Saez wins three stakes on Ellis Park Derby Day

Ellis Park Derby Day featured six stakes, and jockey Luis Saez won half of them on the banner Sunday card. 

Taking the $386,000 Ellis Park Derby aboard the Rick Dutrow-trained Igniter, Saez also steered the Brian Lynch duo of Owen Almighty in the $200,000 R.A. “Cowboy” Jones S. and Manuka Honey in the $249,163 Ellis Park Debutante.

Jockey Florent Geroux scored a stakes double with Bob Baffert’s Salahudin in the $250,000 Ellis Park Juvenile and Brad Cox’s Conceit in the Audubon Oaks. Jaime Torres prevented a Geroux triple by guiding Five a Side to a mild upset in the $200,000 Groupie Doll S. for John Servis.

R.A. “Cowboy” Jones S.

Owen Almighty’s victory might not have come in one of the day’s richer prizes, but it marked a significant turning point: his first win since the 2025 Tampa Bay Derby (G3). 

A commendable fifth in last year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) at a distance well beyond his scope, the Speightstown colt subsequently went off form. He began to come around this spring, and his recent runner-up effort in the June 28 Hanshin (G3) at Churchill Downs was encouraging.

Owen Almighty took another step forward Sunday at Ellis Park, scene of his victorious stakes debut in the 2024 Juvenile, in a full-circle moment. Sent off as the 1.22-1 favorite, he set a measured pace, rebuffed a challenge from This Is Uscar, and pulled away by 1 1/4 lengths. 

Coal Battle charged late for third, missing second by a neck. Bracket Buster was scratched in favor of the West Virginia Governor’s S. later Sunday evening at Mountaineer, where he ran off by 15 lengths. 

Reeling off the mile in 1:34.49, Owen Almighty ($4.44) was not far off the track record of 1:34.33, established by Injunction in this race in 2022. 

“I thought we were going to have a target,” Saez said, “but when the pace was slower, I knew we’d be tough to beat. He broke well and took me right to the lead. He’s a fast horse, but he relaxed nicely and dug in late to hold everyone off. He’s a classy horse.”

“Nobody wanted this horse to win more than I did,” Lynch said. “After he ran in the Derby, he had to undergo throat surgery. He’s a special horse to come back and perform as well as he did before the surgery.”

Campaigned by Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing, Owen Almighty has compiled a record of 14-4-4-1, $902,895. He also captured the Pasco S. and placed in the Iroquois (G3), Sam F. Davis S., and last fall’s Perryville (G3).

Owen Almighty was bred by Mark Stanley in Kentucky and sold for $350,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling. His dam is the Grade 2-placed Tempers Rising, by Bayern. 

Ellis Park Derby

Plutarch was supposed to resurface in this spot, but the regulatory veterinarian scratched the Baffert sophomore. In his absence, Three Chimneys Farm’s homebred Igniter ended up as the 1.05-1 favorite, and he fired home a four-length winner.

Saez parked the Dutrow pupil in a stalking spot, alongside Corona de Oro, as Spun D M C sprinted to the lead. On the far turn, they surrounded and passed the weakening pacesetter, with Corona de Oro cutting the corner and Igniter sticking to the outside path. 

But covering the extra ground was no deterrent to Igniter ($4.10), who drew off to finish the mile in 1:35.56. Corona de Oro held second by a half-length from the belatedly-closing Stop the Car. Spun D M C faded to last of the quintet.

Igniter’s scorecard now stands at 8-4-0-3, $463,700. A son of Volatile and the Grade 1-winning Malibu Prayer, by Malibu Moon, the chestnut won the Jimmy Winkfield S. back in March at Aqueduct. He had since finished third in both the Chick Lang S. and the Maxfield (G3). 

Ellis Park Juvenile

Although Baffert didn’t get to run Plutarch, the Hall of Famer showcased a candidate for the Road to the 2027 Kentucky Derby in Salahudin. The Zedan Racing Stables colorbearer followed up on his local debut win, only in more compelling fashion.

The 1.34-1 favorite ($4.68) with a returning Geroux, Salahudin was not the quickest into stride. But as soon as the big Uncle Mo colt got himself organized, he rambled up to join the leaders, and the race was virtually over by the far turn. 

