The Louisville (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
CD- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Turf
May 18, 2024

Sometimes, as much as one horse might seem to be the class of the field in a race, things never work out that way. On Saturday in the Louisville, most the wagering money went to Life Is Beautiful, and for very good reason. However, we run these races for a reason, and it would be a horse that had run most of his races in 2024 at TUP to steal the show. That would be One Last Punch Line, for Alydar Stables, who went on to win by a length. It’s the first win in the Louisville for Alydar Stables, and the second for F Geroux, who also won in 2022. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 2:24.32, and that is a new stake record. Let’s take a look at it now:

(½ Mile- :48.90)- King Z is the quickest out of the gate, and he will lead the way around the opening turn of the race, with horses on each side of them. One of them is our eventual race winner, One Last Punch Line, who runs to his inside. That was one technically ahead just as they reached a half mile. On the outside was Ace King Suited for D J C Racing Stables, although he backed off in the frontstretch into a stalking position. In the middle of the field, about two and a half lengths from the lead is where we find Life Is Beautiful, and the Riggins Racing entry runs side by side here with Maxmillion Farm’s Prince Ferro. It’s another length and a half to Raging River (Martyparty) and the trailer is Down Royal (Mo Mentum Farm).

(3/4 Mile- 1:13.02)- Completing the first trip down the front stretch and moving into the clubhouse turn, King Z and One Last Punch Line are side by side matching strides. This time, it’s King Z with a nose in front at this point. Ace King Suited has lost some ground to them and has fallen into the clutches of Prince Ferro, who is preparing to go by to his outside. Life Is Beautiful is directly behind Ace King Suited, then it’s Raging River and way back to the longshot, Down Royal.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- One Last Punch Line and King Z are still running side by side down the backstretch, but as they approach the final turn, One Last Punch Line is prevailing in this battle and leads now by half a length. By the time they complete the run around the turn and enter the stretch, One Last Punch Line leads by a full length. Meanwhile, it was about four lengths back to Life Is Beautiful, who wasn’t impressing much as of yet but there was still time. Prince Ferro and Ace King Suited were not showing much, either. Further back, Down Royal begins to his best stride and passes Raging River. Perhaps, he can get by a few more of these.

(Finish- 2:24.32)- There is no drama in the stretch. One Last Punch Line and King Z had run away from the rest of the field, and when King Z could no longer keep up with One Last Punch Line, all that was left to do was watch the Alydar Stables entry run as he cruises to a length victory over King Z. It’s another length and a half to Life Is Beautiful, who is the best of the rest and never threatened for anything more. Down Royal’s late run gets him a fourth-place check, finishing ahead of Prince Ferro, Ace King Suited, and Raging River.

About The Winner- One Last Punch Line, trained by Alydar Stables and ridden to victory by F Geroux, is a five-year-old gelding by Punch Line and is out of Adventuria. He was bred by Jediminds Stable as a first quarter two-year-old in California and was acquired by Alydar Stables for $205.000 in a private sale back in August 2021. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his seventh in 29 starts, his second stake win and first graded win. His career earnings are now $326.080.

Track: Firm
Time: :48⁴  1:13  2:00³  2:24¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 2 Paid 59.40
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 2 – 5 Paid 92.70

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES