Mid American Wins Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint
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Photo: Coady Media/Cady Coulardot
Mid American wins the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs
Fittingly, the first stakes race of the meet at Kentucky Downs, an esoteric, lucrative venue that is seemingly always building for the future, looked to the future Aug. 29 as the $748,725 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint Stakes was the first added-money event of this all-turf meet in Franklin, Ky.
Mid American showed that his future could be bright, coming through with a bold inside run and then holding off favored Good to Be King for a three-quarter-length victory.
Doubledown Stables' Mid American had finished seventh in his debut, on dirt, July 17 at Ellis Park. Things looked brighter as trainer Jimmy DiVito switched the colt to the turf, and he responded with a 3 1/4-length maiden victory Aug. 9 at Ellis under Jaime Torres, who had the return call.
"That race at Ellis was visually impressive to me, this horse seems to really like the grass," DiVito said. "He had a really good turn of foot, and we just had to take a shot at Kentucky Downs."
The Juvenile Sprint had a big field of 11 starters after one key scratch, morning-line choice Waggley . The undefeated multiple stakes winner, despite having already defeated males multiple times, scratched to await a run against fillies in the Aug. 30 $750,000 Untapable Stakes, with trainer Wesley Ward still starting Just a Holiday in Saturday's stakes.
Good to Be King, trained by Rusty Arnold, was ultimately sent away favored off a third-place finish to Fanshell Beach in the Riverside Rush Stakes Aug. 1 at Ellis. Meanwhile, Mid American was actually bet down from his 20-1 morning line to 5-1 at post time, showing the wide-open nature of the field.
Mid American broke sharply, but ceded the early lead to a keen Arctic Wolf , attended by Just a Holiday, through the opening quarter of :22.72, as Torres tucked over to save ground, settling in fifth entering the sweeping far turn.
They wound up waiting for room in the stretch, as the top two, still dueling into the stretch, were confronted by Pinpoint rallying on the outside, and Boyhood Dream , who had a pocket trip, inside. Torres was racing between Boyhood Dream and Pinpoint.
"He waited for me, which was the same thing he did in his (last) race," Torres said. "When I asked him, he was there for me."
Indeed, when the seam opened as Arctic Wolf drifted a touch and Boyhood Dream could not sustain his run, Mid American eagerly shot through inside, and opened daylight between himself and Arctic Wolf. Good to Be King appeared on the scene late, lengthening his stride on the outside, but was too late, as Mid American held strong.
After the top two, it was 2 lengths to Pinpoint, who edged a game Arctic Wolf by a neck for third. The time for the 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf rated firm was 1:17.39.
Mid American was adding ground after winning his maiden at 5 1/2 furlongs, and Torres felt the added ground, and added experience, helped his mount.
Mid American, from the first crop of Epicenter and out of the unraced Exchange Rate mare Wampum Girl, was bred in Kentucky by Sunny Oak Farm. He was offered via the Gainesway consignment at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale, and was a $75,000 purchase by Black Horse Bloodstock and Navas. He was then offered by Navas Equine at this year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where DiVito signed for him at $180,000. This was the latest stakes win on an outstanding year for the trainer, who also has grade 3 winner Nu What's New in the barn.
Mid American became the first stakes winner for freshman sire and Eclipse Award champion Epicenter, who stood this season at Coolmore's Ashford Stud for $25,000. Epicenter seems to be showing the versatility of his own sire Not This Time by siring a turf sprinter as his first black-type winner, although he did his best work as a dirt router.
Epicenter won four graded stakes in his 3-year-old championship campaign in 2022, highlighted by the Travers Stakes (G1); he was also second in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1).