Churchill Downs Stakes Recaps and Quotes: Stars of Tomorrow II

Nov 25, 2023 Darren Rogers

Honor Marie Sweeps Wide to Win Grade II, $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club

Honor Marie made a sweeping move at the top of the stretch and drew clear late to win Saturday’s 97th running of the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade II) at Churchill Downs by two lengths over Real Men Violin on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program for 2-year-olds.

Honor Marie, owned by Alan Ribble’s Ribble Farms LLC and trained by Whit Beckman, ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:44.31, earned $240,455 and collected 10 points as part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve” series, which offered points on a scale of 10-5-3-2-1 to the top five finishers as a “Prep Season” race.

For Beckman, a graduate of Louisville’s Saint Xavier High School and a former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, it was his first graded stakes win since starting his own stable in 2021.

“He’s a very nice horse and we were confident with his pedigree, and the way he trained, he’d enjoy longer distances,” Beckman. “It’s very exciting to have a horse like this and win our first graded stakes with him.”

Nomos, making his first start on dirt, along with first-level allowance winner Stretch Ride and longshot One Red Cent vied for the early lead through a first quarter mile in :23.70 and the half in :48.45 as Honor Marie raced relaxed at the rear of the field of eight. Honor Marie began to move into contention along the inside around the turn, and then tipped out six-wide at the top of the stretch after six furlongs in 1:13.40.

Racing in the clear down the stretch, Honor Marie collared Stretch Ride at the three-sixteenths pole as maiden winner Real Men Violin punched his way through along the rail and drew away for the two-turn triumph.

“I was thinking the two turns would help out,” Bejarano said. “After I saw there was a lot of speed in the race which would fit him. He came with a big run. In his last start he ran OK but that was seven furlongs. I was more confident with him going two turns today.”

Honor Marie paid $19.62, $6.80 and $4.26 as the 8-1 sixth betting choice. Real Men Violin, under Brian Hernandez Jr., paid $5.82 and $3.86 at odds of 5-1. Stretch Ride was another two lengths back in third at 4-1 and returned $4.16 to show with Martin Chuan aboard.

It was another length back to Street Sense (GIII) winner Risk It in fourth, who was forced to check repeatedly nearing the half-mile pole. He was followed by 8-5 favorite Awesome Road, Champagne (GI) third Dancing Groom, One Red Cent and Nomos.

Overall, Honor Marie has won two of his three starts with earnings of $318,175. Previously, he finished second to Otto the Conqueror in a first-level allowance at Churchill Downs on Oct. 29, his lone defeat.

“We’ll probably take him down to Fair Grounds after this,” Beckman said. “They have a good program for 3-year-olds.”

Honor Marie, a son of Honor Code out of the Smart Strike mare Dame Marie, was bred in Kentucky by Royce Pulliam.

The Kentucky Jockey Club is named in honor of the holding company that operated Churchill Downs at the time of the race’s inaugural running in 1920. In recent years, the Kentucky Jockey Club produced Kentucky Derby winners in WinStar Farm’s Super Saver, who won both races for trainer Todd Pletcher in 2009 and ’10, and Mike Pegram’s Real Quiet, the runner-up in the 1997 Kentucky Jockey Club who returned to win the Derby the following spring.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Sunday at 1 p.m. ET with a 12-race card for closing day of the Fall Meet. There will be a mandatory payout in the 20-cent Derby City 6 (Races 7-12), which features a force-out carryover of $33,346. The featured 11th race is the 18th running of the $300,000 Commonwealth Turf (GIII) for 3-year-olds, which will be transferred from grass to the main dirt track at 1 1/16 miles.

INTRICATE FINDS ROOM, WINS GRADE II, $399,498 GOLDEN ROD BY 5 ¼ LENGTHS

Intricate patiently waited for running room at the top of the stretch and when she did at the three-sixteenths pole, she exploded home to comfortably win Saturday’s 80thrunning of the $399,498 Golden Rod (Grade II) at Churchill Downs by 5 ¼ lengths over odds-on 4-5 favorite Thorpedo Anna.

