Churchill undercard: Durante scores at 33-1 in Aristides

Long shot Durante, owned and trained by David Jacobson, took advantage of a torrid early pace set by Skelly and World Record and surged past the latter late to win Saturday in the 37th running of the Grade 3, $275,000 Aristides Stakes at Churchill Downs by one length.

Durante, off at odds of 33-1, paid $2 mutuels of $68.44, $15.74 and $5.62, the largest win payoff in the history of the race.

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Skelly, the odds-on 4-5 favorite and expected early leader, broke slow from the gate, and Durante, breaking from post 2, found himself in front in the field of six older horses shortly after the break.

Durante, with José Ortiz aboard, opted to back off the quick pace from the rail as Skelly rushed to recover and takeover with World Record, at odds of 8-5, tracking just off his right hip.

“He broke like a rocket but I was able to give him a breather around the turn,” Ortiz said.

Skelly and World Record zipped race-record quarter-mile fractions of 20.93 and 43.61 seconds as Durante kept on in third along the inside. Leaving the turn, World Record put away Skelly at the top of the stretch but Durante tipped out and surged past World Record inside the final sixteenth of a mile to score the upset win.

“In the stretch, he came on again and really finished up well,” Ortiz said. “I think it was a really good field today and could beat one another on any given day. Today it was our day.”

Durante clocked six furlongs over a fast track in 1:09.23 and earned $168,105 for the triumph. He boasts a record of 38: 10-6-5 with $821,743 in purse earnings.

Runner-up World Record, under Flavien Prat, paid $3.42 and $2.74 to place. There was a dead heat for third. Giant Mischief, at odds of 4-1 under Irad Ortiz Jr., paid $2.36. Happy Is a Choice, at 11-1 under Rey Gutiérrez, returned $2.68. Both finished a neck in back of the runner-up.

The order of finish was completed by Here Mi Song and Skelly. Champlin was scratched.

This was Durante’s second stakes win. In 2023 he won the Bold Ruler (G3) at Aqueduct.

Before the Aristides, Durante finished third in an allowance optional-claiming event at Churchill Downs on May 16.

Durante is a 6-year-old gelded son of Distorted Humor out of the Pioneerof the Nile mare Seahawk Girl. He was bred in Kentucky by William Humphries and Altair Farms.

The Aristides is a Breeders’ Cup bonus series race for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint to be held Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The nominated winner will receive a credit of $30,000 toward entry fees into the race with the second- and third-place finishers receiving a $15,000 and $7,500 credit, respectively.

Royal Spa closes to win Shawnee

Royal Spa, owned and bred by Rhonda O’Rourke’s Breffni Farm, displayed a powerful closing punch to outkick Gin Gin inside the final furlong and score a 13-1 upset by 1 1/4 lengths in the sixth running of the $271,000 Shawnee (G3).

“This win means so much to me, because Breffni Farm are some of the best people,” winning trainer Rodolphe Brisset said.

Illinois invader Wild About Hilary, winner of the Pago Hop and Bayakoa (G3) this winter, led the field of nine fillies and mares through early splits of :23.51, :47.06 and 1:11.21 as Doubledogdare (G3) winner Gin Gin tracked in second and Royal Spa relaxed in sixth.

Gin Gin put away Wild About Hilary leaving the final turn, but Royal Spa rallied wide around the bend and steamed her way into contention with a powerful closing kick. Royal Spa, ridden by Flavien Prat, edged to the front inside the final furlong and drew away for the upset win in 1:42.20 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track.

“We got a little shuffled back at the start, so I just let her get into the bridle,” Prat said. “Around the turn she sort of found her best stride and when I asked her to finish up down the lane she did.”

Royal Spa returned $28.78, $9.38 and $4.58. Gin Gin, under José Ortiz at odds of 5-2, returned $4.64 and $3.12. Alpine Princess, with Florent Géroux up at 6-1, was another 2 1/2 lengths back in third and paid $3.72.

Corningstone, Free Like a Girl, 2-1 favorite Where’s My Ring, In Just My Heels, Wild About Hilary and Hoosier Philly completed the order of finish.

Royal Spa is a 5-year-old Violence mare out of the Mineshaft mare Bodacious Babe. She was bred in Kentucky by her owner. With her victory in Saturday’s Shawnee worth $163,920, Royal Spa improved her record to 18: 6-3-2 with $728,592 in earnings.

This marked Royal Spa’s second consecutive stakes win. She won the $100,000 Heavenly Cause at Laurel Park on April 12.

