Pants on Fire burns up the track in Ack Ack

George and Lori Hall's Pants on Fire set a new stakes record Saturday night

at Churchill Downs when posting a final time of 1:33.78 in the Grade 3, $110,700

Ack Ack

Handicap with jockey Paco Lopez aboard. The Jump Start five-year-old was

sent off the 5-2 second choice in the eight-horse field and paid $7 to his

backers for the win, which just missed the track record time of 1:33.31 set by

Infrattini last November.

Right to Vote headed straight for the lead when the gates opened, setting

splits of :22 3/5 and :45 1/5 while pressed by Taptowne on the outside. Lanerie

had Pants on Fire just off the latter's flank on the inside with Brethren saving

ground on the rail in the tightly bunched group.

Right to Vote tried to maintain his momentum into the stretch, but was

already beginning to look a little weary as Pants on Fire went wide around the

turn. The eventual winner set his sights on Taptowne, who had take over entering

the stretch, and the dark bay easily slid past to record the 2 3/4-length

victory.

Taptowne was game in defeat, easily holding second by three parts of a length

over Good Morning Diva. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to early pacesetter

Right to Vote while Sabercat, Looking Cool, Moe Man and Brethren completed the

order of finish.

Pants on Fire was earning his fifth career stakes victory in this spot and

his second straight following a 1 3/4-length score in the Monmouth Cup at his

homebase. Aside from his signature win in the 2011 Louisiana Derby at Fair

Grounds, the Kelly Breen trainee landed that season's Pegasus as well as the

2012 Skip Away at the Jersey Shore.