Stitched Seams Perfect Trip in Wise Dan Upset
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coady Photography
Stitched wins the Wise Dan Stakes at Ellis Park
The potential for Stitched was always there. It just took a few adjustments—a knee chip removal and rider change—and the perfect trip to uncover the talent that trainer Greg Foley believes had always been there in the son of Mizzen Mast .
Following a savvy ride from Flavien Prat, the pieces to victory were woven together in spectacular fashion for Stitched, who netted the biggest win of his racehorse career in the $395,000 Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) July 1 at Ellis Park.
"Our horse is a nice horse—he always has been," Foley said. "His last race (a June 1 allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs) was just a bad, flukey race; he ran terrible. But after that race he's really blossomed again. He put some weight on.
"The way he was training I thought he was sitting on a big race. I wasn't sure he was good enough to beat these horses but he sure showed up and did it today."
Stitched, owned in partnership by Nathan McCauley, Michael Olszewski, and Wiliam Minton, almost did not start in the Wise Dan, a 1 1/16-mile turf race.
"We were going to enter in at Indiana next week but Churchill called and said we should enter this race," admitted McCauley, also the breeder of Stitched. "I'm glad we did though. We drew the outside and it worked out perfectly."
Florent Geroux, the regular rider of Stitched, had the call on race favorite Set Piece for the Wise Dan. When Prat was available for the mount, McCauley did not hesitate.
"Flo's done a great job with Stitched but I've been wanting to get Prat on this horse for a while now," McCauley said. "He just fit him great."
Video
A two-time stakes winner last year as a 3-year-old, Stitched finished a disappointing fifth in Kentucky Downs' Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G2T) last September before undergoing surgery for a chip in his knee. The colt did not return to the races until the April 8 Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.
"That was why he had the time off," Foley said. "Dr. Bramlage took it out and the prognosis was that he'd be able to come back as good as ever. Today's just been an awesome day with this horse winning and Bango getting the win."
Apart from Foley earning his second career grade 2 win with Stitched in the Wise Dan, his beloved sprinter Bango bagged his eighth career stakes win in the Kelly's Landing Stakes earlier on the Saturday card.
As for Stiched, he followed an ever-quickening early pace set by Get Smokin , who threw down fractions of :24.44, :48.10, and 1.11.76 in the Wise Dan. Stiched, never too far beyond the frontrunner, rallied four-wide off the turn and closed furiously down the stretch. Stunning the crowd at 46-1, the second longest shot on the board, he thrust his neck in front under the wire.
Returning $94.50 from a $2 win ticket, Stitched stopped the timer in 1:40.97 on a firm turf course. Get Smokin was a length in front of Set Piece in third. The late closer had too much to do late, falling just over a length short of catching the top two.
Bred in Kentucky, Stitched is the sole stakes winner produced from McCauley's Into Mischief mare Walking Miracle . Hailing from the family of grade/group 1 winners Mast Track and Jemayel , Walking Miracle has an unraced 2-year-old Munnings filly named Zuber and a yearling colt by Jimmy Creed .