“We knew that probably going seven-eighths or a mile is her best distance, but the circumstances really worked out well to try longer today,” Brisset said. “She was a bit further back than we originally planned, but it might’ve benefited her for the future. I’m not sure what we will do with her next. It worked out well trying a longer distance today, but we also know she runs well going a little shorter.”

Mercante wins by a neck in Arlington

Carl Pollard’s homebred Mercante, runner-up in the $1 million Turf Classic (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day, remained in top form and outfinished 9-5 favorite Brilliant Berti in a thrilling stretch run to win the 89th running of the $273,500 Arlington Stakes (G3) by a neck.

Mercante, ridden by Joe Ramos and trained by Brian Knippenberg, ran 1 1/16 miles on turf in a stakes record 1:40.89, which eclipsed Ottoman Fleet’s time of 1:41.45 last year.

“To do this here at Churchill, with Mr. Pollard in attendance, and (Bill Landes), my boss for a hundred years, it’s so special,” Knippenberg said.

Mercante earned $168,105 for Saturday’s victory and improved his record to 13: 5-1-3 with earnings of $726,122.

Brilliant Berti, who entered the race 4-for-4 over the Churchill Downs turf course, found himself on the lead in the field of seven older horses and set comfortable early fractions of 24.43, 48.42 and 1:11.72 as Mercante rated just behind him up the backstretch.

Mercante engaged Brilliant Bertie around the final turn from the outside. The two matched strides down the lane, but Mercante out-gamed his rival late for the narrow victory.

“I have so much confidence in him every time he runs,” Ramos said. “He was going really well down the backside, and turning for home I had a lot of horse left. He fought really hard to the wire.”

Mercante, off as the 3-1 third betting choice, paid $8.90, $4.30 and $3.16. Brilliant Berti, under Brian Hernandez Jr., returned $3.42 and $2.60. Lagynos was another half-length back in third under Flavien Prat at odds of 6-1 and paid $2.94 to show. Event Detail, Gigante and Silent Heart completed the running order. Cameo Performance and Herchee were scratched.

This was the second Grade 3 win of Mercante’s career. In March he prevailed in the $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park.

“He does his best running when he’s outside of horses,” Knippenberg said. “After the break, when I saw Joe go to the outside of horses, I had a ton of confidence that he’d run well. I just can’t say enough how special this is.”

Mercante, a 5-year-old gelded son of Gun Runner out of Honour and Glory mare Caressing, was bred in Kentucky.

“Half the people from Hermitage Farm are here,” Knippenberg said. “It’s just great that everything worked out the way it did. We nominated him to the Wise Dan, but we’ll let him tell us what to do next.”

Call Protection was pulled up after a half-mile and was vanned to the Equine Medical Center for further evaluation. Upon evaluation the extent of the injury to his right front leg was severe, and the 4-year-old colt owned by Jordan Wycoff and trained by Mike Maker was euthanized, according to Dr. Will Farmer, Churchill Downs Inc.’s equine medical director.

Fionn goes from worst to 1st in Regret

George Messina and Michael Lee’s Fionn launched an impressive last-to-first rally to collar Totally Justified in the final 50 yards to win the 56th running of the $272,250 Regret Stakes (G3) by a half-length.

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Géroux, Fionn covered 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:47.29, which narrowly eclipsed Lady of Venice’s 2006 stakes record of 1:47.31.

Classic Q, the 3-2 favorite in the field of nine 3-year-old fillies, dictated the terms as she clipped off fractions of 22.90, 46.75 and 1:11.08 with Fionn relaxed in last down the backstretch. Classic Q tired at the top of the stretch, as Totally Justified took over at the three-sixteenths pole. Fionn was hitting her best stride, carved her way through competition in upper stretch and tipped out to the center to power home for the come-from-behind triumph.

“They were going fast up front, so I just let her get into a nice rhythm and do her thing,” Géroux said. “She kept finding more late and really dug in.”

Fionn, the 4-1 second betting choice, paid $10.08, $4.56 and $3.28. Totally Justified, under Luis Sáez at 4-1, returned $6.08 and $4.56.

Hereforagoodtime, with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle at odds of 5-1, finished another length back in third and paid $4.02.

Aterradora, Fixin to Bee, Golden Sunshine, Classic Q, Jalila and Mechaya completed the order of finish. Deloraine and Lush Lips were scratched.

With her victory worth $163,920, Fionn boosted her career earnings to $349,270 from a record of 6: 4-1-1. She won the $100,000 LaCombe Memorial at Fair Grounds in March and finished third in the $500,000 Appalachian (G2) at Keeneland in April.

“She’s been a really consistent filly, and I think she will keep improving off of this,” Cox said.

Fionn is a daughter of Twirling Candy out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Gaelic Gold and was bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms.