The Shoemaker Mile (Grade 1)- $300.000 Purse
SA- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
May 27, 2024

Electric Blue lived up to his name on Monday, being truly electric in winning the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile by a length and a half over some very strong opposition. This gelding has always been able to win a race, but trainer Spankys Barn has taken him to new heights since acquiring him at the end of the year in private sales. Electric Blue ran for the first time with the trainer in February, scoring a 103 SRF right here, winning in a time of 1:32.10 at a mile. I would expect this speed figure to be much the same, as the winning time was 1:32.11. If he keeps up this level of consistency, we have a new name to commit to memory as one of the top horses in this division. It’s the first win in this race for both Spankys Barn and jockey L Dettori. Congratulations to them! That winning time of 1:32.11 sets a new stake record (when held at SA) and beat the old record by over a tenth. Keep an eye on this one over the summer months:

(1/4 Mile- :23.21)- No one seems particularly hurried out of the gate, and it will end up being Love Of The Derby, for Mb Stables, holding a slight advantage over High Voltage’s Sioux Arrival as they enter the opening turn. Running in third, and within a length of the leader is where he finds our eventual winner from Spankys Barn, Electric Blue. This horse has picked up a lot of wire-to-wire wins over his career, so it is not a surprise to see him up here early even if he is not in the first position. Once Upon, for Onlineracingclub.com is running right beside him. Jacks Courage, trained by Mb Stables, is fifth and also only about a length a half from the front himself. The two trailers, King Luka (Night Rider Stables) and Last Way To The Beac (Maxmillion Farm), are not far behind, either.

(½ Mile- :46.30)- Love Of The Derby handles the turn well and is able to pull out by a full length at the half mile point. To his inside, Electric Blue has moved into the second position, narrowly over Sioux Arrival. Once Upon, who had been running with Electric Blue before is now a length behind him and to the inside of Jacks Courage. King Luka is another length back, and it’s an additional one to Last Way To The Beac.

(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Not much changed in the running order during the backstretch trip, but as we work around the turn, we begin to see both Love Of The Derby and Electric Blue looking like the ones to beat. Love Of The Derby would have a head in front at the top of the stretch, but that would soon change. These two drew away by a length and a half on third place Sioux Arrival, and no one that was behind was making a push quite yet. Jacks Courage had the edge between the remaining horses. They still had time, though.

(Finish- 1:32.11)- It would not take long for Electric Blue to claim the top spot in the stretch, although Love Of The Derby was doing his best to stay close. No one else was coming, so the race was going to be decided between these two. In the final furlong, Electric Blue was at this best as he would draw away from Love Of The Derby and go on to win by a length and a half. Jacks Courage was the best of the rest, and gets third for that, while Sioux Arrival edged King Luka for the fourth place check. Last Way To The Beac and Once Upon round it out.

About The Winner- Electric Blue, trained by Spankys Barn and ridden to victory by L Dettori, is a six-year-old gelding by Rains Of Castamere and is out of Diablos Secret. He was bred by Choppy Inc in Texas as a third quarter two-year-old and was acquired by Spankys Barn from that trainer in a December 2023 private sale for $100.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his eleventh in 29 starts, his third stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $542.630.

Track: Firm
Time: :23¹  :46¹  1:09¹  1:32

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 4 Paid 18.80
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 4 – 3 Paid 49.50

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES