Bottas keeps streaking in Bryan Station

Bottas showed he was a good horse when he won his career debut, a turf route at Saratoga two Augusts ago. Lately, he has become unbeatable.

Bottas won the Hall of Fame on August 7 at Saratoga, the $1.7 million Gun Runner on Sept. 7 at Kentucky Downs, and on Sunday, closing day at Keeneland, he took down the Grade 2, $400,000 Bryan Station by 2 1/4 lengths.

And if there were a vote for the most accomplished 3-year-old turf-route horse in America so far this year, Bottas would win it.

“He traveled like a winner all the way around,” said Tyler Gaffalione, who rode Bottas for the first time.

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Jose Ortiz piloted Bottas to victory in the Gun Runner but on Saturday took his usual seat on favored Remember Mamba, who was in the process of mounting a stretch run when he lost his footing and stumbled at the three-sixteenths pole. Remember Mamba bore out to the middle of the course but got on track in time to finish third, 1 1/4 lengths behind runner-up Conducted, who set splits of 23.08, 47.21, and 1:11.41 and did not go down without a fight when Bottas came to him at the furlong grounds.

Bottas ran a mile over “good” turf in 1:35.15 and paid $7.50 as the strong second choice. Miguel Clement trains Bottas, a son of Vekoma and the Lemon Drop Kid mare Iadorakid for Dahman, the nom de course of Abdulhadi Mana Al Hajri.

Bottas broke alertly and saved ground around the first turn, racing fifth down the backstretch and into the far turn. Gaffalione had to leave the fence to go around fading longshot Aces Honor, then steered right again after turning for home to go outside Conducted and a tiring Alpyland. Conducted responded when challenged but Bottas outkicked him and was going away at the wire.

Bottta is now 8-5-0-1 and might not be done for the year, with the Hollywood Derby a possible final stop this season – a chance for four stakes wins in a row.

* Just for Pipa took full advantage of a sustained speed duel between odds-on favorite Booked and second-choice Conviction to win the $227,500 Bowman Mill Stakes by a neck earlier on the Saturday card. Conviction got the better of Booked and ran second after the two duked it out through a half-mile in 44.60, extremely fast considering course conditions. Greg Foley trains Just for Pipa ($13.64) for his breeder, Saints or Sinners. Two-year-old Just for Pipa, now 2 for 2 to start his career, is by Justify out of Arya’slightnbolt, by Bolt d’Oro. He ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:10.43.

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