Somelikeithotbrown streaks to victory in the WinStar Mint Million at Kentucky Downs Saturday. Coady Photo
By Melissa Bauer-Herzog
Wheeling back on only two weeks’ rest after winning the West Point Stakes at Saratoga, Somelikeithotbrown raced to victory in the Grade 3 WinStar Mint Million Stakes at Kentucky Downs Saturday.
The Hot Pink Stables and Sand Dollar Stables-bred took up his customary position on the front end in the 1-mile race with Atone putting on some pressure in second. Still racing relaxed even with that one on his hip, Somelikeithotbrown set fractions of :23.48 and :46.93 through the first half-mile before it was time to pick up the pace.
Jose Ortiz started hustling the winner as they turned into the long stretch and Atone stuck right with him. Mr. Dumas also tried to join the fight in the stretch with everyone else watching from a few lengths back but having rivals on both sides encouraged Somelikeithotbrown to slip into another gear. He pulled away in the final sixteenth to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:33.88, pricking his ears at the line to lead home a Mike Maker-trained exacta over Atone with Mr. Dumas settling for third. Maker was also fourth with Field Pass.
It was Somelikeithotbrown’s second attempt at this race after finishing second last year.
The Skychai Racing and David Koenig-raced 6-year-old is now the winner of 10 of 28 races with eight wins at the stakes level, led by two Grade 2 wins, for $1,647,018 in earnings.
Foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, Somelikeithotbrown has been a stalwart for the New York-bred program since his juvenile campaign and has taken home a New York-bred championship each year he’s raced. In addition to his wins, the Big Brown son has also placed in two Grade 1 starts.
Named as a weanling by his owners – something they admitted they rarely do – Somelikeithotbrown is out of Marilyn Monroan. The daughter of Tapit raced for Hot Pink Stable, Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable but her best result on the track was a second in eight starts. She has been a better broodmare with two of four runners winning at least one stakes and all four hitting the board. That other stakes winner is the New York-sired (by Mission Impazible) Kentucky-bred Jolting Joe, who not only won the Cab Calloway division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes in 2020 but also placed in two open stakes in Florida that year.
This is also the extended family of champion Stevie Wonderboy and Grade 3 winner Theskens’ Theory, both half-siblings to his winning granddam Summer Scene.
Marilyn Monroan has a 2-year-old Hard Spun filly named Varsity Blonde and foaled a filly by Mendelssohn this year before going to Nyquist. Somelikeithotbrown’s sire Big Brown (winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes) stands at Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater. Somelikeithotbrown is his second-leading earner behind Grade 1 winner Dortmund ($1.9 million).
