Spirit of St Louis picks up his first career stakes victory in the Ashley T. Cole. Chelsea Durand/Coglianese Photos.
It was another New York-bred stakes winner for Khancord Kid on Friday when her son Spirit of St Louis scored his maiden stakes victory in the $125,000 Ashley T. Cole Stakes.
The Chester and Mary Broman-bred was looking to avenge his last out loss in the West Point Stakes against City Man in the 1 1/8 mile race and quickly passed that one to take up a spot in third behind the leading Un Ojo around the first turn. The field easily raced through a :23.36 first quarter with Jerry The Nipper closest to Un Ojo and Spirit of St Louis racing alongside Kingdom on Paws just behind him.
Not much changed as they continued their run toward the far turn and registered a :48.29 half, but as they approached the final quarter, the race was on.
Un Ojo was challenged by Jerry The Nipper as they raced into the turn with Spirit of St Louis and City Man both making a charge toward the lead up the outside. Un Ojo gave in as the field turned into the stretch with Jerry The Nipper quickly taking up the controlling position before Spirit of St Louis made his move.
Jerry The Nipper was a determined leader and didn’t give in easily, but he didn’t have enough to hold off Spirit of St Louis with the winner 1 ¼ lengths in front at the line and Jerry The Nipper just holding off City Man by a neck for second.
“He was traveling so comfortable,” said jockey Manny Franco. “It was just a matter of time. I had a good position, clean break. He took me to where I wanted to be – close. By the five-sixteenths pole, I took a peek back because I wanted to know where City Man was because I knew he was outside me. At the quarter-pole, I went all in with my horse and he responded to the wire.”
Stopping the clock in 1:48.29, the victory was the fourth in six starts for the Chad Brown trainee, who has never finished worse than second for $260,650 in earnings. A $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase by BSW/Crow from Sequel New York, he was purchased in April by Michael Dubb for $280,000 at the Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale.
Dubb was joined by Madaket Stables and Richard Schermerhorn in his racing ownership after the purchase. Since his change in ownership, Spirit of St Louis has won three of his four starts with his only loss coming in the aforementioned West Point Stakes in his stakes debut.
Brown pointed to another New York-bred stakes as his next start if he runs again this year.
“He wouldn’t have more than one start this year left in him. I may give him a nice break and point for next year, I’ll talk to the partners about it. If we did run him one more time, [the $200,000 Mohawk on October 29] would be it. He’s not going to be running outside of New York, not this year anyway. I would shut him down after that,” Brown said.
The 4-year-old gelding is a full brother to New York-bred Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Bar of Gold and half-brother to the stakes-placed New York-bred duo Land Mine and Homeland. A Grade 3 winning New York-bred herself, Khancord Kid has produced five winners from five to race. She is also proving to be a producer of producers with Bar of Gold producing the Grade 3-winning New York-bred Coinage.
Spirit of St Louis is a second-generation Broman-bred with the couple buying Khancord Kid’s dam Confidently in 2000 for $1 million at the Keeneland January Sale. In addition to Khancord Kid, the mare also produced the multiple stakes placed New York-bred Crackerjack Jones for the Bromans with stakes producers Truss and Cool Rhythm also among her post-sale foals.
Out of Grade 1 winner Key Phrase, Confidently is a full sister to multiple stakes winner Yankee Gentleman with her dam a half-sister to the dam of champion Shared Belief.
Khancord Kid had a New York-bred filly by Uncle Mo last year and a New York-bred full brother to Bar of Gold and Khancord Kid on March 14.
