Meet the jockeys in Kentucky Derby 151, from past winners to first-time riders
The roster of jockeys slated to ride in the 151st Kentucky Derby represents both extremes on the experience scale.
Five jockeys — Javier Castellano, Brian Hernandez Jr., Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario and John Velazquez — who have already won the Run for the Roses will seek to do so again Saturday.
Meanwhile, ranging in age from 25 (Joseph Ramos) to 43 (Juan Vargas), there will be five jockeys in Saturday's race who have never before ridden in the cavalry charge that is a Kentucky Derby.
Below is what you need to know about each rider (jockeys are listed in alphabetical order) in Saturday's race.
Junior Alvarado
Horse: Sovereignty
Trainer: Bill Mott
Past Kentucky Derby rides: Five prior Derby mounts. Best finish of fourth, on Mohaymen, came in jockey's first Kentucky Derby in 2016. Was sixth last year on Resilience.
Did you know? A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Alavarado, 38, is a second-generation jockey whose father, Rafael Alvarado, rode in Venezuela.
Often rides for trainer Bill Mott, including on Cody's Wish, the two-time Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile champion and 2023 Horse of the Year.
Javier Castellano
Horse: Owen Almighty
Trainer: Brian Lynch
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In his 16th and most recent try in 2023, Castellano won the Derby for the first time aboard Mage. Prior to that, his best finish had been third in 2018 on Audible.
Did you know? Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Castellano, 47, won the Eclipse Award as Outstanding Jockey four straight years — 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Jerry Bailey (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003) is the only other rider to achieve that.
Manny Franco
Horse: East Avenue
Trainer: Brendan P. Walsh
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In five prior rides, best finish was second aboard Tiz the Law in 2020. Most recent Derby was 2023, when he finished fifth on Hit Show.
Did you know? A native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Franco, 30, has won more than 2,330 races in his career, including the 2020 Belmont Stakes aboard Tiz the Law.
Martin Garcia
Horse: Citizen Bull
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Past Kentucky Derby rides: This year will be Garcia's first Kentucky Derby ride in 10 years. Rode in the Derby four times between 2010 and 2015, with a best finish of third on Dortmund in 2015.
Did you know? Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Garcia, 40, first acquired the mount on Citizen Bull when he made an unprompted call to trainer Bob Baffert before last October's American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita.
At the time of the call, Baffert did not have a jockey for Citizen Bull for that race. Garcia got the chance — and rode the horse to victory.
Kentucky Derby: How to watch, the favorites and what to expect in the 151st running of the race
Brian Hernandez Jr.
Horse: Burnham Square
Trainer: Ian Wilkes
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In his fifth Derby, Hernandez won the race for the first time last year on Mystik Dan. Prior to that, his best finish was eighth in 2017 on McCracken.
Did you know? A native of Lafayette, La., Hernandez, 39, last year became only the eighth jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks (Thorpedo Anna) and the Kentucky Derby (Mystik Dan) in the same year.
In 2025, he seeks to become the seventh rider to win the Derby in back-to-back years.
Nik Juarez
Horse: American Promise
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Past Kentucky Derby rides: First Derby.
Did you know? Like his agent, the retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, Juarez, a 31-year-old native of Westminster, Md., was a high school wrestler.
Jareth Loveberry
Horse: Chunk of Gold
Trainer: Ethan West
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In his only prior Derby, Loveberry finished second in 2023 aboard Two Phil's.
Did you know? In the minutes before his first Kentucky Derby ride in 2023, Loveberry, a 37-year-old product of Mount Pleasant, Mich., drew inspiration by thinking of his late brother. U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Ellsworth was killed by an improvised explosive device in 2004 while serving in Iraq.
Christophe Lemaire
Horse: Admire Daytona
Trainer: Yukihiro Kato
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In two prior Derbys, finished 13th on Crown Pride in 2022 and sixth on Derma Sotogake in 2023.
Did you know? Though a native of Gouvieux, France, Lemaire, 45, has in recent years been a dominant presence in Japanese horse racing. He has even launched a fashion line, promoted as 'the only Japan-made apparel brand inspired by horse racing.'
Julien Leparoux
Horse: Render Judgment
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In 14 prior Derby rides, best finish was fourth in 2017 on Classic Empire.
Did you know? A native of Senlis, France, Leparoux, 41, is still looking for his first win in a Triple Crown race. He has, however, won seven Breeders' Cup races, albeit none since winning the 2016 Juvenile aboard Classic Empire.
On Thanksgiving Day, 2024, Leparoux earned the 3,000th win of his career on Pike Place in the third race at Churchill Downs.
