Foster (Grade 1) (BC)- $1,000.000 Purse
CD- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
June 28, 2025

No one told Mother Nature that there was a BC Classic on the line Saturday in the running of the Grade 1 Foster, as she would mess up the plans of the trainers with steady rain that left CD muddy. This would create four scratches, and did allow Fried Chicken and Sick Boi to come in off of the also eligibles. Of those that would end up running, some hoped that their star horse would not struggle in the mud, while others may have been happy to see it. In the end, the 2025 Foster would end in exactly the same way that the 2024 edition would, with Wahpekute Sioux in the winner’s circle. He was the post-time favorite for the race and was among our picks. The five-year-old is trained by Mb Stables, who wins for the fifth time. Mario Gutierrez was aboard for his first such win. Congratulations to them! The time of the win in the mud was 1:51.20, and that’s a second faster than the only other time (2010) that the course was listed as muddy. Let’s take a look at the race now:

(½ Mile- :47.52)- Wahpekute Sioux wastes no time, as the eventual winner from Mb Stables jumps right out to the lead and is quickly clear by a length down the frontstretch the first time. He will maintain that advantage around the opening turn, as well as after half a mile. They’re three wide right behind him, with The Sidley Stud’s Berlin being a neck in front of the others while running the middle of this trio. Bad Debt is to his inside for D J C Racing Stables, while the Mb Stables- trained Lunar Victory is on his outside. Running right behind them, we have Rock Creek’s Big Bang Boom, and it’s another length to Blazing (Maxmillion Farm), then No More Rattle (Bigchief Stables), who’s followed by Hurricane Ridge (The Sidley Stud) and Baffert (Royalty Stables). At the back, the final three include our two also eligibles, Sick Boi (Royalty Stables) and Fried Chicken (Angelos Stables), along with Eight West Party (TwinTowersRacing).

(3/4 Mile- 1:12.52)- Wahpekute Sioux is having no difficulty with the mud, as he continues to the lead the pack with now close to a two-length advantage. Berlin starts to get the better of Bad Debt and Lunar Victory among the three stalkers, but we cannot rule out those other two just yet. Big Bang Boom and Blazing continue to run in the middle of the field with No More Rattle a length behind Blazing. Further back, both Baffert and Hurricane Ridge lose some ground, while Sick Boi looks to make an outside run. Eight West Party and Fried Chicken continue to ride it out at the back.

(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Out in front, Wahpekute Sioux looks to go wire to wire and become the first horse to win the Foster two times. His lead is still a length and a half on Berlin, who is keeping pace, but not making a push. Bad Debt and Lunar Victory are still third and fourth while having time to strike now if they are able. Big Bang Boom and Blazing are still in the middle of the field, and we have not seen much out of them as of yet in terms of making that late push. The same cannot be said for Sick Boi, who is looking strong on the outside, passing No More Rattle, and looking for more. Closer to the rail, Eight West Party is making a move of his own and is about to pass Baffert while looking to pick off more in front of him. Fried Chicken was positioned for an outside run too but had not made it as of yet. Hurricane Ridge looked to already be a victim of the weather.

(Finish- 1:51.20)- No one who was close to Wahpekute Sioux in the stretch was able to make any kind of progress with him, so with a little less than a furlong to go, the race was in the bag for him. Berlin simply could not do any more than continue to run a length behind him, and otherwise the biggest chargers were too far back to worry the winner. At the line, it is Wahpekute Sioux with a comfortable length victory as he wins the Foster again and officially puts his name on the list of BC Classic entrants just as long as the trainer wants him there in four months. Berlin is second best, with Eight West Party charging late to get the nod in a three-way photo for show, over Bad Debt and Sick Boi. Big Bang Boom is the best of the rest, topping Lunar Victory, Fried Chicken, Baffert, Blazing, No More Rattle, and Hurricane Ridge.

About The Winner- Wahpekute Sioux, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by Mario Gutierrez, is a five-year-old horse by Sioux and is out of the late Her Sneaky Command. He was bred as a second quarter two-year-old by Kopites in California and was acquired by Mb Stables for $100.000 from El Primero Rodeo in an October 2022 private sale. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his twelfth in 30 starts, his tenth stake win and ninth graded win. His career earnings are now $5,237.760.

Track: Muddy
Time: :47²  1:12¹  1:38  1:51¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 13 – 6 Paid 19.00
$1 Trifecta: 13 – 6 – 2 Paid 802.30

Scratched: Excoriator, Investment Center, Killer Instinct, Senor Vinagre Y Agua

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES