Flavius rallies for first U.S. victory in Tourist Mile

Before a six-day Runhappy meet opened Monday, trainer Chad Brown had run a grand total of one horse at Kentucky Downs in his illustrious career.

But when the 11-race opening-day card was complete, Brown found himself with a .500 career batting average at the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky after netting two wins from three starters. Of greatest importance was a come-from-behind victory by Flavius, a Juddmonte Farms homebred, in the Grade 3, $645,700 Tourist Mile as Kentucky Downs opened its 2020 meet with four rich stakes.

Ridden by Javier Castellano, Flavius rallied from seventh in a field of nine older horses to prevail by three-quarters of a length over the 2019 Tourist winner, Snapper Sinclair, when registering his first win following three defeats on this continent. The 5-year-old Kentucky-bred horse had begun his career with a 2-for-3 record in Ireland before being turned over to Brown, the reigning four-time champion trainer in North America.

Flavius returned $10 as second choice after finishing in a swift 1:32.21 over firm going. Ivar was third, Neptune’s Storm was fourth, and Parlor, the 5-2 favorite, was seventh.

The Tourist is designed as a stepping-stone to the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.

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Brown, with assistant Whit Beckman deputizing, also won the third race, a $94,350 maiden special, with Fluffy Socks ($9.20). Brown’s lone prior starter before Monday at Kentucky Downs came with a sixth-place finisher in a 2015 race.

Because of the ongoing pandemic, Kentucky Downs is conducting its meet without fans and with “essential personnel only” at its spacious facility that straddles the Tennessee border. Subsequent race dates are Sept. 9, 10, 12, 13, 16. Churchill Downs resumes its September meet on Sept. 17.

The Tourist was the last of four straight stakes that ended an 11-race opening-day card run amid beautiful late-summer weather. In those preceding races:

Barrister Tom ($90) rules Juvenile

Barrister Tom, a last-out maiden winner at Arlington Park, held off Saratoga invader Pivotal Mission for easily the biggest upset of opening day in the $498,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile (race 10).

The one-mile Juvenile was marred by a spill involving Snake Doctor, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., with about three furlongs remaining. Fortunately, Santana escaped serious injury and actually rode the next race, the Tourist Mile; conversely, Snake Doctor, a Calumet Farm homebred maiden, had to be euthanized. No other jockeys or horses were involved.

Barrister Tom, trained by Michael Ann Ewing at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington for Gantry Farms, finished in 1:35.71 when prevailing by a half-length. At 44-1, the Artie Schiller colt was the third-longest shot in a field of nine 2-year-olds.

Indy Tourist was third and Shawdyshawdyshawdy, the 3-2 favorite, was fourth.

Plum Ali ($4.40) dominates Juvenile Fillies

A strong stretch run by favored Plum Ali carried the First Samurai filly to a 2 3/4-length score in the $462,400 Juvenile Fillies (race 8), with Flown up late to get second in a three-way scramble over Oliviaofthedesert and Cecile’s Chapter.

Tyler Gaffalione, who rode two winners earlier on the card, was aboard Plum Ali for trainer Christophe Clement and ownership partners Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables. The winning time was 1:35.74 for a mile.

Plum Ali was coming off a sharp debut score in July at Saratoga and becomes a major candidate for a final prep leading up to the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland.

Dalika ($14.40) in One Dreamer

Gray German-breds went one-two in the $182,610 One Dreamer (race 9), with 4-year-old Dalika finishing a length clear of a sustained run by 5-year-old Madita after forcing all the pace in the mile and 70-yard race.

Dalika, stretching out from shorter races, was ridden by Miguel Mena for trainer Al Stall Jr. and the Bel-Mar Equine of retired Brown-Forman executive Paul Varga. Our Bay B Ruth was third, and Xanthique was fourth. The winning time was 1:37.45.

The One Dreamer was restricted to fillies and mares that had not yet won a stakes race in 2020. Neither of the top two were eligible for the Kentucky-bred bonuses that would have maxed out the purse to $300,000.

‘No contest’ in maiden race

Earlier on the card, a $90,000 maiden-special mile (race 5) was declared “no contest” by the stewards when the starting gates opened prematurely, leaving two of the 12 scheduled starters behind the gate and several others badly unprepared. A track spokesperson said a preliminary investigation indicated a gate malfunction, and not starter Scott Jordan, was to blame for the costly snafu.

Royal Prince was a flashy first-place finisher among those who were given the opportunity to race, but obviously the race does not count in any way. Refunds were made on all applicable wagers. A Kentucky Downs press release said all involved owners will be paid $5,000 and all jockeys $500.