Gunite catches Bango in Aristides Stakes
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLEGunite, a multiple stakes winner at Churchill Downs, continued to build his resume beneath the twin spires by overhauling local hero Bango in the stretch for a 1 3/4-length victory in the $225,000 Aristides Stakes on Saturday afternoon.
Bango, whose 10 wins at Churchill Downs include the last two editions of the Aristides, was attempting to tie Ready's Rocket, who raced from 2005-12, for the recorded modern-day record of 11 wins at the track.
Instead, this day belonged to Gunite ($3.80), a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred by their red-hot stallion Gun Runner, trained by Steve Asmussen. Millionaire Gunite, who won the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes as a juvenile at Saratoga, is now 4 for 7 lifetime at Churchill Downs, where he has never been off the board. That includes last year's Maxfield Stakes and Harrods Creek Stakes, both at seven furlongs.
Gunite's four starts this year have all come at six furlongs. After opening the season with a win in the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn, he was second in the Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia, beaten 3 1/4 lengths by champion Elite Power. He then was third, beaten a half-length, in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 25, behind Sibelius and Switzerland.
In the Aristides, Strava, breaking from the outside in a compact but competitive field of five, was away sharply from the outside post but Sibelius, also making his first start since his return from the Middle East, was on the muscle from the rail. Junior Alvarado wrangled Sibelius back and to the outside of Strava through the scorching first quarter of 21.71 seconds. Bango was a close-up third on the outside under John Velazquez, while Tyler Gaffalione never let the leading trio get too far away as he let Gunite find his stride in fourth.
As the field came to the head of the stretch, through the half in 44.92, Bango was roused to the lead still three-wide. Gaffalione simultaneously gave Gunite his cue, and the colt came widest of all into the stretch. Bango opened a lead of 1 1/2 lengths, but Gunite relentlessly cut into that margin. He collared the older horse at the sixteenth pole and strode away to his final margin, stopping the clock in 1:08.46 for the six furlongs.
After Bango, it was another two lengths to the late-running Tejano Twist in third. Another 7 1/2 lengths back came Sibelius, who nosed out Strava for fourth.
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