Bridle a Butterfly sprouts wings to take down William Walker Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The jockey James Graham did not ride Bridle a Butterfly in the William Walker Stakes, but he rode the horse March 14 at Fair Grounds when Bridle a Butterly made his first start for trainer Al Stall Jr. Bridle a Butterfly finished a well-beaten second in a first-level allowance race, but turning back from two routes to a sprint, the horse had given Graham some pop. “You will have lots of fun with this horse,” he told Stall.

The fun came Wednesday at Churchill Downs, the thrill of winning a stakes race and the satisfaction of picking up the winner’s share of a $300,000 purse after Bridle a Butterfly went last to first under John Velazquez and won the Walker by a half-length.

Rolling down the center of the course after hitting full stride at the eighth pole, Bridle a Butterfly collared Out On Bail and Governor Sam in the last half-furlong and won going away. Getting into the race partway around the far turn, Velazquez contemplated a foray between horses, saw things tightening up, and swung wide for a clear path.

“When he started running, I was like I might have a chance to get there, and then at the sixteenth pole I knew,” Velazquez said.

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Out On Bail pulled a perfect pocket trip around the turn and came out in midstretch for a run, but couldn’t quite match Bridle a Butterfly’s closing flourish while finishing one length clear of third place Governor Sam. The 4-5 favorite, Governor Sam got caught up in a pace battle, setting pressured splits of 22.16 and 44.57, and felt the effect of it in deep stretch.

Bridle a Butterfly ran 5 1/2 furlongs over firm turf in 1:01.76, paying $20.22 in this grass sprint restricted to 3-year-olds. Bridle a Butterfly is by Country House out of Sly Storm, by Storm Cat.

Normandy Coast, Big Vince, and Perfect Force were scratched.

Bridle a Butterfly, a Glen Hill Farm homebred, made four starts at age 2, three at Gulfstream Park, one at Kentucky Downs, the first two at sprint distances, the last two in routes. Prepared over the winter in Florida at Glen Hill Farm and the Palm Meadows training center by trainer Tom Proctor, Bridle a Butterfly came to Stall in New Orleans still seeking his niche as a racehorse.

“That first race back really picked him up,” Stall said.

Wednesday at Churchill, Bridle a Butterfly picked off tiring rivals one by one in the homestretch. He had that pop a turf sprinter needs. His connections had a lot of fun.

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