Proxy wears down West Will Power to win Clark Stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The riding wizardry of Joel Rosario and the training savvy of Mike Stidham were instrumental in the talented Proxy giving the Godolphin powerhouse a victory in the Clark for a second straight year when the Grade 1 race was run for the 148th time Friday at Churchill Downs.

Proxy, making his first start in nearly five months, was kept close by Rosario to the pace set by West Will Power – the obvious front-runner and 17-10 favorite in the $750,000 race – before pushing past in deep stretch to prevail by three-quarters of a length in the annual fall meet showcase. Fulsome, who like West Will Power is trained by Brad Cox, finished a non-threatening third.

“I was a little bit shocked the horse showed as much as speed as he did,” a smiling Stidham said after Proxy finished the 1 1/8-mile Clark in 1:48.89 over a fast track. “But as fresh as he was, and with Joel knowing that somebody had to go out and put a little pressure on the leader, it worked out well.”

Proxy, the third choice in a field of six, returned $7.08 with his first-ever stakes triumph in 13 career starts. The 4-year-old homebred by Tapit followed in the footsteps of another Godolphin homebred, Maxfield, who was retired to stud after winning the Clark here last November for trainer Brendan Walsh. Proxy earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the Clark.

Clearly the disappointment of this Clark was Rich Strike, the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner who had no apparent mishap when finishing last of six as the 2-1 second choice. Trainer Eric Reed said there was “no doubt in my mind” that running back just 20 days after Rich Strike had finished fourth in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Classic was a factor in the subpar performance.

:: DRF Black Friday Sale: Save 20% on DRF PPs, Clocker Reports, and other handicapping essentials

Rich Strike, ridden by Sonny Leon, launched a mild inside rally approaching the half-mile pole before flattening out. He was attempting to become the first horse since His Eminence in 1901 to win the Derby and Clark the same year.

“We’ll just have to regroup and look forward to fighting another day,” said Reed.

Before easily the largest crowd of the fall meet, and under the Churchill lights following an afternoon of beautiful weather, West Will Power and jockey Luis Saez led through splits of 23.94, 48.51, and 1:12.76, all with Proxy coiled to attack. Turning for home, as those two separated themselves from the rest and Rosario allowed Proxy to float to the middle of the track, they were virtually inseparable until the final 70 yards or so, when Proxy began to edge away.

Stidham said the Dubai World Cup in late March would be a logical target for Proxy, who was making his first start since finishing third behind Olympiad in the Stephen Foster here in early July.

The Dubai World Cup is “the race we won [in 2021] for Godolphin with Mystic Guide, so obviously that’d be in play,” said Stidham, who saddled his first of more than 2,200 winners in 1980. “In any case, it’s nice to know we have a lot of options.”

Rosario actually piloted West Will Power to an easy victory in the Grade 2 Fayette at Keeneland last month, but his agent, Ron Anderson, opted to ride Proxy instead, even considering the lengthy layoff and the fact Proxy had yet to win a stakes. Anderson, widely regarded as the top jockey agent in North America for years, was on hand Friday when celebrating his 68th birthday.

“I knew [West Will Power] was really the only horse that had early speed in the race so I didn’t want to let him get away easily,” said Rosario, who two races earlier won the only other stakes on the 12-race Friday card, the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere. “He was very professional today throughout. [West Will Power] didn’t want to give in. He was very tough on the lead and I had to work pretty hard to get by him.”

The $2 exacta (1-7) paid $22.48, the $1 trifecta (1-7-5) returned $55.76, and the 10-cent superfecta (1-7-5-6) was worth $21.01.

* The second Stars of Tomorrow card of the 19-day meet is set for Saturday, highlighted by the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club and Grade 2 Golden Rod on a 12-race program exclusively for 2-year-olds. The Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf helps close out the meet Sunday.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.