Salahudin galloped to a 4 1/2-length decision while negotiating seven furlongs in 1:23.34. Grand Yaupon, who had been prominent early, reasserted himself as best of the rest, 3 3/4 lengths clear of Bearamour.

The 2-for-2 Salahudin has bankrolled $210,462. His physique and action scream two turns, making him one to follow. 

“He was very impressive today,” Geroux said. “I think he’ll be even better going farther. He has a great mind to him, and he’s learning each time, and I think he has a lot of potential.”

“He seemed like he learned from his debut and was able to put himself into the race early without the rider having to ask him,” assistant trainer Dan Ward said. “It was a nice step forward in his progression.”

Not one of Zedan’s pricier acquisitions, Salahudin was purchased for $325,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. The Newstead Corp. Kentucky-bred is a half-brother to Irish Group 3 scorer Sizzling. They are both out of the well-related Smart Strike mare Weekend Strike, whose half-siblings include Court Vision. This is the immediate family of Summer Squall and Hall of Famer A.P. Indy. 

Ellis Park Debutante

Odds-on favorite Manuka Honey ($2.90) was dazzling in the companion stakes for juvenile fillies. A 7 1/4-length debut romper at Churchill, the Upstart filly nearly equaled that margin here while finishing in a time faster than Salahudin – 1:23.15.

Cruising a couple of lengths off the early leaders for Saez, Manuka Honey pounced turning for home and opened up at will. The Lynch trainee still looked a little green, suggesting that she has loads of upside.

Manuka Honey is 2-for-2 with $202,271 in her account for co-owners Lisa Lee, Jason Sciortino, William Lynch, and Brian Howe. The dark bay was bred in the Bluegrass by Terry Hamilton from the Hold Me Back mare Drop Dead Red. 

Audubon Oaks

Juddmonte’s homebred Conceit ($6.94) made her stakes debut a winning one in the Audubon Oaks. Most recently a 10 1/4-length conqueror of a one-mile off-the-turf allowance at Churchill, the Cox filly handled the class hike as well as the cutback to seven furlongs. 

Conceit tracked 1.33-1 favorite Twirling Aces, and when she came under vigorous urging by Geroux, she found herself briefly outfooted. A Fine Chardonnay made a circling move to strike the front, but Conceit found extra down the stretch. 

Driving three-quarters of a length clear, Conceit beat the hard-trying A Fine Chardonnay in a brisk 1:21.80. Twirling Aces tired to third, and Betty’s Pearl rounded out the superfecta.

The Audubon Oaks did lose a couple of noteworthy cross-entrants who ran in Saturday’s Test (G1) instead – Percy’s Bar (second) and Carmel Coast (seventh). Even so, A Fine Chardonnay and Betty’s Pearl brought graded form to the table, and hitherto unbeaten Twirling Aces had the “could be anything” factor.

Conceit improved her record to 6-3-1-1, $249,883. The Not This Time filly is a full sister to Final Gambit, last year’s Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) hero and Kentucky Derby fourth. Their dam, the Tapit mare Pachinko, is a half to French Group 1 queen Announce and classic-placed Mexican Gold, herself responsible for current turf sophomore Touch of Fire. 

Groupie Doll S.

Baffert’s Cash Call was all the rage as the 7-10 favorite, but she was overpowered by Five a Side ($6.96). Ominously advancing to shadow pacesetting Cash Call as the race unfolded, the John Servis trainee was clearly going the better of the two upon straightening for home. 

The only question was how much Five a Side would run up the score. Under good handling by Jaime Torres, the daughter of Spun to Run coasted by 6 1/4 lengths in 1:35.72 for the mile.

Main Line Racing Stable’s Five a Side was earning her first stakes laurel. Her resume of 17-4-5-2, $488,271 reflects placings in the March 21 Latonia S. on the Turfway Park Tapeta and the July 11 Mari Hulman George Memorial at Horseshoe Indianapolis. 

A full sister to current stakes-winning three-year-old Fulmine, Five a Side is out of the Pulpit mare Kylbrylie. The four-year-old was bred in Kentucky by Porta Pia Stables.