KD Turf Sprint – (Grade ll) [BC]

Purse $1,750.00 – For Three Year Olds And Upward

6 Furlongs – Turf

Kentucky Downs – September 5, 2026

Whoa Bo ended a lengthy drought in a big way, returning to the winner’s circle for the first time since June 2025 with a victory in the 12th running of the KD Turf Sprint! The New Jersey-bred has now made 38 of his 39 career starts on the grass, and all that experience was on full display Saturday. This performance marked the second graded stakes triumph of his accomplished career and also gave his bankroll a healthy boost, raising his lifetime earnings to $2,635.63. For owner Maxmillion Farm, the win marked his first in the KD Turf Sprint since the race’s inception in 2015, adding another notable accomplishment to the stable’s lengthy résumé. Whoa Bo blazed through the six furlongs in 1:07.84, now a new stakes record while also establishing a new track record at Kentucky Downs! Beyond the record-setting performance, this race was part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” series. The seven-year-old gelding has now secured a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Congratulations to the connections!

Winner: Whoa Bo – (Maxmillion Farm, J. Lezcano) This son of Bo Judge had a very good start leaving the gate and immediately moved down to the rail to save ground into the far turn. He was well within striking range for the first couple of furlongs, but Whoa Bo ended up taking the lead with a quarter of a mile to go. Jockey Jose Lezcano had this horse closing with powerful strides and came down the stretch with a full head of steam. With practically the whole field closing behind him, the seven-year-old gelding had a one-length lead inside the final furlong. No one was able to catch him and Whoa Bo scored by three-quarters of a length. I’m sure Max has been waiting on an effort like this for some time. Off to the Breeders Cup!

Second Place: Superbush – (Acber Farms, V. Espinoza) There were a bunch of question marks with this gelding coming into this race, mainly that this was his second attempt on the grass in 26 career starts. Superbush showed a little bit of pace from the gate, settling in sixth about two lengths off the leaders. The son of Supercomplication was covered up throughout the far turn and into the stretch as well. He got trapped behind rivals and struggled to find running room when jockey Victor Espinoza started to ask him to go. Superbush finally got a clear running lane inside the final furlong, but was unable to close fast enough to beat Whoa Bo. He definitely transferred his dirt form successfully to the turf. One to put on your watchlist.

Third Place: Mosquito – (Spankys Barn, H I. Berrios) Mosquito was coming into this race off a very impressive two-length victory in an N3X at Del Mar. This was an obvious step up in class, but the West Virginia-bred handled it with ease. He broke just ok and raced in ninth running around the far turn. Unfortunately, jockey Hector Berrios left him racing five-wide with over four lengths to make up. It wasn’t until the field passed the quarter pole when this gelding started to make his move with a clear running lane ahead of him. At this point, he was racing eight-wide! Mosquito was really making up a lot of ground late, however couldn’t close fast enough to get to the wire first. This was still a fantastic effort for his Kentucky Downs debut.

Fourth Place: Blueberry – (Luz International, J J. Castellano) The post-time favorite was coming in this stakes with a three-race win streak. Blueberry won the Grade Two Troy last time out and ended up beating Whoa Bo. He broke really well from the gate, settling in fourth about a length or two off the pacesetters. The son of Breath Of The Wild got into a comfortable rhythm and looked to be well within striking distance throughout the far turn. Jockey Javier Castellano began asking Blueberry for more at the top of the stretch, but failed to produce an immediate response. He made up little ground inside the final furlong and had to settle for an even fourth. I think a cutback to five furlongs would be perfect for this gelding.

– AJM

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES