Gigante's stalking strategy pays off in Commonwealth Stakes

The 3-year-old colt Gigante once was a habitual front-runner and more recently has been coming from the back of the pack, but on Sunday at Churchill Downs he split the difference, stalking three leaders before going on to a 4 1/2-length win in the $300,000 Commonwealth Stakes.

The closing-day feature was moved from turf to dirt after Churchill decided Friday not to run any grass races the final three days of its fall meeting, owing to a potentially unsafe course. Gigante handled the surface switch like he might be as capable on the main track as on grass.

Luis Machado rode Gigante for the first time, the colt’s 10th jockey in his last 10 races, and gave Gigante a sweet trip, settling in fourth as Smokey Mandate, Wild Sean, and J.P. Race set out for the lead into the first turn and down the backstretch. The fractions were solid, 23.86 and 47.56, as Gigante stayed on the bridle and right in the game going around the far turn. Briefly stuck behind rivals at the five-sixteenths pole, Gigante was taken three paths wide by Machado before the quarter pole, finding room as J.P. Race faded, and by the stretch call he had snatched the lead from Smokey Mandate. Gigante stayed on stoutly, widening his advantage to the wire for an easy win.

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The Commonwealth was Gigante’s third stakes win of 2023 and the colt, like so many Steve Asmussen-trained 3-year-olds with talent, has raked in the cash for owners Iapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing. Sunday’s payday gave Gigante more than $750,000 in 2023 earnings and over $900,000 for his career.

Gigante was timed in 1:44.46 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track and paid $22.06 as the fourth choice. Gigante, bred in Virginia by Ann Mudge Backer and Smitten Farm, is a son of Not This Time and Summertime Green, by Empire Maker.

The Commonwealth is designated as a Grade 3, but because of the surface switch, Sunday’s renewal will be reviewed by the North American Graded Stakes Committee to determine if the race keeps its grade.

Finishing a distant second was 3-5 favorite Northern Invader, who broke poorly from post 1 and raced from the tail of the field. Northern Invader came to life past the half-mile pole and rallied boldy around the far turn, but his run began flagging past the quarter pole and Northern Invader was all-out to catch Smokey Mandate for the place.

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