Lagynos extends winning streak to four in Arlington

Saturday’s Stephen Foster Preview Day at Churchill Downs included four turf stakes, and the Ortiz brothers combined to sweep them all. 

Jockey Jose Ortiz guided the streaking Lagynos to victory in the Arlington (G3) and sophomore filly Faithful Departed to her stakes breakthrough in the Regret (G3). Earlier, brother Irad Ortiz Jr. turned a stakes double with Sweet Treasure in the Mint Julep H. (G3) and Touch of Fire in the Audubon S. 

All four posted stakes-record times, albeit of varying historical significance, on the firm course. In other points of commonality, all had competed in Fair Grounds stakes before winning their most recent starts in Kentucky.

Arlington (G3)

HRH Prince Sultan bin Mishal al Saud’s Lagynos has been in career form this season, and the 2.59-1 favorite continued his rich vein of form in the $275,000 Arlington. 

Trained by Steve Asmussen, the son of Kantharos was reserved within striking distance of the leaders. The plot twist came courtesy of Giocoso, who uncharacteristically opted to go forward. The speedy Quatrocento, the slight second choice at 2.69-1, wound up chasing in second through fractions of :23.58, :47.64, and 1:11.57.

Lagynos cruised up to them on the far turn, and as Jose Ortiz telegraphed confidence with over-the-shoulder peeks, he quickened to the front. That gave him a decisive jump on Minaret Station, who flew belatedly in a hard-charging second. 

West Hollywood salvaged third by a half-length from the wide-closing Brilliant Berti. Quatrocento, Coal Battle, Anglophile, Mesero, and Giocoso concluded the order of finish after Beach Gold and Mercante were withdrawn.

Lagynos had three-quarters of a length to spare while covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.08. The chestnut bettered the 1:40.69 stakes mark established last year by Mercante, who was a vet scratch from his title defense.

Of course, the Arlington conditions have changed considerably since the demise of its original host track. The venerable prize was shortened to 1 1/16 miles when it was transferred to Churchill in 2022.

Lagynos has bankrolled $2,384,471 from his 27-9-5-7 line. His current skein includes the Fair Grounds (G3), Muniz Memorial Classic (G2), and Opening Verse S. His previous stakes wins came in the 2024 Commonwealth Turf (G3) and Woodchopper S., and he added the rich but restricted Tapit S. at Kentucky Downs last year. 

Also placed in 10 stakes, Lagynos will likely try to improve upon his third in the Wise Dan (G2) in the June 27 renewal on Stephen Foster Day.

Lagynos was bred by Robert Spiegel in Kentucky. Out of the Speightstown mare Steamy, the $200,000 Keeneland September yearling is a half-brother to Grade 3 victor Vision Perfect. 

Mint Julep (G3)

Full of Run Racing II and Frank Silva’s Sweet Treasure controlled the pace to earn her first stakes win in the $269,500 Mint Julep. But the Brad Cox filly had to show heart to fight off a bold challenge from longshot Vina Arana and hold off the rallying Proctor Street.

Sweet Treasure was exiting a deep-closing allowance score at Keeneland, but Irad Ortiz Jr. was inspired to change tactics here. The scratch of pace factors Charlene’s Dream and Stylish Sue created an opportunity. Moreover, Sweet Treasure had used her tactical speed effectively in the past, including over this very course and 1 1/16-mile distance as a juvenile. 

Breaking from the far outside post 7, the 2.48-1 favorite ambled to the lead through an opening quarter in :24.04 and reached the half in :48.28. Pin Up Betty, the defending Mint Julep champion, drew near at the six-furlong mark in 1:11.87, but she could not sustain her bid into the lane.

Instead, the 31-1 Vina Arana posed a real threat when cutting the corner into the stretch. Sweet Treasure appeared to lose the lead briefly, but she had more up her sleeve. 

Fighting back to reclaim the advantage and repel Vina Arana, Sweet Treasure kept finding to deny Proctor Street’s late bid by a half-length. Vina Arana held third, trailed by In the Stars, Medoro, Favorite Memory, and Pin Up Betty. 

