LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 5-year-old gelding Rhetorical had made eight starts before Saturday. He’d won five of them, won the Grade 1 Turf Mile at Keeneland last fall, finished a solid fourth at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. What Rhetorical had never done before the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs was race on the lead. That’s where he and Irad Ortiz Jr. found themselves two jumps out of the starting gate. Rhetorical did not like the experience – he loved it. The Turf Classic essentially ended at the head of the homestretch. Rhetorical already had dictated tempo, a solid one, but straightening for home he found another gear, dashing clear of his pursuers, taking a 3 1/2-length lead to the stretch call and hitting the line a 3 1/4-length winner over Make Me King in the Grade 1, $1.41 million Turf Classic. “He breaks really well. He has always had such a quick turn of foot out of the gate,” trainer Will Walden said. “I told Irad, ‘The 1 is going to go, but if we outbreak him, take it over.’ Just always felt deep down inside that this horse would shut off if he got the lead. He’s always been behind horses, always stalking, always been on the bit wasting some energy.” Instead of wasting energy, Rhetorical laid waste to the Turf Classic in his first try over a distance as far as 1 1/8 miles. The 1 horse Walden referred to, Corruption, broke decently enough but could muster no early speed, leaving Rhetorical all by his lonesome. This is not a horse to back down the pace. Rhetorical, a 5-year-old New York-bred by Not This Time out of Sheet Humor, by Distorted Humor, sometimes has too much energy for his own good. He can get riled up and fired up at the drop of a dime: In the paddock Saturday, his groom walked Rhetorical around and around and around in tight circles while most of his rivals stood in their stalls. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Walden trains Rhetorical for Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable, and Wachtel Stable, and the horse has followed a circuitous path to becoming one of the top handful of North American grass horses. Walden’s father, WinStar Farm CEO Elliot Walden, bought the horse at auction, and WinStar initially campaigned Rhetorical with Siena Farm – once Rhetorical finally made the races. Shuttling between WinStar and New York tracks, Rhetorical worked 13 times during 2023 without making a start. Will Walden didn’t train him in early days, but Rhetorical came into his care during 2024 and immediately made a mark, winning his debut, a New York-bred turf maiden, by five lengths. Through 2024 and much of 2025, Rhetorical had the look of a blossoming stakes horse, and after capturing the statebred-restricted West Point in August, Rhetorical got a chance at the highest level. He was ready for it, winning at Keeneland by three-quarters of a length at 9-5. Rhetorical made his 5-year-old bow April 10 in the Makers Mark Mile. He might have made the lead that day had Ortiz desired, but Rhetorical ended up sitting in the pocket behind the leader – and resenting the experience. He pulled and fretted, never settled, finished third and left his connections thinking he might have done more. Plan A was the Poker Stakes over a mile next month at Saratoga, but when Rhetorical began tearing the barn down after the Maker’s Mark, and Walden got a look at the prospective runners in Saturday’s contest, Plan B came into play. With Corruption out of the picture Saturday, Rhetorical went 23.51 and 47.40, a very manageable tempo, and, more importantly, he relaxed beautifully for Ortiz. Mercante and Program Trading raced closest to the leader, though they were never within reach of his flank, but both would finish evenly in the homestretch, Program Trading fourth, Mercante fifth. Make Me King, shipping from Dubai, worked his way to the fence under Jose Ortiz, who picked out Asbury Park as a horse to follow around the far turn. Make Me King came off the fence past the five-sixteenth pole, angling outside for room and taking Corruption’s path in so doing, forcing John Velazquez on Corruption to check his mount. Well behind Rhetorical, things got messy on the inside, too, Gold Phoenix at the three-sixteenths pole making a bid for a hole that wasn’t there. He jammed into Asbury Park, who checked sharply, and then wound up stymied the remainder of the stretch run. Make Me King proved no match for Rhetorical but ran to form in his first North American start. And Corruption, back on track, rallied on the outside for third, albeit nearly three lengths behind Make Me King. Rhetorical got his nine furlongs over firm going in a flashy 1:45.96 (107 Beyer Speed Figure) and paid $5.92 as the favorite. Walden said he’s not sure what comes next for Rhetorical. Could be the Manhattan over 1 3/16 miles at Saratoga, could be the Wise Dan over 1 1/16 miles later in June at Churchill. “He’s a good horse, and at this point I can’t put any limitations on him,” Walden said. Lightly raced and talented, the rest of this season could lead somewhere special, especially if Rhetorical is allowed to lead. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.