Bourbon (Grade 2) (BC)- $350.000 Purse
KEE- For Two Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
October 9, 2022
When looking at the Bourbon, it did not really appear as though there was a standout horse in the race. You could make the case for most of the horses in the field, and that is especially true when talking about two year old turf horses going long. In this race, a horse named Munich was making his turf debut, and safe to say it went very well. He only had one win in his first four races, but turned in a good outing in the Grade 3 Iroquois on the main track. Mo Mentum Farm liked what he saw from the horse on the turf to give him this chance, and the gelding by Lockdown would deliver, winning by a length and a half. It is the first win in the race for both Mo Mentum Farm and jockey E Maldonado. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:40.01, the second quickest in the history of the race. Let’s take a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :23.44)- Moving down the frontstretch, Arindel’s Kentucky Pharoah battles it out with Nakamura Stables- trained Duke Of Satire at the front of the field, and has a half length lead moving around the first turn. Our eventual winner, Mo Mentum Farm’s Munich runs in a stalking position, while being three wide around the turn. Sweet And Innocent is running even with him while running on the rail for Mb Stables. Running right between them, and close enough to prevent Munich from moving closer to the rail is another Mb Stables horse, The Terminator. Nearby to him are a pair from Nakamura Stables, Spirit Believer and What Plan. Shaman (Threshold) runs next in line with Cheyenne Lame Foot (Kopites). It’s then Super Proud (Team 7 Illusions) and Market Cap (Sccj Stables), and trailing is Eastern Alliance (Barcelona Farms).
(½ Mile- :46.89)- The second quarter of the race goes in a nearly identical fraction as the first quarter does, and it sees Kentucky Pharoah continuing to hold a half length lead over Duke Of Satire. Early in the backstretch behind them, we are able to see Munich finally be able move all the over into the second lane as he now runs in the third position. Sweet And Innocent is still within a length ahead of him while running on the rail. It’s one more length to The Terminator, who’s fifth. Behind him, there’s not much new that is developing, so let’s move forward!
(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Nearing the end of the backstretch trip, Sweet And Innocent moves down a lane, and Munich is more than happy to oblige as that now gives him a clear lane to move around the frontrunners. Munich does not waste any time with this, either, beginning his push to the front at the top of the turn, before completing the pass of both Kentucky Pharoah and Duke Of Satire within the turn, and neither of them putting up much of a fight. Sweet And Innocent goes with him, and is the second place horse at the top of the stretch, but Munich is leading him by a length. The Terminator would also move to the outside during the turn, but had to find a way to gain about two lengths on Munich. Cheyenne Lame Foot was making an advance, too, but had three lengths to make up. Anyone else would have an even greater task if they began their push in the stretch.
(Finish- 1:40.01)- Within the stretch, Munich was running well, but seemed to do some unnecessary drifting outside en route to his victory. Here it was not a problem, he was comfortably in front and Sweet And Innocent was not able to challenge him any longer. The Terminator and especially Cheyenne Lame Foot were in good stride late, but at this point, they were running for second. Today would be Munich’s day, going on to win by a length and a half over Cheyenne Lame Foot. Sweet And Innocent hangs on for show over his stablemate, The Terminator. Super Proud passed a few late to be fifth, and from that point, everyone else really failed to make an impact for any purse paying position at the finish. The final order is Shaman, Duke Of Satire, Market Cap, Kentucky Pharoah, Spirit Believer, Eastern Alliance and What Plan.
About The Winner- Munich, trained by Mo Mentum Farm, and ridden to victory by E Maldonado, is a two year old gelding by Lockdown and is out of Recognize My Pain. He was bred in Kentucky by Patterson Stables as a first quarter two year old, and was acquired by Mo Mentum Farm for $50.000 in a June private sale. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his second in five starts, and his first stake win of any sort. His career earnings are now $338.320.
Track: Firm
Time: :232 :464 1:101 1:40
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 6 – 9 Paid 65.20
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 9 – 3 Paid 333.20
Scratched: Two Million, Winter In Jersey
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
