Blowout holds on as favorite in G2 Distaff Turf Mile

Peter Brant's Blowout, who was bet down to 9-5 favoritism, showed why in the Grade 2, $500,000 Distaff Turf Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs on Saturday, beating out a field that included both Got Stormy and Zofelle.

With Flavien Prat in the irons, the Dansili mare went straight to the front and had opened up a big lead down the backstretch. By the half-mile pole, it appeared Blowout might live up to her name in routing the rest of the field.

However, both Zofelle and New York Girl were able to make it a race down the stretch, but a determined Blowout was able to hold on to win by a half-length

“She did what Blowout does,” trainer Chad Brown said after the race. “She makes the lead and she waits on horses.”

Blowout came into the race off a narrow second-place finish in the Matriarch (G1) in November at Del Mar, which was her fourth-straight runner-up effort by less than a length. 

New York Girl was second with Zofelle completed the trifecta. Got Stormy checked in a disappointing fifth.

“The turf, she likes it rock hard,” Got Stormy’s trainer Mark Casse said after the race. “She’s run a mile at 32 and change, 36. She just kind of went around there, I don’t think she really cared for it much.”

Blowout set fractions of 24.28, 48.39 and 1:12.99 before winning in a final time of 1:36.30. 

Blowout returned $5.80 for the win.