Visitant holds off Set Piece in Kentucky Cup Classic

Visitant held off favored Set Piece through the stretch drive to win the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Classic on Saturday at Turfway Park.

The Kentucky Cup Classic was the richest of four undercard stakes preceding Turfway’s signature preps for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively – the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby and the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks.

Crafty Daddy led through moderate early fractions in the Kentucky Cup, ticking off a quarter in 24.66 seconds, the half in 49.59 seconds, and six furlongs in 1:13.57. Visitant ($18.80) and Deshawn Parker were fifth on the far turn after the latter split, and made a three-wide run to poke a head in front of the pacemaker in upper stretch. Meanwhile, Set Piece and Florent Geroux were fourth, about two lengths back, and commenced a kick down the lane.

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Visitant drove on for a handy two-length victory, stopping the clock in 1:50.12 for nine furlongs on the Tapeta.

Set Piece was a head in front of Crafty Daddy, who was a nose ahead of Plus Que Parfait to round out the trifecta. They were followed, in order, by Lookin to Strike, Super Sol, Skywire, Blanket of Roses, Finnick the Fierce, Bama Breeze, Lamartine, and Empty Tomb.

Visitant, a 5-year-old by Ghostzapper, races as a homebred for Williamson Racing and is trained by Billy Morey.

Visitant won the Alcatraz Stakes at Golden Gate and was third to Mucho Gusto and Roadster in the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita, both in 2019 when trained by John Martin. He changed barns in 2020 and has now found a niche at Turfway for Morey, for whom Visitant has now won three of his last four starts at Turfway, with the lone loss coming when third in the Prairie Bayou Stakes in December to Set Piece.

In other stakes on the undercard:

• Outadore got back to his winning ways with a pacesetting victory in the $65,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes, as he cut back in distance and moved to a surface more to his liking.

Outadore, a May foal from the first crop of Outwork, won the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs last September for Wesley Ward, then finished third after setting the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland in November. In his juvenile season finale, he turned in a fifth-place finish on dirt in the Springboard Mile at Remington in December.

Favored Outadore ($3.80) and Gerardo Corrales dueled with Nicky Two Shoes through an opening quarter in 22.38, edged clear through the half in 45.03, and continued on to a length victory, finishing the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.82.

• The Godolphin homebred Cave Hill ($8.60) picked up his first stakes win in the $100,000 Rushaway Stakes for 3-year-olds, driving clear to win by two lengths. Declan Cannon was in the irons on the colt, from the first crop of Frosted, for trainer Brendan Walsh.

• Dreamalildreamofu ($6.40), sent away favored under Geroux, stalked defending race winner Rogue Too into the lane, then split horses to win the 100K Latonia Stakes by three-quarters of a length. Color Me Pretty, last of 12 after being squeezed at the start, rallied to be second by a head over Rogue Too.