Brewing wins Bachelor Stakes for third straight victory

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Brewing cemented his status as the leading 3-year-old sprinter on the Oaklawn Park grounds Friday, when he won his second consecutive stakes in the $100,000 Bachelor. Earlier in the meet, he won a maiden special weight and the $100,000 Gazebo.

The Bachelor was part of the Racing Festival of the South, which concludes Saturday with four stakes, including the Arkansas Derby and the Oaklawn Handicap, led by champion Will Take Charge.

Brewing’s win was the 15th in a festival stakes for D. Wayne Lukas, who leads all trainers in wins in the series. The horse won the Bachelor by a half-length over dead-heat runners-up Mister Pollard, at 95-1, and Da Winner Is, at 69-1.

Brewing ($7.60) broke from the widest post in the 10-horse field and tracked a pace of 21.50 seconds for the opening quarter while four wide down the backstretch. Brewing moved to the fore through a half-mile in 44.37 seconds and fended off all comers in the stretch to cover six furlongs on a track rated “fast” in 1:10.06.

“I thought I might be on the lead on my own today like last time, but that wasn’t the case,” said winning rider Jon Court. “I was able to finesse him to the point I had enough to kick down the lane.”

Brewing has won three straight races for owner and breeder Zayat Stables. He is a son of the Vindication stallion Maimonides.