Churchill Downs: Ottoman Fleet wins for Appleby in Wise Dan
Ottoman Fleet from the international powerhouse stable of Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby won his second straight stakes over the Churchill Downs turf course when he went straight to the front and turned back a late charge from Chasing the Crown to easily finish first by 1 1/2 lengths Saturday in the Grade 2, $465,000 Wise Dan Stakes.
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Ottoman Fleet completed 1 1/16 miles over the firm turf course in 1:41.26.
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In his previous start four weeks ago, Ottoman Fleet defeated Chasing the Crown by one length with an authoritative late kick in the $258,750 Arlington Stakes (G3). This time he went right to the front from the outset.
A multiple graded- and group-stakes winner in England and the U.S., Ottoman Fleet broke from post 2 and asserted his way to the front when it appeared no others wanted to be in the lead. Ottoman Fleet (GB) set modest fractions of 23.63, 48.05 and 1:11.88 and had plenty of kick left for the stretch drive to the finish.
“I really wasn’t expecting the pace scenario to be what it turned out to be,” Prat said. “We sort of found ourselves on the lead and just went on with it. He was travelling so nicely that I just let him keep doing it on the front end. Turning for home he still had a lot left in the tank to kick clear at the wire.”
Ottoman Fleet returned $3.40, $2.36 and $2.10 for his Wise Dan victory as the 3-5 favorite. Chasing the Crown, who rallied from last under Joel Rosario, paid $3.48 and $2.48. Strong Tide, another 1 1/4 lengths back in third under jockey Emmanuel Esquivel, paid $4.66 to show.
“The pace certainly didn’t help us today, but he ran another solid race,” Chasing the Crown’s trainer Mike Maker said. “We were just second best again.”
This marked the fifth graded- and group-stakes triumph for Ottoman Fleet. Last year he won the Earl of Sefton (G3) at Newmarket, England, and the Fort Marcy (G2) at Belmont Park. In April he defended his title in the Earl of Sefton but ran second in the Fort Marcy before winning the Arlington.
Ottoman Fleet, a 5-year-old gelded son of Sea the Stars out of the Motivator mare Innevera, was bred in Great Britain by SCEA Marmion Vauville and Alain Jathière. He earned $276,210 for the win, which improved his career earnings to $1,088,717. Ottoman Fleet sports a record of 19: 7-5-5.
“He’s just a lovely horse that has done well in Europe and here in North America,” Godolphin bloodstock director Michael Banahan said. “He got an easy lead and took what he could get. He galloped all the way to the wire. Being a half-million-dollar race, the money is nice as well. I’m sure Charlie is happy with that performance. It was a nice race for him. I’m not too sure what will be next for him, but he’ll join the team at Saratoga this summer and find a spot for him likely there.”
Win for the Money, Exaulted and Johny’s Fireball completed the finish in that order.