Cinco Charlie wires William Walker, Blofeld third
It was the highly anticipated return of lightly raced Blofeld, but the best laid plans often go awry. Racing under the lights at Churchill Downs for the first time and making his first start since November, Blofeld was sent to post as the 4-5 favorite in the William Walker while fellow graded stakes winner Cinco Charlie was overlooked at 5-2. Racing at a venue where he had previously won, the son of Cinco Charlie went straight to the lead and dared his foes to catch him. None did.
Under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., Cinco Charlie broke on top and immediately set himself on the lead on cruise control. Weast Hill and Holiday Camp followed closely behind the leader, and Blofeld tucked into a close fourth along the rail. Senor Grits and Henry Jones trailed in fifth and sixth respectively. With little real pressure, Cinco Charlie sailed through the opening quarter in :21.85 and the half in :45.63. Through the first half, the running positions scarcely changed except that Blofeld edged by Holiday Camp to take over third.
Wheeling for home, Cinco Charlie continued to show the way while Blofeld initially appeared to be locked and loaded down at the rail and simply waiting for room to run. But when jockey John Velazquez pushed the “go” button, he got little response. Though he found room to race once in the stretch, Blofeld had no answer for Cinco Charlie’s punishing dash to the wire. While trying to find his best stride, Blofeld found himself passed by Senor Grits, losing 2nd place by ½-length as the wire flashed overhead.
Winning jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. said that he had no special instructions from Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steven Asmussen. The man (Blasi) just said 'Good luck,'" Santana Jr. said. "We had it and he ran his race."
Cinco Charlie stopped the clock in 1:10.86 for the 6 furlongs over a track labeled good and sealed. The winning margin was 1 ½-lengths. Senor Grits gained second while previously undefeated Blofeld saw his win streak ended while finishing third. Henry Jones rounded out the superfecta, and Weast Hill and Holiday Camp completed the order of finish.
Cinco Charlie paid $7.40/$4.20/$2.20 for the win. Senor Grits, at 8-1, returned $6.40/$2.60 for the place, and a show bet on heavily favored Blofeld was worth just $2.10. The $2 exacta paid $42.20, the $2 trifecta returned $89.40 and the $0.10 superfecta was worth $22.18.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who saddled Blofeld, was hardly disappointed by his charge's effort. "I thought he ran well for his first race off a (nearly six-month) layoff," he stated. "He galloped out well. It was a tough spot to start back with the night racing and the muddy track. Hopefully this will lead to bigger things for him."
Bred by Candyland Farm, Cinco Charlie is by Indian Charlie and out of the Marquetry mare Ten Halos. As a yearling, Cinco Charlie did not meet his reserve price of $95,000 in the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. Later in the year, Cary Frommer, agent, picked up the colt for $75,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2013 Eastern Fall Yearling Sale. Frommer then pinhooked the bay colt into the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company 2014 Selected Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training where B & C Horses purchased him for $190,000. Currently owned by L. Williamn and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Cinco Charlie has put together a 11: 7-1-2 career race record for earnings of $419,182. Previous wins include the G3 Bashford Manor Stakes and a quartet of minor stakes races at various venues.
Future plans for Cinco Charlie are already being thought about. "He's a professional race horse," assistant trainer Blasi said after the race. "He's a pleasure. He ran his race today, just like he always does. We'll look at the (seven-furlong, $500,000) Woody Stephens (GII) on Belmont Day (June 6) for him next."