Brilliant Berti leads DeVaux exacta in Wise Dan
Second by a neck to Mercante a month ago in the Grade 3 Arlington, Brilliant Berti got back to his winning ways in Saturday’s Grade 2 Wise Dan at Churchill Downs. With Mercante scratching, the Wise Dan looked relatively wide open and the finish matched that. Brilliant Berti displayed a nice turn of foot in the stretch to get up over Taking Candy in second and Lagynos in third.
Seminole Chief set very slow fractions, going 24.96 seconds for the opening quarter mile and 50.31 for the half. Mi Hermano Ramon easily disposed of that rival at the top of the stretch but had nothing left with a host of runners behind him. Brilliant Berti, with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, took the wide route, rallying to score by three-quarters of a length. Cherie DeVaux trains Brilliant Berti and Taking Candy, who came on the inside with Lagynos but couldn’t get to the winner.
“(Brilliant Berti) is such a testament to the (owner) Klein family and their breeding program. So much credit goes to Richard (Klein) and his family for their program. (Taking Candy) ran a huge race as well. He fought hard to get second,” DeVaux told Churchill Downs publicity.
Brilliant Berti won for the fifth time at Churchill, picked up his fourth stakes victory, and paid $6.08 as the narrow 2-1 favorite.
Kelly’s Landing
Roll On Big Joe picked up an impressive victory, taking Saturday’s Grade 3 Kelly’s Landing at Churchill Downs. Stalking the pacesetting Booth, Roll On Big Joe held off a charge from Dr. Venkman in second and Durante in third. Sent off at 9-2, Roll On Big Joe picked up his second straight victory and has hit the board in his last eight starts. Saturday’s win was his second stakes victory, as he won the Grade 3 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita in February. Ridden by Julien Leparoux for trainer Bob Hess, Roll On Big Joe paid $11.90.
“I was able to sit a really good trip today, just outside the speed. He won at this distance in his last start and was able to keep fighting all the way to the wire," Leparoux said after the victory.
Booth, sent off the slight favorite over Dr. Venkman, faded after setting a decent early pace. Booth, trained by Steve Asmussen, was trying to extend his four-race win streak.
Tepin
With a different running style, Lush Lips was able to overcome a bad start to win Saturday’s $250,000 Tepin Stakes going one mile on turf at Churchill Downs. Lush Lips was sent off the narrow 8-5 favorite over 9-5 Vixen, who finished third behind Princess Attitude in second.
Lush Lips had typically raced near the front since coming over from Europe last year but trainer Brendan Walsh expressed interest in getting her to switch off and come with a late run from the back of the pack. With Flavien Prat aboard, Lush Lips did just that - whether planned or a result of the bad start - to score her first stakes victory.
Lush Lips paid $5.24 and further solidified Nitrogen as the clear leader of the division. Nitrogen beat Lush Lips in the Florida Oaks and Edgewood and beat Vixen in the Appalachian and Edgewood. Trainer Mark Casse has expressed interest in running Nitrogen on dirt at some point but she will start next in the Belmont Oaks on turf.
American Derby
After winning the Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland last year, Minaret Station looked like a budding turf star but was sent to the sidelines with an injury. Returning since that October race Saturday in the American Derby, Minaret Station showed that strong turn of foot again, getting up over Native Runner.
With Cristian Torres aboard, Minaret Station was sent off the 5-2 third choice in a scratched down field of five. Five horses were scratched out of the race, including Reagan’s Wit, who scratched just before the race.
Trained by Will Walden, Minaret Station has now won three times from four starts. Native Runner, the longest shot on the board, ran well off of a last-out allowance win. Tiztastic, the Louisiana Derby winner, ran last as the 7-5 favorite.
- The Derby City 6 was not hit Saturday, meaning a jackpot of $1,413,928 with mandatory payout will carryover into Sunday's closing card.
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An avid horse racing fan and bettor, Michael Smith has developed a career in horse racing media as an editor and writer. A regular at Saratoga Race Course, Michael mainly covers New York racing but follows various other racing across the country and world.