Luan Machado
Horse: Final Gambit
Trainer: Brad Cox
Past Kentucky Derby rides: First Derby.
Did you know? Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Machado, 30, gained a foothold in North American Thoroughbred horse racing primarily through his success at Kentucky's Turfway Park, where he has been the leading rider in five meets.
Joao Moreira
Horse: Luxor Cafe
Trainer: Noriyuki Hori
Past Kentucky Derby rides: First Derby.
Did you know? Though a native of Curitiba, Brazil, Moreira, 41, has over the past decade-plus become one of the leading riders in Hong Kong.
Irad Ortiz Jr.
Horse: Publisher
Trainer: Steven Asmussen
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In eight previous Derbys, best finish was fourth on Improbable in 2019.
Did you know? A product of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Ortiz, 32, has won the Eclipse Award as North America's Outstanding Jockey five times — 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023. Ortiz has led North American riders in total wins eight years in a row.
Jose Ortiz
Horse: Sandman
Trainer: Mark Casse
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In nine previous Derbys, best finishes are second on Good Magic in 2018 and third aboard Tacitus in 2019.
Did you know? Though the 31-year-old native of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, is still looking for his first Kentucky Derby win, Ortiz has wins in the other two legs of the Triple Crown. Ortiz rode Tapwrit to victory in the 2017 Belmont Stakes and Early Voting to the win in the 2022 Preakness Stakes.
Is the younger brother of jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and the husband of former jockey Taylor Rice.
Flavien Prat
Horse: Baeza
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In seven prior Derbys, has finished fourth or better six times. Was designated the winner on Country House in 2019 after the disqualification of on-the-track victor Maximum Security.
Did you know? A native of Melun, France, Prat, 32, was the leading rider at the just-concluded Keeneland Spring Meet with 20 wins.
Prat was the rider on 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline for all six of his career races, all wins, including the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland.
Kentucky Derby field reduced to 19 with scratch of Grande, leaving owner 'shocked and confused'
Joseph Ramos
Horse: Flying Mohawk
Trainer: Whit Beckman
Past Kentucky Derby rides: First Derby.
Did you know? A product of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Ramos, 25, saw his career ascent as a jockey interrupted by a severe motorcycle accident suffered in January 2024, that left him with a broken clavicle, hairline skull fractures, brain bleed and a severe road rash.
After eight months of physical rehabilitation, Ramos returned to riding in September 2024. He punched his ticket to his first Kentucky Derby by booting Flying Mohawk to a second-place finish in Turfway Park's Jeff Ruby Steaks.
Umberto Rispoli
Horse: Journalism
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In two previous Derbys, finished 14th on Brooklyn Strong in 2021 and ninth on Endlessly last year.
Did you know? The 36-year-old Rispoli, a native of San Severino Marche, Italy, has achieved success riding in France and Japan and was a member of the Hong Kong Jockey Club until December 2019, when he moved his tack to Southern California.
Rispoli also won riding championships in his native Italy in 2009 and 2010.
Joel Rosario
Horse: Tiztastic
Trainer: Steven Asmussen
Past Kentucky Derby rides: In 13 prior Derbys, has a win on Orb in 2013 and a second on Epicenter in 2022.
Did you know? A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Rosario, 40, was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2024. Has won 16 Breeders' Cup races in his career, the most recent aboard Full Serrano in the Dirt Mile last year.
Luis Saez
Horse: Neoequos
Trainer: Saffie A. Joseph Jr.
Past Kentucky Derby rides: Won the 2019 Kentucky Derby on Maximum Security but lost the victory to a disqualification for interfering with two other horses on the far turn. Finished third in 2021 on Essential Quality.
Did you know? A native of Panama City, Panama, Saez, 32, won the 2021 Belmont Stakes aboard Essential Quality. He dedicated the victory to his brother, Juan, who was a 17-year-old apprentice jockey when he died from injuries suffered in a racing accident in 2014 at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino (now Horseshoe Indianapolis).
Juan Vargas
Horse: Coal Battle
Trainer: Lonnie Briley
Past Kentucky Derby rides: First Derby
Did you know? A native of Arequipa, Peru, Vargas, 43, came to the United States in 2008 hoping to establish himself as a jockey. When he had difficulty acquiring a jockey's agent, he worked as an exercise rider, and by 2018 had been hired in that role by the prominent trainer Steve Asmussen. At Vargas' request, Asmussen helped the Peruvian rider establish himself as a jockey.
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Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Was horse's loss a metaphor for journalism's future?
