Spiced Up, Governor Sam Rematch in Franklin-Simpson

Entering the Aug. 10 Mahony Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course, Bregman Family Racing and Swinbank Stables' Governor Sam  was attempting to solidify his place as the top 3-year-old turf sprinter in the country. However, it was Juddmonte homebred Spiced Up , making his stakes debut, who stole the spotlight and posted the mild upset.

Now a month later, the pair face a rematch Sept. 6 over 6 1/2 furlongs for that title in America's lone grade 1 turf sprint restricted to 3-year-olds: the $2 million Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G1T) at Kentucky Downs.

Spiced Up showed an impressive turn of foot at Saratoga while picking up the pieces from a blazing-fast pace that Governor Sam stalked. The son of Quality Road   has won both his starts this year, which also represent both career efforts on grass, for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado.

Video: Mahony S. (G3T)

The George Weaver-trained Governor Sam carries plenty of class as one of only two in the 12-horse field with a grade 1 placing, which he earned when third in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T). Saturday's sprint will be a new experience as the Improbable colt has never raced beyond 5 1/2 furlongs. Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard to help him see out the extra furlong with blinkers off for the first time in his career.

BC Stables' Innovator  was fourth in the Mahony after a troubled stretch run potentially cost him a placing when making a late charge. A former D. Wayne Lukas trainee, he now makes his second start for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

An additional challenge for all the runners will be the uphill and downhill slopes that make Kentucky Downs more of a European track than the typical American flat ovals. That challenge is a welcome one for a trio of horses who were successful on the course as 2-year-olds last year.

Twin Creeks Racing Stable and CMNWLTH's Chasing Liberty  is the only member of that trio to have a stakes win on the course, as Golden Afternoon  and Warheart  each earned maiden special weight wins at the 2024 meet. However, Chasing Liberty is the only one of the three to not cross the wire first, being placed first after stewards determined the three-quarter-length victor, Under Who's Radar , caused interference with the Constitution   colt in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes.

The Rob Atras trainee has since proved himself as more than just the beneficiary of the stewards' decision with a pair of stakes wins and three stakes placings. Both Golden Afternoon and DARRS' Warheart have also emerged as stakes winners.

Chasing Liberty was last seen finishing third in the July 4 Dade Park Dash Stakes at Ellis Park and will get a rematch against the 1-2 finishers Troubleshooting  and Bridle a Butterfly .

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse sends out the speedy pace player Mi Bago  for Gary Barber. The son of Vekoma   has set the fractions in each of his last eight starts, earning a trio of stakes wins. However, all eight of those starts have come around two turns. His last try at a true sprint was the Algonquin Stakes at Woodbine last October, and he rallied to win the five-furlong race by a neck.

He is joined by Casse-trained stablemate Dream On , who likewise has not raced around one turn since last year at Woodbine. The grade 3 winner and grade 1-placed son of Not This Time   races for D. J. Stable.

The field is rounded out by stakes winner Out On Bail  and grade 2-placed Antisocial .