Epic Ride upsets Mint Millions; Stellify keeps rolling in Ladies Marathon

Epic Ride proved to be the speed of the speed in Saturday’s $2,492,500 Mint Millions (G3) at Kentucky Downs, and the 14-1 shot stayed every yard of the mile to spring the upset.

Pace also was the key to victory in the $1,806,666 Ladies Marathon (G3), where stakes debutante Stellify led throughout to extend her winning streak to four. 

Mint Millions (G3)

Welch Racing’s Epic Ride earned his way into the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) by collecting points on Tapeta and dirt, but the John Ennis trainee is now revealing that he’s a serious operator on turf. 

Epic Ride was making just his second attempt going a mile on turf here. In his first try in the Aug. 2 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Mile at Ellis Park, he forced the pace and got worn down late by Beach Gold. Ennis forecast that Epic Ride would move forward off that tightener and enjoy more congenial conditions at Kentucky Downs. 

“I felt the one-turn mile here would suit him a little better,” Ennis said. “He was probably under the radar, but I thought we definitely deserved a shot. I didn’t think we were coming here just to take part. He was training so good. The horse has never been training this good.”

Epic Ride transferred his game from the morning to the afternoon in a pacesetting tour de force. Breaking from post 11 with Edgar Morales, the Blame gelding was too fast even for defending Mint Millions champion Goliad. Instead of dictating as he did a year ago, speedball Goliad was in the unfamiliar role of trying to chase the pace.

As Epic Ride blazed through splits of :22.41, :44.83, and 1:08.32 on the good course, Goliad began to lose position. Beach Gold advanced into second, but he couldn’t maintain the ferocious pace either. Lagynos, the 1.42-1 favorite, emerged from the pack as best of the rest without posing a threat.

Epic Ride stretched two lengths clear while clocking 1:32.42, an eyelash off the track mark of 1:32.39 set by Saratoga Flash in 2023. 

Lagynos overhauled Beach Gold by three-quarters of a length for runner-up honors. Brilliant Berti came from the clouds for fourth, just a half-length adrift of third. Major Dude, St Anthony, Point Lynas, Goliad, Air Recruit, Swift Delivery (co-owned by Taylor Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce), Cairo, Spirit of St Louis, and Steal Sunshine concluded the order of finish.

Epic Ride, who sparked a $30.54 payout, was handing Ennis his first graded stakes victory as a trainer.

“First, I want to thank John (Ennis) and all the owners for the opportunity,” Morales said. “It was just lovely. He had his ears up the whole way. He loved the course. When I got to the front around the turn, I was loaded the whole way. When I tapped him, it was game on. He sprinted home, and it felt great.”

Jose Ortiz, who rode runner-up Lagynos, put in context just what Epic Ride achieved with his front-running display. 

“I never thought that horse (Epic Ride) would keep going,” Ortiz said. “He went pretty fast earlier. He cleared Goliad, which is pretty amazing, and kept going. But I have no complaints about my trip.”

Epic Ride’s new career high boosted his bankroll to $1,926,839 from a record of 16-5-5-2. Although this marked his first stakes win since the 2024 Leonatus S. at Turfway Park, he had compiled a handful of stakes placings. 

On last year’s Road to the Kentucky Derby, Epic Ride finished second in Turfway’s John Battaglia Memorial and third in the Blue Grass (G1) en route to a 14th in the Run for the Roses. He subsequently reverted to sprinting, notably dead-heating for third in last fall’s Perryville (G3) and placing second in the May 17 Maryland Sprint (G3) on Preakness Day.

Ennis switched him to turf for the June 7 Mighty Beau S. at Churchill Downs, but Epic Ride found five furlongs a bit too short and wound up fourth. A life-altering decision followed. 

“I persuaded the owners to let me geld him,” Ennis said. “I said, ‘Look, he’s not going to be a stallion. He could make a great racehorse and run for many years.’ I said, ‘I’d love to try the grass and geld him.’ And here we are. This is his second run as a gelding.”

“John Ennis made all the right decisions,” owner George Hough said. “I go along with him and act like I know what I’m talking about!”

The Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) looms as the next frontier.

“We’re certainly hoping we can get to Del Mar,” Hough added. “A lot of conversations though down the road before that.”

Pedigree certainly suggested that Epic Ride would take to the grass. Aside from the versatility of Blame as a sire, his female line is turfy. The bay is out of a Gio Ponti half-sister to graded turf performers Miss Dracarys and Up the Ante. This is the further family of multiple Grade 2 hero Dominus and $2.7-million earner Honey Ryder.

Bred by Fred W. Hertrich III in Kentucky, Epic Ride brought $160,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. 

Ladies Marathon (G3)

Trainer Brad Cox wheeled lightly-raced Stellify right back off her Aug. 28 allowance win over this course, and she repeated her front-running feat with Florent Geroux. 

Dispatched as the 2.11-1 favorite in her stakes debut, Stellify found her comfort zone through fractions of :26.10, :49.57, and 1:13. The daughter of Triple Crown champion Justify reached the mile in 1:36.37, pulled away from the tracking No Mo Candy, and widened her margin to 2 3/4 lengths. Stellify negotiated 1 5/16 miles in 2:06.84 and paid $6.22.

Way to Be Marie rallied for second. Miwa, who was also making a quick reappearance after an Aug. 28 coup here, checked in third. Deep closers Duvet Day and Nadette got up for fourth and fifth, respectively. Next came Beach Bomb, Boss Lady Bailey, Ayra Stark, Spanish Eyes, No Mo Candy, and the tailed-off Gran Mirella. 

“It was pretty simple,” Geroux said of Stellify’s trip. “She broke very good for me, and I was able to make the lead very easily. She just really enjoys the course, especially when they go downhill – she really extends her stride, and I created a little bit of separation there. She really likes the course a lot. That’s a nice filly. We always had high hopes for her.”

Unraced at two and three, Stellify has climbed the class ladder rapidly for owners Elements Racing, George Messina, and Michael Lee. Indeed, she’s been unbeatable since she broke her maiden in her third try. Checking that box at Churchill on May 1, the dark bay cleared her entry-level allowance condition June 12 in a course-record 2:11.73 for 1 3/8 miles beneath the Twin Spires. She was next seen at Kentucky Downs, where her exploits have enhanced her resume to 6-4-1-1, $1,442,604.

“She won fairly easy last week,” Cox said. “We took her up to Saratoga with the intention of running in a ‘two other than’ (allowance), and it didn't go. That was in book two. At that point, we decided to just train up to this. We had a fresh horse when we got here to start the meet.

“She broke running. She just gets into that one big rhythm and keeps running. This was her first graded stakes attempt, and she passed with flying colors. I would think there's more left.”

Bred by WinStar Farm in the Bluegrass State, Stellify was sold for $140,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. The well-named filly is out of Savvy Star, who is herself a Medaglia d’Oro half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire and dual classic-placed Bluegrass Cat as well as Grade 2 scorers Lord of the Game and Dramedy. This all-star family is also responsible for 2010 Kentucky Derby hero Super Saver.