Eons Sets Colonial Downs Course Record in Buckland
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Photo: Coady Photography
Eons (outside) wins the Buckland Stakes at Colonial Downs
After thunderstorms forced two races mid-card at Colonial Downs to be canceled July 26, the Buckland and Andy Guest stakes provided thrilling finishes in which only a neck and a head were the difference makers.
Monday's card was reduced to two stakes from three scheduled after the Da Hoss Stakes was canceled and storms caused an hour-plus delay. The Buckland and Andy Guest later ran over the Secretariat Turf Course, which was labeled good after the rain departed.
Mark Grier's Eons was not slowed down by the softened ground in the $150,000 Buckland for 3-year-olds and older on the inner turf, speeding to a course record for 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.14 as he got his head in front of Kentucky Ghost .
Both horses were among the three trailing horses in the field of seven early as Mr Dumas set fractions of :23.20, :47.22, and 1:11.28. Then they both powered forward coming out of the final turn. Eons edged Kentucky Ghost by a head while Pixelate took third, 1 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up.
A 5-year-old son of Giant's Causeway trained by Arnaud Delacour, Eons was ridden to victory by Mychel Sanchez. He returned $13.20 on a $2 win wager.
"After the rain delay, all horses had been coming off the pace," said Sanchez. "I really liked my horse. I started out in the middle of the pack and by the time we got to the half I was last. But I knew he would close. I just wanted him to relax because he can be really tough but he can run. We got a lot of rain but the turf course here is amazing."
Eons was bred in Kentucky by Camas Park Stud out of the multiple stakes-winning Hansel mare Golden Antigua . He is a full brother to graded/group stakes winners Giant Gizmo and Tableaux , and a half brother to the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Cheermeister .
Clancy Bloodstock purchased Eons for $300,000 from the Eaton Sales consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The chestnut, also a winner of the 2019 Kent (G3T) and Stanton stakes at Delaware Park, has earned $428,615 from a 5-2-1 record in 17 starts.
Violenza Scores in Andy Guest
Randall Bloch, Six Column Stables, John Seiler, David Hall, and David Kirk's Violenza edged Mucha Mezquina by a neck in the $100,000 Andy Guest. The race for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the outer turf marked the stakes debut for the 4-year-old Violence filly trained by Ian Wilkes.
Violenza takes the Andy Guest Stakes at Colonial Downs
Violenza raced near the back of the nine-horse field and trailed by nine lengths early as Lovielee opened with a :21.02 quarter-mile and Mudslide Wicked ran a half in :43.95. Violenza and Mucha Mezquina, who raced last early, made moves together exiting the turn and at the top of stretch into striking position. Violenza ended up prevailing in a blanket finish, stopping the clock in 1:02.74. Favorite Beantown Baby was another neck back in third.
Regular jockey Chris Landeros came in from Kentucky solely to ride Violenza, who paid $9.00.
"She's good, she's nice and she's as honest as they come," said Landeros. "I think the pace up front really helped us. She doesn't mind a little bit of soft going so it was in our favor today. I know they skip over it early when there's a little bit of moisture in the ground. It favors a closer so I knew I had a little bit of an advantage coming into it today."
Violenza was bred in Kentucky by Randy Bloch, et al, out of the Street Sense mare South Street Gal. She was a $57,000 RNA when consigned by Baccari Bloodstock in 2018 to The July Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in Kentucky. The filly now has earnings of $193,323 from a 3-2-2 record in 13 starts.
Video: Buckland S. (BT)