River Boyne Returns to Winning Ways in Thunder Road
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Photo: Benoit Photo
River Boyne wins the Thunder Road Stakes at Santa Anita Park
It took a while, but River Boyne has come full circle in the Thunder Road Stakes (G3T).
A year ago, the son of Dandy Man came into the mile turf event as a grade 2 winner with seven victories in his last 10 starts, three of them in graded stakes.
Then in the Thunder Road, his 2019 debut, he was steadied in the stretch and finished fourth by 1 1/4 lengths as a 3-5 favorite.
Seven losses followed, with two seconds and three thirds, but Feb. 8 in the $102,000 Thunder Road, the 2018 version of River Boyne resurfaced.
The 5-year-old horse brought an abrupt end to that eight-race losing streak as he took charge in mid-stretch and cruised to a 2 1/2-length victory over 50-1 shot Camino Del Paraiso at Santa Anita Park.
"He's a game horse," trainer Jeff Mullins said. "Since he's turned 4, things got a little tough for him and he had some troubled trips. Today he spilt horses at the top of the stretch and got the job done."
River Boyne, who paid $11.60 to win, covered the mile in 1:33.78 on a firm course. Runner-up in the Shoemaker Mile (G1T) last year, he tacked another black-type score onto a résumé that already included graded wins in the Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes (G2T), Twilight Derby (G2T), and La Jolla Handicap (G3T) in 2018.
Out of the Mark of Esteem mare Clytha, River Boyne went for $97,358 from the Cullentra House Stables consignment at the 2017 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale. With Saturday's score, the 5-year-old horse increased his record to eight wins in 23 starts with earnings of $971,918.
Bob Baffert trainee Kingly set the pace in the Thunder Road, leading through fractions of :23.06, :46.73, and 1:10.30 until River Boyne moved up from third and sailed past him at the eighth pole.
Once River Boyne and jockey Abel Cedillo took command, the only race was for second, which narrowly went to Glen Road Racing and Paradise Road Ranch's Camino Del Paraiso, who has won only one of 19 turf starts with seven seconds for trainer O. J. Jauregui.
The 7-year-old Suances gelding was a nose ahead of owner/trainer Simon Callaghan's True Valor, a 6-year-old son of Kodiak. Winner of the aforementioned 2019 Thunder Road, True Valor hit the wire a nose ahead of Kingly. Hronis Racing's 5-2 favorite Frontier Market was a head back in fifth in his first start for trainer John Sadler.