Private Creed sets mark with Indian Summer Stakes triumph

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Private Creed will roll into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint as one of the favorites, as the colt scored his second straight stakes win with a stakes-record performance in the $250,000 Indian Summer on Sunday at Keeneland.

Private Creed will go into the Breeders' Cup having won three of four career starts. He took the Juvenile Sprint Stakes last month at Kentucky Downs.

“He acts like he’d go farther, but with the success he’s having sprinting, we’re very happy to keep doing this with him for now,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “With the addition of blinkers, he’s 2 for 2, so we definitely like that.”

Private Creed ($7.28) was sent away as the second choice in the Indian Summer. The scratch of morning-line favorite Love Reigns, who trainer Wesley Ward now plans to train up to the Breeders' Cup, left that filly's stakes-placed stablemate No Nay Hudson as the post-time favorite.

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Private Creed broke from the outside post in the remaining field of 10 under Joel Rosario, and was a comfortable sixth on the outside as longshot Ghent emerged from near the inside to lead Numero Seis by a half-length through a sharp opening quarter of 21.68 seconds. No Nay Hudson was third on the outside of those two, and jockey John Velazquez had his feet in front of him as he attempted to coax the colt back off the hot early pace.

Rounding the single turn into the stretch, No Nay Hudson put his head in front of a fading Ghent, and it appeared as though he was about to edge clear. But Private Creed was coming with a four-wide sweep. He struck the front in the final stages and hit the wire three-quarters of a length in front. Mo Stash, who was away a step slowly and was last of 10 after the opening quarter, came between horses with a furious rally to finish second, a length clear of No Nay Hudson.

“He broke a little awkwardly, and when he got up, he wanted to run off,” Velazquez said of his trip on the favorite. “I tried to settle him the best I could. In the last sixteenth of a mile, he just came up a little short.”

Private Creed stopped the clock in 1:02.30 for the Indian Summer, which was first run in 2018, concurrent with the addition of the Juvenile Turf Sprint to the Breeders' Cup program. That eclipsed the previous stakes mark of 1:02.65, established last year by Averly Jane. It was the fourth stakes record to fall this weekend on a very firm turf course, with rain scarce in Lexington in recent weeks. Annapolis (Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile), In Italian (Grade 1 First Lady), and Golden Pal (Grade 2 Woodford) all set stakes records on Saturday.

After the top three finishers, it was another length to Ghent, who kept on gamely, followed by Mounsieur Coco, Bourbon Therapy, Kbcya Later, Revere Note, Numero Seis, and Castelmola.

Fausto Gutierrez, the trainer of Mounsieur Coco, claimed foul against Mo Stash for alleged interference, as the two colts bumped at the start. The claim was disallowed and the original order of finish stood.

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