Shining Copper Speeds to Victory in River City

Shining Copper led every step of the way under leading rider Corey Lanerie to score a 1 3/4-length victory over Kasaqui in the $100,000 River City Handicap (G3T) Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs.

Shining Copper, owned Ken and Sarah Ramsey, ran 1 1/8 miles over yielding turf in 1:52.78.

Shining Copper broke on top and dictated the terms through fractions of :24.28, :48.77, and 1:14.24, with Thatcher Street tracking in second and never within a length of the leader. Shining Copper inched away down the backstretch, repelled bids at the top of the lane, and held sway in the final stages for the first graded stakes win of his 31-race career.  

"We knew going in his style of running, and once we broke well from the gate, he never looked back," Lanerie said. "I asked him a bit to go at the three-eighths pole and he responded when horses got close to him. It was a great job by Mike and his team to get him ready."

The victory was worth $57,040 and increased the Kentucky-bred's earnings to $697,169. He boasts a record of 8-4-7. In February of 2016, Shining Copper came within a neck of becoming a grade 1 winner when he was second to Lukes Alley in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1T).

"He got pretty sick at the end of the Saratoga meet last year," Maker said. "He was off for nearly a year but has come back and done well with everything we've asked of him. His best way of going is on the front end and he got a perfect setup today."

Shining Copper returned mutuels of $10.40, $6, and $4 as the 4-1 second betting choice.

Kasaqui, making the final start of his career, prevailed in a four-horse photo for the minors and finished a head in front of Revved Up. Defending River City winner Thatcher Street was another nose back in fourth, with Team Colors an additional head back in fifth.

Kasaqui returned $9.20 and $6.40. Third-place finisher Revved Up paid $3.60 to show.

The 7-year-old son of Aragorn (IRE), Shining Copper joined Same Old Wish (1997) and Blues Street (2011) as the oldest winners of the River City.