Geroux sweeps pair of stakes on Thurby card
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Into Mystic got a terrific stalking trip in winning the $150,000 Unbridled Sidney to complete a sweep by jockey Florent Geroux of the two ungraded stakes run Thursday at Churchill Downs.
Sitting chilly while saving ground in the 5 1/2-furlong Unbridled Sidney, Geroux had nothing but clear sailing as Into Mystic took over in upper stretch on her way to a driving triumph over Change of Control.
“She hasn’t put a foot wrong all year, as long as we’ve had her,” said Brendan Walsh, who trains Into Mystic for owners G. Chris Coleman and Brad E. King. “Florent gave her a great ride today. We felt she was doing really well coming into this. Her form has been very, very good all year, so I think she just followed through today.”
Into Mystic, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred by the red-hot Into Mischief, returned $7 as second choice in a field of 10 fillies and mares. She finished in 1:05.89 over a turf course rated good.
Into Mystic now has three wins, four seconds, and one third in nine races since making her first start for Walsh last summer, with the only off-the-board finish coming in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November. Overall, she is 6 for 19 with $448,623 in earnings.
Change of Control was three-quarters of a length behind the winner, with Winning Envelope running on late to be another 2 1/2 lengths back in third. Oleksandra, the 2-1 favorite, broke tardily and was not a factor thereafter when finishing a late-running fifth in her first start since being pronounced in foal to Into Mischief last month.
The Churchill turf held quite a bit of moisture following heavy rain Wednesday into Thursday morning, not to mention further sporadic rain during the afternoon. Besides the co-features, the only other Thursday race scheduled for turf was transferred to the main track.
Set Piece wins Opening Verse
An hour or so earlier, Set Piece rallied down the center of the course to overtake front-running Gray’s Fable for his first stateside stakes victory on grass in the $105,734 Opening Verse for older horses going a two-turn mile.
Patiently ridden by Geroux through six furlongs, Set Piece edged clear late to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths over Snapper Sinclair, who was up in the final jumps to nab second from Gray’s Fable. Bred in England by his owner, Juddmonte Farms, the 5-year-old homebred gelding finished in 1:38.26 and returned $7.80 as a lukewarm favorite in a field of eight older horses.
Set Piece was the only starter on an 11-race Thurby card for trainer Brad Cox, who has a big Kentucky Derby weekend ahead with two starters in both the Kentucky Oaks and Derby.
“It looked like a good setup for us,” Cox said. “There was some concern whether he would take the course, but he showed up today. It was a great ride by Florent for him to save as much ground as he could and kick on down the lane.”
After starting his career overseas with a 3-for-6 record, Set Piece now is 4 for 8 since making his first start under Cox’s care last June. Among his wins on this continent was the ungraded Prairie Bayou over Tapeta at Turfway Park on New Year’s Eve.
Racing resumes Friday at Churchill with the 147th Oaks as the last of six straight graded stakes. First post is 10:30 a.m. Eastern for both the Oaks and Derby cards. Perfect weather is in the local forecast for both days.