Three Technique (Mr Speaker) earned a berth in the upcoming GI Breeders' Cup Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile when he took home the GIII Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs on Saturday evening.
Named a 'TDN Rising Star' at third asking as a 2019 juvenile and picking up a graded stakes score last year, Three Technique participated in two prior editions of the Ack Ack under the Twin Spires and finished in third place both times. The Jason Cook trainee is also no stranger to the Breeders' Cup since he was a well-beaten sixth in the Dirt Mile at Keeneland in 2022 and was eighth in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita last year.
The dark bay's latest form cycle over four races–starting with the GI Churchill Downs Stakes on the Derby undercard–has not included any in-the-money results. The 7-year-old was last seen running fifth behind Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) in the R.A. Cowboy Jones Stakes at Ellis Park Aug. 11. That Grade I stakes winner scratched out of the Ack Ack earlier on Saturday.
Set to face three others as a 5-1 shot in this truncated field here, Three Technique tracked the trio of pacesetters from the second flight out of the chute and onto the backstretch. Saving all the ground as the battle continued up front around the far turn, the dark bay began to show some life at the top of the lane by switching to the extreme outside. Three Technique gained the advantage at the sixteenth marker and punched his ticket to Del Mar.
“This is unbelievable, and I wanted to win this race for a very long time,” trainer Jason Cook said. “We'll sit down and talk about the plan after tonight. We are just enjoying every bit of this and honored to win this race. Two-turns is never really in his ballgame but neither was the mud until tonight.”
Pedigree Notes:
The sire of six racing crops of age, Mr Speaker (by Pulpit) has six graded stakes winners to his credit–including Speaking Scout and Speech–and has tallied 15 black-type winners. The winner's dam is responsible for 2-year-old unraced colt Nikinzie (McKinzie) and she foaled a filly by Charlatan Feb. 22. Nite in Rome was entered in Olympiad's book for next season.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
ACK ACK S.-GIII, $365,000, Churchill Downs, 9-28, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:36.77, sy.
1–THREE TECHNIQUE, 121, h, 7, by Mr Speaker
1st Dam: Nite in Rome (GSP), by Harlan's Holiday
2nd Dam: Ascot Wedding, by Ascot Knight
3rd Dam: Betrothal, by Timeless Moment
($50,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $180,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL; $47,000
RNA 4yo '21 KEENOV). O-Grindley, Eric, Miller, David E.,
Preuss, Howard F. and Werner, John; B-Omega Farm LLC &
Bally Breeders (KY); T-Jason G. Cook; J-Rafael Bejarano.
$255,000. Lifetime Record: 39-7-6-8, $1,186,237. *1/2 to Stan
the Man (Broken Vow), MSW & MGSP, $556,124.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Tumbarumba, 123, g, 4, Oscar Performance–Naive Enough,
by Street Sense. ($30,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT). O-Wathnan Racing;
B-Coteau Grove Farms, LLC (LA); T-Brian A. Lynch. $60,000.
3–Cagliostro, 123, c, 4, Upstart–A Rosefor Isabelle, by Hard
Spun. ($385,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Wathnan Racing; B-Lance
Colwell & Janice Clark (FL); T-Cherie DeVaux. $30,000.
Margins: 1HF, 2, 1. Odds: 5.29, 1.60, 0.83.
Also Ran: Stage Raider. Scratched: Big Blue Line, Mufasa (Chi), Saudi Crown. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Three Technique earns his way to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile after a win in the G3 Ack Ack at Churchill Downs!
Jason Cook trains and @sambitoperu was up.
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/dkXgCUgjME
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 29, 2024
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