LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Starting in 2007, trainer Doug O’Neill had won with just two of his last 51 starters at Churchill Downs prior to sending out Pavel in the Stephen Foster Handicap on Saturday night. Even the most casual racing fan might know that those two victories both came for owner Paul Reddam in the Kentucky Derby, with I’ll Have Another in 2012 and Nyquist in 2016. So as Pavel sped away to a 3 3/4-length romp in the 37th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Foster under the Churchill lights, O’Neill said he couldn’t help but feel a bit of déjà vu. “I think all of us got these kind of weird flashbacks to 2012 and 2016,” said O’Neill, in from his California base. “Those [purple and white] silks and everything … this was just incredible.” Pavel, like I’ll Have Another and Nyquist, is owned by Reddam and was ridden by Mario Gutierrez. Always in a good spot just a few lengths off the lead after breaking from the outside post in a field of nine older horses, Pavel swept past heavily favored Backyard Heaven approaching the quarter pole and quickly surged away, finishing the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:49.21 over a fast track. He received a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. Pavel, a gray Kentucky-bred colt by Creative Cause, returned $15.60 as third choice with his third victory from 10 career starts and just his second in a graded event, following the Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx Racing last September. In his last two starts, Pavel had run fourth in both the March 31 Dubai World Cup and the Gold Cup at Santa Anita last month. Honorable Duty, the 7-1 fourth choice, held gamely for second, a neck before 68-1 shot Matrooh. Hawaakom (26-1) was another head back in fourth, while Backyard Heaven, the 4-5 favorite, faded to sixth and Irish War Cry, the 7-2 second choice, was eased by jockey Jose Ortiz approaching the three-eighths pole when overcome by apparent heat exhaustion. Churchill veterinary staff said the colt appeared otherwise unaffected after being vanned off. The breakthrough score earned Pavel an expenses-paid, Win and You’re In berth into the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, to be run Nov. 3 at Churchill. Some 2 1/2 hours before the Foster, Justify – the 2018 Kentucky Derby winner and newly minted Triple Crown champion – and his connections were feted on a very warm and busy evening by an appreciative Downs After Dark crowd of 21,053. After being paraded on the racetrack and the paddock, then led into the winner’s circle for a brief appearance, Justify was walked back to his Barn 33 headquarters in the stable area. In the meantime, a ceremony of nearly 15 minutes was undertaken in a packed winner’s circle, with Churchill’s John Asher conducting brief interviews with breeder Tanya Gunther, jockey Mike Smith, trainer Bob Baffert, and Kenny Troutt and Elliott Walden of co-owners WinStar Farm. All received their engraved trophies from the May 5 Derby. “I love coming back here to Churchill Downs,” said Baffert. “The fans are the best.” Later on, after the lights had come on and temperatures had cooled somewhat from the daytime high of nearly 100 degrees, Backyard Heaven took major action as the 121-pound highweight, at one point being pounded down to 1-5 off his impressive last-out victory in the Alysheba here on May 4. With three furlongs to run, after he and Pavel (117 pounds) had raced alongside almost from the start, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Backyard Heaven past the 23-1 front-runner, Uncle Mojo, and appeared as if he would be difficult to catch. “When the favorite pulled away from us, I thought, ‘Uh oh, well, we can still run second,’” said O’Neill. “But the way we mowed him down was incredible.” Pavel is named for hockey star Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings. Many of Reddam’s horses are named for hockey players, including Nyquist for Gustav Nyquist, also of the Red Wings. Honorable Duty, second in the Foster last year behind the eventual Horse of the Year, Gun Runner, “ran huge” to be second under Corey Lanerie, said trainer Brendan Walsh. “It was a big effort.” The $2 exacta (9-1) paid $120.40, the $1 trifecta (9-1-5) returned $1,525.10, and the 10-cent superfecta (9-1-5-3) was worth $928.99. An all-stakes pick five that included the Foster returned $14,237.40 for 50-cent bet. In the supporting stakes, King Zachary (12-1) won the Grade 3 Matt Winn, Mr. Misunderstood (5-2) won the Grade 2 Wise Dan, Blue Prize (2-1) won the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis, and Beyond Blame (7-2) won the Grade 3 Regret.