Intricate, who ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:45.01 in a field of seven 2-year-old fillies, collected the $240,455 first prize and 10 points as part of the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” series, which offers points on a scale of 10-5-3-2-1 to the top five finishers as a “Prep Season” race.

Tyler Gaffalione rode the winner for trainer Brendan Walsh and owners Bradley Thoroughbreds, Laura Leigh Stable, Scott Estes and Cambron Equine LLC.

West Sunset, the winner of last month’s Rags to Riches (Listed), dictated the early pace of :23.30, :47.31 and 1:12.48 as Intricate relaxed along the rail about 3 ½ lengths behind in third down the backstretch. West Sunset, longshot Dozen Diamonds and Thorpedo Anna left the final turn vying for the lead, but it was a pinned Intricate who found room between the tiring leader and 68-1 outsider. Once clear, Intricate opened up and drew clear of the field for easy victory.

“She ran great today,” Gaffalione said. “She’s figuring things out and getting better with each start. I think the longer distance will definitely help her.”

Intricate paid $14.66, $4.90 and $3.54. Thorpedo Anna, under Brian Hernandez Jr., paid $3.20 and $2.72. Central Avenue, at odds of 7-1, rallied for third and returned $3.86 to show with Javier Castellano up.

Prior to the Golden Rod, Intricate broke her maiden in her second start while stretching out from a fifth in a debut sprint to a 3 ½-length score at Keeneland around 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 13. She now boasts a record of two wins in three starts with earnings of $302,180.

“She’s a very easy filly to train and does it all by herself,” said Walsh, who used a third-place finish in last year’s Golden Rod to win this year’s Longines Kentucky Oaks with Pretty Mischievous. “She’s just been starting to come around and really put things together today. We’ve always thought she’s a true two-turn filly. Last year this race worked out well for the development of Pretty Mischievous. We’ll see where we end up down the road with her but I’m sure we’ll entertain the Fair Grounds races like we did last year.”

Dozen Diamonds finished fourth and was followed by Gin Gin, Purloin, Here’s the Spider and West Sunset.

By Gun Runner, Intricate is out of the Distorted Humor mare Complex Analysis. The chestnut filly was bred in Kentucky by LBD Stable LLC.

LUKAS’ JUST STEEL SCORES 2 ½-LENGTH UPSET IN $222,505 ED BROWN

BC Stables LLC’s Just Steel sat just off a fast contested early pace, swung five-wide at the top of the lane and powered home down the stretch to score an upset win in Saturday’s third running of the $222,505 Ed Brown for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs by 2 ½ lengths over Agoo. Booth, the odds-on 3-5 favorite after a dominant maiden win at Keeneland in October, regressed and faded to fifth.

Trained by 88-year-old Hall of Famer Wayne Lukas and ridden by Joel Rosario, Just Steel covered the 6 ½ furlongs on a fast track in 1:16.91.

A 2-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Justify out of the Fastnet Rock (AUS) mare Irish Lights (AUS), Just Steel improved his record to 2-1-1 in seven starts, added $135,245 to his bankroll and increased his earnings to $240,795.

Just Steel returned $27.08, $10.94 and $5.34 as the 12-1 seventh betting choice in the field of eight juvenile sprinters. Agoo, ridden by Declan Cannon, returned $8.54 and $4.90 with Normandy Hero finishing third under Alex Achard and paying $4.76 to show.

Molly’s Town, Booth, Gabarra, Bowstreet and Divieto completed the order of finish. Bye Bye Liamwas scratched.

The winner was bred by Summerhill Farm.

YOUALMOSTHADME BEST IN $215,000 FERN CREEK

Youalmosthadme overcame a buried inside trip, slipped through an opening along the rail and wore down Halina’s Forte in deep stretch to win Saturday’s third running of the $215,000 Fern Creek for 2-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs by three-quarters of a length.

