FLORENCE, Ky. — Reading the race, and reading his mount, John Velazquez let Willy D’s open up his stride for an early move down the backstretch of the Grade 3, $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic on Saturday afternoon at Turfway Park.  Tickled Quist had worked to establish the lead through a sharp opening quarter of 22.87 seconds, but then was able to take it relatively easier through the next quarter, with the half lighting up in 47.51. Sensing the slowing pace, Velazquez pounced early, rallying from second to the leader’s hip.  “I was going to compromise my position where I was,” Velazquez said. “I’ve ridden this horse before and I know he doesn’t like when you take too much of a hold of him. So I let him get a position where he was comfortable.”  :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Willy D’s was comfortable turning for home, opening up a clear lead, and was just comfortable enough at the line, turning back a bid from defending winner Mercante for a three-quarter-length victory in the Kentucky Cup Classic.  This was the first graded stakes score for Willy D’s($17.94), another successful claim for trainer Mike Maker. Picked up for $50,000 in early 2025, and now racing for Paradise Farms Corp., he went on to win last year’s Michael G. Schaefer Memorial Stakes in Indiana, and was second in both the the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic and in the Tinsel Stakes at Oaklawn. He came to Turfway, moving on to a synthetic surface, after finishing third in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes on Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds. The opportunity for a surface change thus finally  presented itself.  “I always, in the back of my mind, even though he was running well on the dirt, when we initially claimed the horse I was looking to run him on the grass,” Maker said.  With Maker crediting Velazquez for the time of his ride, Willy D’s took to the Tapeta and took the top spot, finishing the nine furlongs in 1:50.88. After Mercante, a solid second in his first start since November, it was 1 1/2 lengths back to Honor Marie, who rallied up the inside for third. They were followed, in order, by Naptown, Wadsworth - who also moved early on the backstretch but then flattened out - Tapit Shoes, Endlessly, Tickled Quist, and Utah Beach.  Earlier in the sister race, the $250,000 Latonia Stakes for fillies and mares, Stylish Sue ($19.24) relaxed beautifully on the lead for Irad Ortiz Jr. and had enough left in the tank for a 4 1/4-length victory. It was the first career stakes win for the 5-year-old Nyquist mare, who is trained by Joe Sharp for Highlander Training Center.  Stylish Sue was last seen fading to seventh after pressing an honest pace in the Wintergreen Stakes on Feb. 28 at Turfway, won in dominant fashion by Literate. The latter was sent away as the heavy favorite in the Latonia, and was not far off down the backstretch in a compact group, but did not get a setup for her late run as no one went with Stylish Sue.  The eventual winner was away smartly from post 2 to open a length lead in the early strides, and under a long hold from Ortiz, loped through early fractions of 24.89 seconds for the opening quarter mile and 49.18 for the half. Five a Side mounted a bid on her outside coming to the top of the stretch, but Stylish Sue had enough in reserve to shake her off and widen to the wire.  The time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.10.  Five a Side was a clear second 5 1/4 lengths over Warming, with Literate an unthreatening fourth.  This was the first day back at the races for the victorious Ortiz, who had already won a maiden earlier on the card, since he took a spill March 12 at Gulfstream Park, when a first-time starter ducked in after the break and ran into the rail. X-rays on the rider’s sore hip were negative. He was named on horses on Thursday and Friday at Gulfstream but took off, and instead made his return at Turfway.  :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.