Utah Beach runs down Limited Liability late to take Elkhorn Stakes
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Utah Beach digs central Kentucky springtime. The 5-year-old gelding won a second-level turf allowance over 1 1/2 miles in April 2024, lost six subsequent starts, and on Saturday captured the Elkhorn Stakes, another 1 1/2-mile turf race, by a head over Limited Liability.
Winning his first stakes race in his 14th start, Utah Beach got a good ride from Vincent Cheminaud, running down Limited Liability in the final half-furlong to narrowly prevail.
Third in his second start after a layoff in the 1 1/2-mile Sycamore last fall at Keeneland, Utah Beach got a winter freshening from trainer Ignacio Correas, who used a fourth-place finish on March 22 in the Kentucky Cup Classic over Turfway’s Tapeta surface as a springboard to the Elkhorn.
“He likes Keeneland. His best race, numbers, everything is here,” Correas said. “We did like last year; we gave him a race before just to get him ready for today and today worked out better than last year.”
The running of the three-turn Elkhorn worked out unusually. Dean Martini broke alertly from an inside post to make the front before Idratherbeblessed swooped down from his wide draw to take the lead into the first turn. After a solid 24.25-second opening quarter-mile, the pace slowed to 25.84 for the second quarter-mile, and Frankie Dettori, stuck two-wide in eighth with no clear way to improve his position, decided to go for it with Limited Liability. Dettori pulled Limited Liability off cover and in 23 strides had passed Idratherbeblessed to lead into the second turn.
Limited Liability in long-distance turf races often gallops on or near the lead, and he comfortably went round the clubhouse bend and onto the backstretch, turning everyone back into the homestretch and briefly going clear.
Utah Beach, Cheminaud said, lacked spark around the first turn and through the race’s early stages but picked up the bridle on the second turn, and traveled much better on the backstretch while sitting sixth. Utah Beach skipped around the third turn, gaining momentum and passing rivals while cleaving to the inside, and turned for home looking ready to tackle Limited Liability. He did, surging to make the lead in deep stretch, and though Limited Liability responded, closing the gap at the wire, that proved too little, too late.
Anglophile finished with interest from the back of the field for third, 1 1/4 lengths out of second and the same margin ahead of fourth-place Rebel Red, who rallied wide from the rear. Missed the Cut, narrowly favored over Limited Liability, didn’t have a great trip, nor did he run a great race, fading to finish eighth. Utah Beach was timed in 2:29.78 and paid $25.40.
A homebred, Utah Beach campaigns for Jeffery Amling and Merriebelle Stables. Out of My Own Story, by Lasting Approval, Utah Beach is by English Channel, whose offspring typically excel as fully mature horses in long-distance grass races.
“He’s by English Channel, so he’ll probably be better next year and better again the year after, so yeah, I’m confident the best is yet to come,” Correas said.
If so, Utah Beach won’t have to wait for another Keeneland spring meeting to win again.
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