Streaking Lagynos (5) adds Wise Dan Stakes to the list
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lagynos is a barn favorite – and who wouldn’t love to have him in the barn? The chestnut capped a perfect Churchill Downs meet for himself, and was part of a huge day for his connections, in the Grade 2, $500,000 Wise Dan Stakes on Saturday’s Stephen Foster undercard beneath the twin spires.
Lagynos ($5) has now won five straight races, and three races at this meet, after taking the Opening Verse on April 30 and the Grade 3 Arlington on May 30. Overall, he has won eight career stakes, placed in 10 other stakes, and has earned more than $2.6 million. Steve Asmussen, who has trained this 5-year-old son of Kantharos throughout his career for Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud, said “how blue-collar he’s always been” has endeared Lagynos to those around him.
“He’d had a good level of ability,” Asmussen said of the horse, who has been regularly ridden by Jose Ortiz this season. “He'd run some extremely competitive races through his 3-year-old season, and then last year as a 4-year-old, same thing, second, third, tough trip, tough trip. He kind of had a breakout race last year at Kentucky Downs, and the run he’s been on since then, I think what shows is his confidence in the race, and Jose’s confidence in him, and they’ve obviously done everything right.”
Asmussen and Ortiz did plenty right throughout the day on Saturday. They teamed up to win three races, including the day's centerpiece, the Grade 1 Stephen Foster, with Magnitude. Earlier, they captured a maiden special weight with Tagermeen. Ortiz, who between races was presented with his engraved Kentucky Derby trophy for his victory on Golden Tempo, also won an allowance race with Blackout Time for Kenny McPeek to finish the card with four wins.
“He’s just a special horse,” said Ortiz, who has had plenty of special moments at this meet. The jockey not only won the Derby, but took the Kentucky Oaks with Always a Runner, and will finish second only to his brother Irad in wins at this meet.
“He gives me so much confidence every time I get on him because he always shows up,” Ortiz continued. “He proved that again today. Steve and his entire team have done another tremendous job with him, and I’m just fortunate to be along for the ride.”
Lagynos and Ortiz, who broke from post 2 in the field of nine, saved ground in third early as Silent Heart went out after the lead, pursued by Mercante, who became a fan favorite last year when returning from a long layoff to become a graded stakes performer.
Silent Heart ticked off his opening quarter-mile in 23.46 seconds, then got a bit of a breather through the half in 48.11 – allowing him to open a two-length lead through six furlongs in 1:11.87, as Mercante came under a ride. But the leader was by no means home free. As the field fanned out across the track for clear sailing, it was Lagynos poking a head in front in the stretch and then scooting clear in the middle of the course.
Mercante, who backed up to fourth, re-engaged when Dresden Row, sent away the second choice off three straight wins, came to him with his own rally. At the wire, Lagynos held by three-quarters of a length, with Mercante saving second by half a length over Dresden Row.
After Dresden Row in third came Brilliant Berti, Flying Mohawk, Silent Heart, Fort Washington, Chasing the Crown, and Beach Gold.
The time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:41.68 (99 Beyer Speed Figure) on the turf course rated “good,” which most connections on the day agreed was a fair designation. Churchill’s turf course has handled precipitation well this spring, and was called upon to do so Saturday, following heavy rain overnight and into the morning that led to flash flood warnings in nearby counties.
As Asmussen noted, Lagynos has always been a consistent runner. A winning juvenile, he took the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs and the off-the-turf Woodchopper at Fair Grounds the following year. Following the Woodchopper in December 2024, he was winless until dominating the Tapit Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths last Aug. 28 at Kentucky Downs. He then finished second in the Grade 3 Mint Millions Stakes just more than a week later, on Sept. 6. He was beaten two lengths by Epic Ride, who finished the mile in 1:32.42, just missing the course mark of 1:32.39. Asmussen pointed to that period at Kentucky Downs, with Ortiz riding Lagynos in both races, as a turning point in the horse's confidence.
“It was his fastest race to date, he came home beautifully,” Asmussen said. “I think the confidence Jose has in him and that the horse has in himself is what’s putting him in the winner’s circle.”
After finishing third in the Grade 3 River City to end 2025 at Churchill Downs, with Corey Lanerie in the irons, Lagynos reunited with Ortiz during the winter at Fair Grounds, and got on a roll. After finishing second in the Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes in January, the duo captured the Grade 3 Fair Grounds and Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic during that meet before the barn headed north to Louisville.
With tomorrow marking closing day of the Churchill Downs meet, Lagynos will now ship to Asmussen's Saratoga barn and will target the Grade 1 Fourstardave at that traditional summer meeting. He will then point to the Kentucky Downs meet. Asmussen noted it is the same schedule as last year, although Lagynos was second in the Opening Verse, third in both the Arlington and Wise Dan, and seventh in the Fourstardave before picking it up at Kentucky Downs.
"I've been trying to follow the same plan as last year," the trainer said.
But this year, Lagynos heads up to Saratoga having done himself a bit better, and on a roll.
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