Godolphin homebred Encino broke his maiden over course and distance Jan. 26 and parlayed that right into points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a win in Saturday night's John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway Park. Debuting as the beaten favorite, albeit by only a neck, over a mile on the Tapeta Dec. 29, the Brad Cox trainee stepped up with a gate-to-wire run second-time out in a better than it seemed half-length win. Sent at 5-1 Saturday behind race favorite Epic Ride, Encino broke nearly widest of the field but was able to tuck in on the run to the first turn and sit a stalking trip behind a quartet of pacers up front. Situated just off the hip of the favorite up the backstretch, he followed that one's move into the far turn, had to swing outside of him as they straightened away and dug in gamely to get by close to home.
“After I broke pretty well from the gate I was able to get over and begin to follow Epic Ride,” said winning rider and reigning Eclipse Award winner Axel Concepcion. “He relaxed very well down the backside and around the far turn I was able to ask him for his best run. I had a lot of horse still left down the lane and he continued to run hard all the way to the wire.”
His dam's second foal and first to race, Encino is the 23rd stakes winner for his sire and out of a half-sister to champion 2-year-old, GI Kentucky Derby winner and sire Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}). Glittering Jewel has since produced back to back fillies by Street Boss before visiting Good Magic for this year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
ENCINO paves his own way to victory in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at @TurfwayPark, collecting 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby! pic.twitter.com/oX4sqbVwYS
— TDN (@theTDN) March 3, 2024
JOHN BATTAGLIA MEMORIAL S., $142,500, Turfway, 3-2, 3yo,
1 1/16m (AWT), 1:44.22, ft.
1–ENCINO, 118, c, 3, by Nyquist
1st Dam: Glittering Jewel, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Bedazzle, by Dixieland Band
3rd Dam: Majestic Legend, by His Majesty
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Axel Concepcion. $87,536. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0,
$141,971.
2–Epic Ride, 124, c, 3, Blame–Pick a Time, by Gio Ponti.
($160,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Welch Racing LLC; B-Fred W.
Hertrich (KY); T-John Ennis. $28,560.
3–Blue Eyed George, 120, c, 3, Flameaway–Acting Naughty,
by Offlee Wild. ($50,000 Ylg '22 TTAYRL; $200,000 2yo '23
OBSAPR). O-BG Stables; B-Clear Creek Stud LLC (LA); T-Michael
McCarthy. $9,280.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, 4 3/4. Odds: 5.69, 1.16, 3.88.
Also Ran: Mugatu, Ode to Balius, Bolt At Midnight, Mission Ready, Karlwithanarl, Good Bali, Fidget, Mr. Faversham. Scratched: Break Out, Gettysburg Address, Katheeb.
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