Pixelate Rallies to Mint Million Score
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Photo: Coady Photography
Pixelate wins the Mint Million Stakes at Kentucky Downs
Exactly one year after his first graded stakes score in the Del Mar Derby (G2T), Godolphin's homebred Pixelate added a second graded win to his résumé with a rallying victory in the $845,875 WinStar Mint Million Stakes (G3T) Sept. 6 at Kentucky Downs.
The 4-year-old City Zip colt, trained by Michael Stidham, capped a five-win day for jockey Joel Rosario on the Labor Day card.
"He was in a nice gallop, he kept going and getting better, and I could see it when we caught up to the horses on the lead," Rosario said. "I started thinking that we're going to get it."
Unhurried through the early going, Pixelate raced in eighth of 10 as Bizzee Channel set fractions of :21.83 and :44.95 through the first half of the mile event. Multiple graded stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown pressed the pace and got his head in front to post three-quarters in 1:09.10 while battling with defending winner Flavius , who took the race last year when it was run as the listed Tourist Mile.
Rosario guided Pixelate seven wide into the final stretch and the dark bay or brown colt steadily caught up with Somelikeithotbrown. He rolled past the leader in the final sixteenth of a mile and continued on to win by 2 1/2 lengths, paying $11.20 for a $2 win ticket.
The final time on the firm turf was 1:34.04.
Pixelate wins the Mint Million Stakes at Kentucky Downs
"He deserves it because he finally got his day in the sun and got to make up for some of those times when we reached out and ran in some of the big races and he was only beaten two to three lengths," Stidham said. "And today was his day. It was a beautiful thing. I'm so proud of the horse and what he's accomplished.
"Today was a race that we had targeted awhile back thinking it would be a good spot for him," the trainer added. "But we really hadn't thought past this race. We're always kind of looking for spots that make sense for him. After today's race, we'll see. Even his last race against lesser company, numbers wise, his Ragozin sheet has just continued to inch forward as he has progressed. Even last time when he was third (in the July 26 Buckland Stakes at Colonial Downs), looked like maybe a little regression, it was actually a move forward on his Ragozin sheet.
"I don't think we've seen the best of this horse yet. He's improving. He's only a 4-year-old turning 5. He's never missed a beat. He's been a very healthy, consistent horse that we're lucky to have in the barn."
Somelikeithotbrown stayed on for second, two lengths ahead of Monarchs Glen , who rallied from last to finish third. Flavius, the 7-5 favorite and course record holder (he won in 1:32.21 a year ago), finished fifth.
A winner of five total black-type events, Pixelate holds a 6-6-4 record from 20 starts. The winner's share of the Mint Million pushed his earnings over the seven-figure mark to $1,098,850.
Pixelate was bred in Kentucky out of the stakes-winning Street Cry mare Speckled, whose unraced foals include a yearling Hard Spun filly and a Sky Mesa filly born this year. Speckled was bred to Frosted for 2022.