in the Belmont Gold Cup last Friday, but the race was rained off the turf, forcing a change of plans.
Brian Lynch-trained stablemate Highway Robber was also entered at Saratoga, but the Grade 1 Manhattan was pushed by the rain from Saturday to Sunday and ultimately switched turf courses and was run at a shorter distance. Highway Robber is coming back to a course where he turned in a strong effort in the Grade 1 Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard, beaten a length by the classy winner Spirit of St Louis and only a neck for second by Mercante, next-out winner of the Grade 3 Arlington.
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