Waki Patriot tries turf in Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies

One of the country’s most experienced 2-year-old fillies tries grass for the first time in Wednesday’s $350,000 Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies. Kentucky Downs will be Waki Patriot’s fifth racetrack in seven starts and her first race on grass.

But she’s as honest as they come, winning by five lengths in her second start at Keeneland, finishing a close fourth with trouble against males in Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Juvenile, third in New York’s Astoria, third in Churchill’s Debutante and fourth in the Ellis Park Debutante after being part of a blistering pace.

“In her last start, she was really fresh, too fresh, didn’t want to settle down the backside,” said trainer John Hancock, whose wife, Donna, owns Waki Warrior with longtime partner Charles Brown. “When you go 44 (seconds) for the half-mile, it’s hard. I was really proud she even hit the board after chasing the 44. I don’t think she’ll have to throw those kinds of fractions on the grass at Kentucky Downs.

“… There are a couple of horses in her family that have liked the grass. It’s only a 1 1/2-hour trip from here. I want to get one more start in her and then freshen her up to run in that Spendthrift stallion filly stakes in the fall at Churchill. So this was a good spot.”

The $200,000 Spendthrift Juvenile Filly Stallion Stakes on Oct. 29 is restricted to 2-year-old fillies sired by stallions Spendthrift Farm stallions. Waki Patriot is a daughter of Spendthrift’s stallion Awesome Patriot.

Hancock made a vow if Waki Patriot wins the Kentucky Downs stakes: “I’m going to come back and take all my people to the frontside at Ellis Park and buy them all lunch and sit at simulcasting all day,” he said. “Better yet, I’ll take the money from Kentucky Downs and I’m going to go over to the simulcast and say, ‘Drinks are on Hancock Stables.’ I’ll buy everybody at simulcasting a drink.

“But Waki doesn’t owe anybody anything. She’s danced every set there is.”

Hancock also is running Brown’s 30-1 shot Bikini Hottie in Wednesday’s second race for 2-year-old maiden fillies. She got beat 23 lengths July 21 at Ellis Park in her first start for Hancock after an unsuccessful start in Florida. Hancock calls the eighth-place drubbing “a sneaky bad race.” But he thinks the game-changer will be the turf.

“She’s by Treasure Beach. They love the grass,” Hancock said. “I had Tigerbeach and as soon as I put him on the grass, it turned him around. I think the grass will really turn this filly around. I think she’ll run real good.”

Hancock sold Tigerbeach after that 2-year-old colt won a grass maiden race at Indiana Grand. He was third in a stakes in Canada in his first start for V-leaf Stables and trainer Larry Rivelli, who are running him in Wednesday’s $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase Juvenile at Kentucky Downs.