Kingsbarns has Grade 1 breakthrough in Stephen Foster

Louisville, Ky.

Kingsbarns was that other horse last spring. Undefeated going into the Kentucky Derby, he went off at 11-1 and finished 14th, overshadowed by his stablemates Tapit Trice in seventh and Forte in the barn with an Eclipse Award and an untimely foot injury.

With about 300,000 fewer eyeballs on him Saturday, he had his moment at Churchill Downs.

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Stalking a leisurely pace throughout as the fourth choice in the field of nine older horses, Kingsbarns (9-1) pounced at the top of the stretch and raced on to a 2 1/2-length victory in the $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes on a steamy, 91-degree afternoon.

Finally getting that coveted Grade 1 victory on his résumé, did the real Kingsbarns stand up Saturday?

“We can ask the question, but I think he’s going to have to tell us here down the road,” said general manager Ned Toffey of Spendthrift Farm, which bought the now 4-year-old Uncle Mo colt for $800,000 in 2022. “But look, he did it today. It was a tough group. ... He put it together today, and they don’t give away these Grade 1s easily.”

Trained by Todd Pletcher, who was not at Churchill this weekend, Kingsbarns was expertly ridden by Luis Sáez, especially considering the slow early fractions of 24.13, 48.38 and 1:11.86. They were set somewhat surprisingly by post-time favorite First Mission (9-10) with Skippylongstocking (4-1) breathing down his back in the 1 1/8-mile race. Kingsbarns was never more than two lengths behind running fourth up the backstretch.

“The key was being close,” Sáez said. “We had a good position. That was the key. We tried to break from there running, and we knew the outside (Skippylongstocking) was the speed. First Mission had a lot of speed, too. I used to ride that horse, and I knew he was going to be on the engine. The plan was follow them. Have a target.”

Doing just that before wheeling outside First Mission and Skippylongstocking, Kingsbarns swooped into the lead turning for home.

“At the top of the stretch,” Sáez said, “I had a lot of horse.”

Kingsbarns led by 1 1/2 lengths through a mile in 1:35.67 and was widening the margin as he stopped the clock at 1:48.09 on the fast main track.

“I thought Luis just gave him a great, great ride,” Toffey said. “It set up well for us. He got a great stalking trip, and when Luis asked him, I mean the horse just exploded.”

Pyrenees (10-1), who brought a four-race winning streak into the weekend, rallied from a close fifth to finish second. Even though he had not faced Grade 1 competition before, the 4-year-old’s most recent victory came in the 1 3/8-mile Pimlico Special (G3) last month. The runner-up who was three-quarters of a length behind that day was Kingsbarns.

“It was a big step up against a really tough field for him,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said of Pyrenees. “Kingsbarns got us this time, so it’ll be a fun little matchup every time we run.”

An Into Mischief colt owned by Bonnie Baskin’s Blue Heaven Farm, Pyrenees had a homestretch brush with Skippylongstocking (4-1), who missed the place money by a head and finished third. First Mission faded to finish fourth. Steal Sunshine (35-1), Disarm (4-1), Classic Causeway (42-1) and Dreamlike (11-1) were fifth through ninth in that order.

Kingsbarns paid $21.90, $9.20 and $5.44; Pyrenees $12.10 and $4.64; and Skippylongstocking $4.66.

“Obviously winning a Grade 1 is a tremendous accomplishment,” Pletcher said in New York. “I think we’ve seen this year he’s been able to settle better than when he was a 3-year-old and show that new dimension. He sat a perfect trip today and really kicked well when turning for home.”

Kingsbarns’s victory came with an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 2 at Del Mar, but the next four months carry a lot of lucrative opportunities beforehand.

Asked about the possibility of going in the $1 million Whitney (G1) on Aug. 3 at Saratoga, Toffey said, “Maybe, but we’ll let Todd make that call, make that recommendation.”

After losing as the favorite in two stakes races, Toffey was glad not only for the Grade 1 breakthrough but for a complete effort from Kingsbarns.

“This is a horse that we felt like has had a lot of ability,” he said. “Been a little unlucky here and there, but he really put it all together today.”