Acre awarded the win in Iowa Derby after disqualification of Letmeno

Letmeno, winless since a debut win at Ellis Park last July, set the pace and gamely prevailed in a three-horse stretch duel in the $100,000 Iowa Derby on Sunday at Prairie Meadows, but bumping in the stretch led the stewards' to disqualify Letmeno and put up as the winner runner-up Acre.

Sent off at 5-1 -- the longest price on the board in the five-horse field -- Letmeno and jockey Alex Canchari ushered the field through fractions of :23.36, :46.93 and 1:10.83 for six furlongs in the 1 1/16-miles Iowa Derby while Acre and Martin Garcia were content to race in last. Acre began to steadily cut into the lead on the second turn and when reaching the top of the stretch, Acre, Letmeno and Billy Batts were head-and-head for a sprint to the wire. 

While Billy Batts lost ground inside the eighth pole, Letmeno and Acre slugged it out to the wire with Letmeno getting there a neck in front. However, both a stewards' inquiry and jockey objection was lodged. After several minutes review, stewards voted to disqualify Letmeno and place Acre as the winner.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Acre paid $8.90. Final time on a fast track was 1:42.74.

Acre, who is owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschnieder, had not reached the winner's circle since scoring in his second career start at Saratoga last August. The son of Blame had been most recently toiling in the allowance/optional claiming ranks at Gulfstream and Churchill Downs.