Youalmosthadme, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, ran 6 ½ furlongs over a fast track in 1:17.67. For Gallalione, it was his fourth win on the Stars of Tomorrow II card.

The victory was worth $131,990 for owners Qatar Racing LLC, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkissonand Black Type Thoroughbreds and increased Youalmosthadme’s earnings to $493,940 with a record of four wins in six starts. She is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Oxbow out of the Good and Tough mare Good Gator, and won the $200,000 Kentucky Juvenile against open company on Kentucky Derby Week earlier this year.

Sent off as the odds-on 3-5 favorite, Youalmosthadme returned $3.56, $2.48 and $2.34. Halina’s Forte, under Martin Garcia, paid $3.28 and $3.58 with Fibber another 6 ¼ lengths back in third, who paid $4.20 to show under Mitch Murrill.

Saratoga Secret, Field Lass, Ma Rae’s Girl, Pinotslilgirl, Sharp Tune, Bella Haze, Irish Maximaand Talkin in Cursive completed the order of finish. Wellareyouhappynow was scratched.

KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB QUOTES

Rafael Bejarano (jockey, Honor Marie, winner): “I was thinking the two turns would help out. After I saw there was a lot of speed in the race which would fit him. He came with a big run. In his last start he ran OK but that was seven furlongs. I was more confident with him going two turns today.”

Whit Beckman (trainer, Honor Marie, winner): “He’s a very nice horse and we were confident with his pedigree, and the way he trained, he’d enjoy longer distances. It’s very exciting to have a horse like this and win our first graded stakes with him. We’ll probably take him down to Fair Grounds after this. They have a good program for 3-year-olds.”

Kenny McPeek (trainer, Real Men Violin, runner-up): “He ran a great race. He’s on the trail. He’ll probably head to Fair Grounds in the next couple days.”

GOLDEN ROD QUOTES

Tyler Gaffalione (jockey, Intricate, winner): “She ran great today. She’s figuring things out and getting better with each start. I think the longer distance will definitely help her.”

Brendan Walsh (trainer, Intricate, winner): “She’s a very easy filly to train and does it all by herself. She’s just been starting to come around and really put things together today. We’ve always thought she’s a true two-turn filly. Last year this race worked out well for the development of Pretty Mischievous. We’ll see where we end up down the road with her but I’m sure we’ll entertain the Fair Grounds races like we did last year.”

Kenny McPeek (trainer, Thorpedo Anna, runner-up): “She got a little antsy in the gate and broke pretty slow. I thought she ran well but definitely was compromised at the start.”

ED BROWN QUOTES

Joel Rosario (jockey, Just Steel, winner): “I sat a very good trip behind the speed. They went pretty fast. Down the lane he kept finding more and more. He finished really strong. I was impressed with him.”

D. Wayne Lukas (trainer, Just Steel, winner): “I think this horse is just coming along and getting better. I thought Joel (Rosario) gave him a perfect ride. What I was most encouraged about was how he lengthened his stride down the lane. … I think eventually we will go back to two turns. He’s by Justify and should be in his wheelhouse. I think he could be a Kentucky Derby-type horse.”

FERN CREEK QUOTES

Tyler Gaffalione (jockey, Youalmosthadme, winner): “Good horses make you look good. She settled down the backside. I really had a lot of horse underneath me turning for home when she went through the opening at the rail. I don’t think she won’t go a mile. Maybe we can see her go a little further next year. She’ll get some time off after this and hopefully come back better than she’s been this year.”

Brad Cox (trainer, Youalmosthadme, winner): “She was very game going up the rail like that. She’s had a solid year. She started her season back in the spring and has a good resume. We’ll give her a little bit of a rest and she’ll be back next year as an exiting 3-year-old prospect.”