Keeneland: Can Group pulls off 27-1 surprise in Bourbon Stakes
Can Group, a 27-1 long shot, was last in the field of 12 going into the final turn but weaved his way through horses on the turn and in the stretch to nail Noted on the wire for a nose victory Sunday in the Grade 2, $350,000 Bourbon Stakes, 1 1/16-mile turf race for 2-year-olds racing at Keeneland.
The unexpected triumph gave Can Group an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.
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Owned by D.J. Stable and Cash is King, trained by Mark Casse, Can Group was ridden by Francisco Arrieta, who not only picked up his first Keeneland stakes victory but his first Grade 2 victory.
Fortune Seller led the field early while being tracked by Double Your Money. Noted and favored First World War led the second flight.
The top two positions did not change going into the far turn, but things changed quickly in the upper stretch when the pack closed in. Vote No emerged with the lead passing the eighth pole. Behind him Noted was being shuffled back, and Can Group began his clear run between horses.
Noted found racing room about 50 yards from the wire to hit the front only to be caught in the final jump by Can Group.
“When I moved and he saw the leaders, he just took off and, wow, it was amazing,” Arrieta said. “I felt like I crossed the wire in front. He was rolling. I won with him at Kentucky Downs (in maiden special weight Sept. 2), and he came from off the pace very nice, slow, so today I planned the same. Relax, give him time, and make one move, and he showed up.”
It was the fifth win in the race for Casse, who previously won with Airoforce in 2015, Keep Quiet in 2016, Flameaway in 2017 and Peace Achieved in 2019.
Can Group is a Kentucky-bred son of Good Samaritan out of the Street Sense mare Blue Gallina. Sunday’s victory was worth $198,013 and increased Can Group’s earnings to $307,013 with a record of 4: 2-0-2. He returned $56.34, $21.32 and $13.00.
Noted, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., returned $5.34 and $4.28 and finished a length in front of Vote No, who paid $9.88 to show under Gerardo Corrales. It was another half-length back to First World War, who was followed in order by Tok Tok, Depiction, Palm Tree, Double Your Money, Coin Miner, Gorilla Trek, Fortune Seller and Nomos.