Sweet Treasure set a new stakes record in 1:40.29, improving upon Pin Up Betty’s time of 1:40.55, and came near to Green Light’s course mark of 1:39.82. The Mint Julep has been held at this 1 1/16-mile trip since 1990.

Sweet Treasure’s scorecard stands at 9-5-0-2, $452,448, reflecting thirds in last fall’s Pebbles (G3) at Aqueduct and the Feb. 14 Albert M. Stall Memorial at Fair Grounds. 

The Twirling Candy filly was bred by Don Alberto Corp. and sold for $155,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. She is the first foal from Stellium, a daughter of Empire Maker and Grade 3 winner Sacristy, who is herself responsible for graded performers Catiche and Flor de la Mar. 

Audubon S.

Cox and Ortiz earlier teamed up to take the $274,335 Audubon S. with odds-on favorite Touch of Fire. Last seen landing a Keeneland allowance, the Juddmonte homebred rolled to his first stakes win and likely set himself up for loftier targets.

Indeed, Touch of Fire appeared to be bound for the top when crushing his Fair Grounds debut by seven lengths. But the Constitution colt was subsequently overturned as a 2-5 shot in the Feb. 28 Black Gold S. That prompted Cox to regroup, and Touch of Fire has regained his upward trajectory.

Tracking pacesetter Thousandsticks through fractions of :23.54, :47.38, and 1:11.39, Touch of Fire collared him turning for home and kicked clear. The dark bay crossed the wire a three-length winner while finishing 1 1/8 miles in a stakes-record 1:46.81. 

For context, this was just the seventh running of the Audubon. Last year’s hero, World Beater, had owned the fastest time in 1:47.39.

Tiernanogue rallied smartly from last to snatch second by a head from Zeppelin. Thousandsticks tired to fourth, followed by Kravitz, Serac, Baytown Dreamer, and My Favorite Bird. Zihnal and Mr Mo’s Magic were scratched, the latter by the veterinarian.

Touch of Fire’s resume now reads 4-3-1-0, $285,605. His dam, Group 3 winner and French classic-placed Mexican Gold, is a Medaglia d’Oro half-sister to Group 1 queen Announce. This is also the family of last year’s Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) hero and Kentucky Derby (G1) fourth, Final Gambit.

Regret (G3)

The Grant Forster-trained Faithful Departed was even faster in the companion race for three-year-old fillies, the $272,500 Regret (G3). Exploding from a few lengths off the pace for Jose Ortiz, the daughter of Yoshida clocked 1:46.23 – by far the best time since the Regret was lengthened to 1 1/8 miles in 2003.

Not only did that obliterate the former stakes record of 1:47.29 set by Fionn a year ago, but Faithful Departed wasn’t far off the course mark. She was a few ticks off champion She Feels Pretty’s 1 1/8-mile record of 1:45.51. 

Faithful Departed was bet down to 4.47-1 from an 8-1 morning line. Although she had come up short in previous stakes attempts, when runner-up to Indigo Woods in the Allen “Black Cat” LaCombe Memorial H. at Fair Grounds and sixth to Storm’s Wake in the April 4 Appalachian (G2) at Keeneland, the bay hinted of recent improvement. Faithful Departed was most recently a fast-finishing allowance winner at Churchill, and she took another leap forward here.

As front-running longshot Surprise Ending carved out splits of :23.43, :47.44, and 1:11.34, Faithful Departed was nestled in fourth. Tam Tam, the slight favorite at 2.29-1, was well placed in a tracking third, and she appeared poised to pounce at the top of the lane.

But Faithful Departed deployed a lethal turn of foot on the inside to win by 2 1/4 lengths. She turned the tables emphatically on Storm’s Wake, who closed for second, a length to the good of Tam Tam. Next came Indigo Woods, early stalker Trust Account, Dandona, and Surprise Ending. Call on Me and Lilo Lil were withdrawn.

Campaigned by Frank Ferrogine, Richard Rendina, Nick Coniglio, and Greywood Farms, Faithful Departed has compiled a record of 7-3-1-0, $286,189. The Kentucky homebred is out of their Grade 3-winning Heatseeker mare Speed Seeker.

Forster indicated that the July 4 Belmont Oaks (G1) at Saratoga was the next target of interest.