October 27, 2024
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
Give Him the Emmy
Make that three weeks atop the charts for Hit Show, who starred in the $350,000 Fayette (G2) on Saturday afternoon at Keeneland.
Billed as the headliner among the field of eight (3-5 favorite), Hit Show made good on his main character status with a patient three-quarter length triumph.
The 4-year-old colt has been on a tear since the start of August, reeling off three straight victories between Mountaineer (Grade 3 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes), Churchill Downs (Grade 2 Lukas Classic), and now Keeneland.
Hit Show’s latest delivery paid $3.58.
Take 2
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
That age-old cliché worked wonders for Atitlan, who broke through for a 1 ½-length decision in Saturday’s $200,000 Twilight Derby (G2T).
Coming off a hard-fought third in his first graded stakes attempt – Del Mar Derby (G2T) on Sept. 1 – the John Shirreffs charge looked very comfortable in his first start at Santa Anita since his professional debut (May 27).
Leaving from post one, Atitlan and rider Hector Berrios confidently maneuvered their way around six other challengers for the second win as a pair (5: 2-0-2).
At 6-1, Atitlan paid a cool $14.60.
Break Out of it
Heading into Saturday’s $250,000 Mother Goose (G2) at Belmont amid a four-race winless drought, Tarifa desperately sought a change in fortune.
And the 3-year-old filly got just that with a strong-willed victory over 4-5 favorite Gun Song.
It wasn’t easy, but Tarifa did just enough to end a difficult stretch that started in May following a stellar performance in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).
Despite being held out of the winner’s circle for five months, the Brad Cox trainee still sports an impressive 5-1-1 line through nine career starts.
As the board’s number two choice, Tarifa paid $6.10 for the much-needed win.
Team Effort
Not often do you find horses at 3-1 and 44-1 running neck and neck towards the finish line, but that’s exactly what happened in Saturday’s $600,000 Bryan Station (G3T).
The unexpected, yet exhilarating showdown between Brilliant Berti and Depiction went down to the wire, and while it was the former that prevailed, both competitors gave Keeneland’s Saturday crowd something to cheer about.
It was an especially thrilling occasion for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who conditions both competitors and is enjoying a career year (51 wins, $8.3 million banked as of Oct. 27).
On his own, Brilliant Berti paid $8.18. However, a $2 6-2 exacta paid a whopping $303.72.
Mission Status: Complete
After five fruitless attempts at the graded tier, Coastal Mission (9-2) completed his outstanding goal of becoming a graded stakes winner with a one-length score in Saturday’s $250,000 Forty Niner (G3).
Under the guidance of rider Arnaldo Bocachica, the well-travelled 5-year-old gelding got off to a bumpy start before settling in nicely and rallying for the landmark victory.
The one-mile Forty Niner was Coastal Mission’s first start at Belmont since finishing second in the John A. Nerud (G2) on Jul. 6.
For improving on the Nerud result, the Jeff Runco trainee paid an even $11.