Brilliant Berti continues Churchill turf success with Wise Dan victory
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Brilliant Berti is, well, brilliant at Churchill Downs. Just a neck away from being undefeated on the turf course beneath the twin spires, he scored his latest local stakes win in the Grade 2, $500,000 Wise Dan Stakes on Saturday.
Brilliant Berti ($6.08), a Klein Racing homebred, is trained by Cherie DeVaux, who swept the exacta, also saddling Lael Stables’ Taking Candy to finish second. The colt had Brian Hernandez Jr., in the irons, giving him two graded stakes wins on the day after earlier piloting reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna to victory in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes.
Brilliant Berti has now won five times from six outings on the Churchill turf. He won his maiden locally at second asking in May 2024, then rattled off wins in an allowance race and the American Derby following that, as part of a solid 3-year-old campaign in which he also won the Grade 3 Bryan Station Stakes at Keeneland and the Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs.
Brilliant Berti returned to Churchill to win the Opening Verse Stakes during the opening week of this spring meet. However, he then incurred his only local loss when finishing second by a neck to Mercante in the Grade 3 Arlington Stakes on May 31, a race in which he inherited the lead in what DeVaux described as “an odd trip.”
Brilliant Berti did not have to face Mercante on Saturday - the morning-line favorite was scratched after he “backed out of the feed tub a little bit” and did not have his usual attitude following a recent work, according to trainer Brian Knippenberg.
But Brilliant Berti, who inherited favoritism, did have to deal with another paceless race on paper. Indeed, when the gates opened, no one was eager to go on with it. So Luis Saez let longshot Seminole Chief roll from the outside in the field of seven, crossing over the field to take the lead into the first turn. Despite the presence of Mi Hermano Ramon – second in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile last out – on his hip, the longshot was allowed to walk through an opening half-mile of 50.31 seconds. Brilliant Berti was fourth at that point and sitting nicely in a pocket behind the leaders with a bit of cover.
“On paper, it looked like there was no pace,” DeVaux said. “Brian did a great job of getting him settled.”
Mi Hermano Ramon was let out a notch by Antonio Fresu midway around the final turn, and he surged by Seminole Chief, who began to wilt. But Hernandez angled Brilliant Berti out of his pocket, and once straightened away, he took dead aim, edging to Mi Hermano Ramon and getting that one’s measure in midstretch.
Meanwhile, Lagynos, who had been well placed throughout while saving ground, and a closing Taking Candy were staging their own private battle to the inside of the eventual winner.
At the wire, it was Brilliant Berti by three-quarters of a length, with Taking Candy nosing out Lagynos in the placings. It was another length to Mi Hermano Ramon in a dead heat with multiple graded stakes winner Fort Washington, who came on with a good effort despite having no pace to rally into. Henro and Seminole Chief rounded out the order of finish.
In addition to Mercante, Event Detail, who was listed as a regulatory vet scratch, was withdrawn.
The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.41 on a course officially rated firm after earlier showers. However, DeVaux felt the course had more give in it than it appeared at face level. Observing that prompted her to scratch Reagan’s Wit, the second choice on the morning line, from the $250,000 American Derby later in the card.
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