Factor This takes them all the way in Muniz Memorial

The Fair Grounds turf course has brought out the best in Factor This, who followed his victory in last month’s Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes with an even more impressive and authoritative win on Saturday in the Grade 2, $300,000 Muniz Memorial, the championship race of the meet for older grass runners.

Factor This ($21) broke sharply and never looked back, leading the 1 1/8-mile grass race from start to finish under Shaun Bridgmohan. He beat 11-1 Dontblamerocket by three lengths, with the comebacking Rockemperor running along for third, another three-quarters of a length back.

Aquaphobia was fourth and was followed, in order, by Synchrony, favored Instilled Regard, Marzo, Channel Maker, Henley’s Joy, Bundibunan, Dot Matrix, and Secretary At War, who appeared on paper to be one to potentially pressure Factor This early but who broke a bit slow and never could come close to getting on terms.

Dot Matrix was badly left and never recovered.

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Factor This carved out fractions of 23.49 seconds, 47.94, 1:11.46, and 1:35.55 en route to a final time of 1:47.21 on the firm course With a final three furlongs in less than 36 seconds, the late runners never had a chance.

“He ran his eyes out today,” Bridgmohan told Fair Grounds paddock analyst Joe Kristufek on a video linked to the track’s Twitter account. “He’s a very cool horse to ride. He does all the work himself.”

Factor This is trained by Brad Cox, who won three straight graded stakes and four stakes overall Saturday at Fair Grounds.

“Big performance,” Cox said to Kristufek on the video. “Obviously he likes this course. Two graded stakes in a row. Very proud of him.”

Factor This, 5, is by The Factor, a son of War Front who was a stakes-winning dirt horse but has turned out to be a sire of numerous successful grass runners. Factor This was third in the Col. Bradley in his first start on this course in January before taking the Fair Grounds and Muniz in successive starts. He has now won nine times in 28 starts for Gaining Ground Racing LLC.

With Fair Grounds informing horsemen on Saturday that that card would be the final one of the meet owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Keeneland’s spring meet abandoned, and the opening of Churchill Downs in flux, Cox said Factor This would get a brief freshening.

“With everything going on, probably back off a little bit, give him a little break,” Cox said, saying Factor This would be pointed to a return later this spring or in the summer.