The Hirsch Turf Classic (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Inner Turf
September 28, 2024

There was plenty of reason to think that Well Done would rebound well from a tough outing in his prior race, the Nashville Derby. However, this was still the Hirsch Turf Classic, and with the likes of King Que Niagra, Fanatical Empire, and Ziccio (among others) in the field, Well Done needed to do more than just rebound. He would have to run the best race of his career, and that’s exactly what he would end up doing. It may not have been a good day for some of the bigger names in this race, but don’t let that take anything away from the great race that Well Done had, as he picked up the win at odds of 13/1. It’s the first win in the race for long time trainer Team 7 Illusions, as well as for jockey D Davis. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 2:24.93, a middle of the road such winning time. Let’s take a look at it now!

(½ Mile- :49.00)- No one pulls away from the rest of the field early on, and most of the first half mile sees a group of four horses running alongside one another. It’ll be the Mb Stables trained Master Of Disguise leading by a head over two highly accomplished horses, The Sidley Stud’s Neds Influence and the great King Que Niagra, from D J C Racing Stables. Also there, running four wide, is Kidding, but he loses almost a full length heading into the frontstretch for the first time. Running fifth is Smokey Stover’s Fanatical Empire, who stalks the pace by himself here. It’s another length to the Night Rider Stables owned Ziccio, and nearby to him is where we find our eventual winner from Team 7 Illusions, Well Done. The typical late runner is three lengths from the lead at this point. Next is On Fire (Mb Stables), with Inspector Legrasse (Locked And Loaded) at the back.

(3/4 Mile- 1:13.24)- Over the next quarter mile, the horses are essentially holding their positions. So, it’s still Master Of Disguise, Neds Influence, and King Que Niagra up front, with Kidding within a length running four wide. Fanatical Empire stalks this group, and a little further back, we see Well Done making a move to inside of Ziccio, but this wouldn’t really be considered a push by him at this point. On Fire is a length behind them with Inspector Legrasse still at the back.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- For much of the backstretch portion, Neds Influence held the lead as he wins the battle with Master Of Disguise and King Que Niagra, but along the outside, Kidding is doing a great job making the four wide trip work and will hold the upper hand entering the stretch by half a length. Fanatical Empire maintained his trip right behind them, but did not make any kind of move within in the turn. Now, as all this was going on, Well Done was the one to watch, but he did not wait until the turn to begin making his move. Towards the end of the backstretch, D Davis would make a power move with Well Done to bring him to the outside, and he would gain a lot of ground within the turn. So much so, that by the time they entered the stretch, he was only a length behind the winner. Clearly, this 13/1 longshot had the attention of everyone at this point. Elsewhere, Ziccio was dropping back, On Fire was making slight progress, at best, along the rail, and Inspector Legrasse continued to trail.

(Finish- 2:24.93)- In the stretch, it’s Kidding leading the way. He’s beat the bigger names at this point, but he still has one looking to get the virtual racing world to remember his name making his move. Approaching the wire, it would be Well Done digging in and forcing a very close photo at the wire with Kidding. Would the Hirsch Turf Classic have its third dead heat in its history? Not this time, as Well Done slightly prevailed in the photo to score the massive win. Kidding, also not one of those big names, is an impressive second with Fanatical Empire being the best of the rest in third. King Que Niagra disappoints in his bid to win this race three years in a row, and places fourth, with Neds Influence next. The rest of the order will read On Fire, Inspector Legrasse, Master Of Disguise, and Ziccio.

About The Winner- Well Done, trained by Team 7 Illusions and ridden to victory by D Davis, is a three-year-old gelding by I Want More and is out of Super Heat. He was bred in Kentucky as a third quarter two-year-old by Team 7 Illusions, the only trainer for which he was ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his third in nine starts and first stake win. His career earnings are now $367.420.

Track: Firm
Time: :49  1:13¹  2:01¹  2:24⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 8 Paid 137.70
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 8 – 7 Paid 277.60

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES