The Holy Bull Stakes (Grade 3) (KYD)- $250.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 3, 2024
With the KYD three months away, we all want to start naming favorites for the big race. It’s still too early to do that in my opinion, but after the running of the Holy Bull, Excoriator has proven that his name should be in the conversation as well. The State Police colt came into the race having won the San Vicente last month and utilized a stalking trip here to win the Holy Bull. He is trained by Jerry Garcia Racing, the longtime trainer who can boast that he won the very first running of the Holy Bull back in 2004. That was in a dead heat with Wharf Rat, and he also won in 2012 in Condottieri. So now, he has won it in three different decades. Congratulations to him! L Saez is the winning rider, his first. The race was won in a time of 1:41.65, a median such time when the race has been run at this distance. Let’s take a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :23.36)- No one seemed particularly hurried to get out to the lead, and the one to emerge with top spot at this point is Freakie The Ghost, for Mb Stables, and he will have Asgar’s Run Forty within a half-length to his inside and Jive Inc.’s Glacial Till also running with him. Soho Story runs fourth for Allinthegate with some room to split horses if he desired to do so. Stalking, but while running five wide early on is our eventual winner from Jerry Garcia Racing, Excoriator. Compression is next for Riggins Racing and takes an even wider route. A group of three sit just off the lead, with Capiche (Fractious) being ahead of Razzi Moon (The Freakshow) by a head and Valance (D J C Racing Stables) also close by. It’s a break of about two to the rest of the field: Exemplary (Mb Stables), Motuscle (Delta Farms), and Raging Heights (Riggins Racing).
(½ Mile- :47.00)- Down the backstretch, Freakie The Ghost is still the leader, but only by a half-length over both Run Forty and Glacial Till. Excoriator is now up to fourth and had been able to move a little closer to the rail. Soho Story loses some ground, but is still in the fifth spot, though falling into the clutches of Compression and Valance, each of which looking to advance on the outside. Capiche and Razzi Moon are at the end of this lead group, as the gap to the rest of the field has grown.
(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Early in the turn, Run Forty takes over the lead and will handle the turn quite well, pulling away from Glacial Till by a full length. Freakie The Ghost was not able to keep up with these two and begins to drop out of the picture. Meanwhile, Excoriator continues to run very consistently, and gains some ground, especially over the second half of the turn. Entering the top of the stretch, he is up to second, and only a length out of it. Elsewhere, Razzi Moon, and to a slightly lesser extent, Capiche are hitting their best stride and making their way through the field. Those that had been further back, such as Motuscle and Exemplary have made a lot of progress in terms of their distance to the leaders, but still have to maneuver their way through their rivals.
(Finish- 1:41.65)- Excoriator had a clear lane in front of him entering the stretch but Run Forty was not going to make this easy for him, hanging tough the best that he could. With about half a furlong to go, Excoriator’s strong effort allowed him to pull even with Run Forty, and he would go on to win by a neck. Run Forty’s effort is not for nothing, as he is second by a half-length over a third-place dead heat between Razzi Moon and Capiche. Motuscle came on late, but only for fifth, beating Exemplary, Valance, Soho Story, Glacial Till, Freakie The Ghost, Raging Heights, and Compression.
About The Winner- Excoriator, trained by Jerry Garcia Racing, and ridden to victory by L Saez, is a three-year-old colt by State Police and is out of By My Side. He was bred in Kentucky by Jerry Garcia as a first quarter two-year-old, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his third in five starts and second stake win, each of which are graded. His career earnings are now $324.000.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | ||
| 10 | Excoriator | Jerry Garcia Racing | Saez L | 3.90 | 1nk | 1:41.65 | |||
| 2 | Run Forty | Asgar | Lopez P | 6.30 | 21/2 | 1:41.70 | |||
| 4 | Razzi Moon | The Freakshow | Bocachica Ar | 18.20 | 31 | 1:41.82 | |||
| 6 | Capiche | Fractious | Velazquez J R | 6.60 | 31 | 1:41.82 | |||
| 11 | Motuscle | Delta Farms | Husbands P | 34.20 | 51/2 | 1:42.06 | |||
| 3 | Exemplary | Mb Stables | Moore R L | 6.35 | 6no | 1:42.19 | |||
| 8 | Valance | D J C Racing Stables | Franco M | 7.65 | 7hd | 1:42.21 | |||
| 5 | Soho Story | Allinthegate | Smith M E | 26.30 | 8no | 1:42.24 | |||
| 1 | Glacial Till | Jive Inc. | Dominguez Jo | 13.85 | 9hd | 1:42.25 | |||
| 7 | Freakie The Ghost | Mb Stables | Ferrer J C | 5.50 | 10no | 1:42.28 | |||
| 9 | Raging Heights | Riggins Racing | Rodriguez Jam | 20.45 | 112 | 1:42.30 | |||
| 12 | Compression | Riggins Racing | Hernandez R M | 12.85 | 12 | 1:42.82 |
Track: Fast
Time: :231 :47 1:11 1:413
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 10 – Excoriator | 9.80 | 4.80 | 3.30 |
| 2 – Run Forty | 6.50 | 4.10 | |
| 4 – Razzi Moon | 6.10 | ||
| 6 – Capiche | 3.30 |
$1 Exacta: 10 – 2 Paid 49.40
$1 Trifecta: 10 – 2 – 4 Paid 642.80, 10 – 2 – 6 Paid 161.40
Scratched: El Gran Blue Jay, Return Of The Apache
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
