Stephen Foster Stakes (Grade 1)

THE $1 million Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes, transferred from Churchill Downs to Ellis Park, saw the Brad Cox-trained West Will Power earn free entry into the Breeders’ Cup Classic with his half-length win over Rattle N Roll over the nine furlongs.

Predictably Speed Bias under Luis Saez was first from the gate to lead while the Flavien Prat-ridden West Will Power was on the pace in second and Stilleto Boy ran in third. Those three held their positions until the final turn where Prat made his move on the winner.

Down the middle of the fast dirt track, West Will Power opened up to break away from his rivals while Rattle N Roll came late to challenge in the final strides, failing by half a length in a time of 1m47.93secs. Outsider Happy American and James Graham took third.

The winner, a six-year-old son of Bernardini, was bred by the Wests.

“He’s a very good horse; he’s accomplished a tremendous amount and he’s gotten better as he’s gotten older,” Cox said of the entire. “He’s a Grade 1 winner, that’s pretty damn good.”

“We’re in the Breeders’ Cup Classic; we’ll work our way back from there. Ultimately it’ll be up to Mr. West if we decide to go there and we’ll make a plan,” Cox added.

Also on the Ellis Park card the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes was won by the four-year-old Stitched, bred by Nathan McCauley and owned in partnership by him, Michael Olszewski and William Minton.

The son of Mizzen Mast won the mile and half a furlong contest by a neck from Get Smokin and favourite Set Piece for trainer Greg Foley.

The consistent high-grade Stonestreet Stables mare Pauline’s Pearl added another graded race to her CV in winning the nine-furlong Grade 2 Fleur De Lis Stakes on the Ellis Park card. The daughter of Tapit held of A Mo Reay by three quarters of a length.

Irish-bred in Canada

There was an Irish-bred success in the biggest race of the weekend in Canada when Fev Rover, a five-year-old Gutaifan mare, now trained by Mark Casse, proved too good for the previous year’s Queen’s Plate winner Moira in winning the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes at Woodbine by an easy four and a quarter lengths under Patrick Husbands.

Bred by Manister House Stud, she had been bought by owner Tracy Farmer for 695,000 gns from Richard Fahey’s Musley Bank stables after her two and three-year-old career racing for Nick Bradley Racing during which she won the Group 2 Prix du Calvados.

Belmont

There was a thrilling finish to the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes over a mile at Belmont when Fort Bragg nosed out Saudi Crown.

The winner was last seen when second in the Pat Day Mile and a late scratch at Belmont Stakes day.

The two were locked together in a furious duel to the wire with the Baffert-trained Tapit colt just getting the verdict.

BOB Baffert may have gotten back on the classic scene when winning the Preakness Stakes in May but he will still be absent from Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, Kentucky Derby day.

Churchill Downs, Inc. extended Bob Baffert’s exclusion from racing horses at CDI-owned tracks through to the end of 2024, it was announced on Monday. A release from Churchill Downs said the decision was made “based on continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses to CDI-owned racetracks.”

Baffert was initially prohibited by CDI from competing at its tracks to the end of the 2023 spring meeting, following the confirmation that 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had tested positive for betamethasone, a substance prohibited on race day in Kentucky.

“The results of the tests clearly show that he [Baffert] did not comply, and his ongoing conduct reveals his continued disregard for the rules and regulations that ensure horse and jockey safety, as well as the integrity and fairness of the races conducted at our facilities,” the Churchill Downs press release stated.

In a Twitter comment Baffert responded that he “was at a loss to understand Churchill Downs latest action to suspend me.”