Sharing starts 3-year-old season with victory in Tepin Stakes

Sharing closed her 2019 campaign as the top juvenile filly on turf in North America. She seemed to pick up right where she left off in her 2020 debut, winning the inaugural running of the $100,000 Tepin Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Sharing, who is trained by Graham Motion for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gainesway, was last seen winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita. The Speightstown filly has now won four of five career starts, including the Selima Stakes last September at Laurel Park, and has earnings of $787,340.

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Sharing ($6.60), under regular rider Manny Franco, stalked the pace in fourth on the outside in the one-mile Tepin, about two lengths back, as longshot In Good Spirits took the field through a sensible opening half of 48.39 seconds on the firm turf. Unbeaten graded stakes winner Alms, sent away as the favorite over Sharing, raced in fifth early, tucked away on the inside of Sharing.

Sharing and Alms both launched their bids together on the far turn, but Alms did not sustain her run. Sharing edged clear once straightened away in the straight. Abscond, winner of the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine last fall, made a run through the lane, but Sharing held her off by a half-length.

“It’s great seeing her back to her form from last year," Franco said. "She’s very classy but it makes your job easier when you have nice horses underneath you.”

The final time for the mile was 1:36.26.

Abscond bested another late-rallying filly in Pass the Plate by three-quarters of a length for second. It was another head to In Good Spirits, who held fourth by a length over Alms.

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War Chant Stakes

Later on the card, Smooth Like Strait dueled an early challenger into submission and then held on for a 1 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 War Chant Stakes, for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf.

Smooth Like Strait ($12.20), under John Velazquez, dueled with fellow graded stakes winner Island Commish and Paco Lopez through the first six furlongs of the mile race, the two trading leads as they opened up about half a dozen lengths on the rest of the field into the far turn. Smooth Like Strait got the measure of his weakening rival nearing the final furlong and powered clear, then easily had enough left in the tank to hold on under a strong hand ride, stopping the clock in 1:36.77 for the mile.

Pixelate closed for second, edging favored Field Pass by a half-length.

Smooth Like Strait, a Midnight Lute colt who races as a homebred for Cannon Thoroughbreds, has now won three of seven career starts. Trained by Mike McCarthy, the colt scored his biggest win in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes last December at Del Mar. In his start prior to the War Chant, he was second in the Pasadena Stakes on Feb. 29 at Santa Anita.