Sharp Azteca Blazes Home in Pat Day Mile

Gelftenstein Farm's Sharp Azteca, in from South Florida, took the lead approaching the stretch and powered away to win the $250,000 Pat Day Mile (gr. III) for 3-year-olds May 7 at Churchill Downs. 

Trained by Jorge Navarro and ridden by Edgard Zayas, Sharp Azteca shipped to Kentucky off of back-to-back wins in maiden and allowance company, both times at the one-turn-mile distance, at Gulfstream Park. But he didn't go nearly as fast in Florida as he did Saturday afternoon at Churchill.

Sharp Azteca, by Freud   out of the Saint Liam mare So Sharp, quickly engaged Tampa Bay Downs shipper Imperial Hunt, who was two-for-two heading into the Pat Day Mile, through rapid fractions of :22.05 for the opening quarter-mile, :44.09 for a half-mile, and 1:08.32 for six furlongs. Zayas asked Sharp Azteca for more run near the top of the lane, and the colt easily pulled away to win in 1:34.37 on a track rated fast.

Brittlyn Stables' Forevamo, who chased Gun Runner in the major Triple Crown preps at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, showed better late kick with the cut back to one turn, but fell 2 1/2 lengths short of the winner. Calumet Farm's Star Hill finished another half-length back in third.

Sharp Azteca, bred in Kentucky by Cloyce Clark Jr., paid $28.20 to win after racing as the favorite in his last three starts at Gulfstream. Sharp Azteca was purchased by Gelfenstein Farm for $220,000 at the 2015 Ocala Breeders' Sales. Co. April sale of 2-year-olds in training.

"I was a little worried," Zayas said. "(Imperial Hunt) that has a lot of speed and my horse has a lot of speed. I just wanted to break and sit in a stalking position. At the three-eighths, I wanted to attack early because that horse is undefeated. Once I got to the front, I knew they were going to have to be running to catch me. My horse just kept running and running."

"I thought this horse was the bet of the day," Navarro said. "I think this horse is one of the best 3-year-olds in the nation. The horse had some issues and we gave him some time off. We took a chance in here. The way he did it was just amazing. This horse will run all day."

Earlier on the May 7 card, Navarro won the grade II Churchill Downs Stakes at seven furlongs with Anthony Lenci's Catalina Red, a 4-year-old Munnings colt who also shipped to Kentucky from Florida.

"Once I get home, everything will hit," he said.

Florent Geroux, who rode Forevamo, said the Uncle Mo   colt wants to go longer. "He is a two-turn horse but he did respond when I asked him for run," he said. "The winner was clearly the best but look forward to running longer."

"He absolutely ran his race," trainer Al Stall Jr. said of Forevamo. "We got the pace we wanted, we got the close we wanted, but (Sharp Azteca) didn't come back. I might give him a breather right now. He's a nice horse, trying to catch up with himself. We might give him a few months off and start again."