Twirling Candy Progeny Ag Bullet, Walkathon Take Stakes
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Photo: Coady Media/Kurtis Coady
Ag Bullet leads throughout in the Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs
The sire of Del Mar Oaks (G1T) winner Iscreamuscream , Lane's End stallion Twirling Candy entered the weekend as the second-leading turf sire in North America, trailing only 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify .
At Kentucky Downs Aug. 31 he provided further evidence of his credentials as a turf sire. Within about a half-hour, two of his progeny, Ag Bullet and Walkathon , won graded stakes at the Southern Kentucky all-turf oval, collecting combined winnings of more than $1.7 million.
Nor was there any doubt of their superiority. Both busted out to the lead and drew away from the opposition, with Ag Bullet winning the $1,378,260 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T) by 5 1/4 lengths and Walkathon the $1,494,840 Ladies Turf Stakes (G3T) by three lengths.
Ag Bullet, the first of these speedy females to race, shipped into Southern Kentucky from Southern California, where she won three stakes earlier in the year, including the Monrovia Stakes (G3T) over the 6 1/2-furlong trip of the Ladies Turf.
She was right at home on the firm, undulating Kentucky Downs turf course, running the distance in a course record 1:14.19 after setting splits of :22.59 and :45.20. Ag Bullet paid $7.94 to win as the favorite.
"She's absolutely fast," jockey Umberto Rispoli said.
Dontlookbackatall chased and finished second, two lengths ahead of Ocean Club in third.
Richard Baltas trains the victorious 4-year-old gray or roan for owners Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran. Meah/Lloyd Bloodstock bought her from the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Eaton Sales consignment. H & E Ranch bred the winner in Kentucky out of the winning Forestry mare Noble Grey .
Video: Exacta Systems Ladies Turf Sprint S. (G2T)
Walkathon was nearly as dominant in notching her third graded stakes win, covering a mile in 1:33.76. The 5-year-old bay contested the early pace through fractions of :23.62, :46.40, and 1:09.96, and drew clear over the long Kentucky Downs stretch.
Sacred Wish placed, three-quarters of a length ahead of Evvie Jets in third. Favored Implicated ran 11th.
Earlier this year, Walkathon won the Endeavour Stakes (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs and the 2022 Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs. She came into Saturday's race following two ungraded stakes triumphs in Kentucky. She paid $19.90 to win.
Walkathon wins the Ladies Turf Stakes
"When she broke so sharp and got to the turn, she skipped over a couple of the tougher spots (on the course) and she didn't bobble at all, I said, 'Oh, man, this is great,'" winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. noted. "She was so comfortable, and I was so close to the rail that nobody else had made it over to that path today. She just zipped around there the whole way."
A homebred for Whitham Thoroughbreds, Walkathon is out of the Stroll mare Walkabout , a half sister to 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Fort Larned . Hernandez teamed to win the 2012 Classic with trainer Ian Wilkes and Janis Whitham. Fort Larned won an allowance race in 2011 at Kentucky Downs as a younger horse under Robby Albarado.
"She put her best step forward today, which was super," Wilkes said of Walkathon.