Journalism took another hit on Saturday. The big bay horse, named for the profession of reporting and editing, came in a close second at the Belmont Stakes after being the favorite. Sort of like the career many of us have chosen over the years. Close, but no cigar in the winner's circle as the number of news operations and organizations continues to wane and lose their track records. I was so certain that Journalism, the thoroughbred, would take the eight-horse field at the Belmont, the third leg of horse racing's vaunted Triple Crown, that I wagered an amateur's $10 across the board, meaning to win, place or show. That Journalism would win its second Triple Crown outing would be a celebration of the business, a vindication of unwarranted attacks on a free press. A resurrection at the very least. It was in the cards. Turned out, it was a punter's Runyonesque dream. Journalism's rival, Sovereignty, came from behind into the final eighth of a mile of the race at the track at Saratoga Race Course in New York, drew even and surged past onto victory. The race was a mirror of the Kentucky Derby, where Sovereignty bested my three-year-old, who had smashingly won the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the Triple Crown. Even naming a horse Journalism is an odd choice among breeders, who usually anoint clever puns or cute monikers for their equine charges. Co-owner Aron Wellman, a one-time sports editor at his high school newspaper at Beverly Hills High, gave the horse its name. 'So journalism is something that I value very much, and I appreciate responsible and diligent journalists,' he told USA Today. Besides a few members of the administration of President Donald Trump, who doesn't? They might have placed their bets on Sovereignty. Yet, finding a place to lay down that $30 bet turned out to be harder than expected. Traveling to the Circa sportsbook at The Temporary casino in Waukegan's entertainment zone at Fountain Square was a wasted trip. Seems at the Circa you can wager various parlays on all sorts of sporting events, but not horse racing. That monopoly belongs to the Hawthorne Race Course, with the closest betting shop in Prospect Heights. I know where Mount Prospect is and Round Lake Heights, but Prospect Heights? Where's Arlington Park when you need it? Gone to perhaps becoming a football stadium. Next, a check of some of the online betting sites, like Twin Spires, owned and operated by Churchill Downs, Inc., where the Kentucky Derby is held. Too many questions to fill out and fees. Fortunately, Highrollin' Pete from Libertyville was on his annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas, staying at the iconic pyramid-shaped Luxor on The Strip. He placed the bet through the hotel's sportsbook. The one-time favorite, Journalism, paid $3.20 to place and $2.30 to show, on a $2 across-the-board wager. My meager math skills translate that into $27.50 in winnings on a $30 bet. A loss. Which is what is happening to newspapers and journalism in general. It's acknowledged that the U.S. has lost 3,200 newspapers, more than one-third, since 2005. That's when advertisers began turning to online marketplaces instead of print advertising, which at one time generated about 80% of a newspaper's revenue. Northwestern University's Medill Local News Initiative has reported that obituaries for 127 newspapers were written in 2024. You've heard of food deserts? Some communities are now considered news deserts, especially in rural areas, where local news outlets have gone the way of rotary-dial phones. A study from the Evanston university discovered that almost 55 million Americans have limited access to local news. That's a scary number to consider when these same folks are left to rely on information from biased cable news programming, online and social media privateers, and Artificial Intelligence-generated news and feature stories. Newsies at one regional newspaper — through no fault of their own — were embarrassed recently after a features syndicate provided a special section with AI-generated material, some of it downright false. That should be a wake-up call for the profession. Along with the loss of print newspapers, an estimated more than 7,000 journalism jobs, including some in broadcast media, disappeared between 2022 and 2023. Many editors and reporters have taken buyouts as companies seek to trim payrolls in the face of declining readership and advertising. Lester Holt, a former Chicago television news anchor, signed off on his last NBC Nightly News offering at the end of May after a decade anchoring the network's half-hour evening news segment. 'Around here, facts matter, words matter, journalism matters,' he said on his last broadcast. That's also true around here, too. Despite Journalism coming in a sad second-place finish, for journos, there's always the next race and the possibility of winning on the nose.
UPI
5 hours ago
- UPI
Coolmore, trainer Aiden O'Brien enjoyed Derby weekend at Epsom
Jantar Mantar cruises to victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse, earning a "Win and You're In" spot in the Breeders' Cup Mile in November. Photo by and courtesy of Masakazu Takahashi June 9 (UPI) -- While American fans and punters were focused on a stakes-filled weekend at Saratoga, much of the rest of the world had eyes on Epsom Downs in England this past weekend, where the Irish Coolmore "lads" and trainer Aidan O'Brien carried all before them. Jantar Mantar grabbed the mantle of leading Japanese miler with a smooth victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse, earning a spot in the Breeders' Cup Mile into the bargain. England The weekend couldn't have gone much better for the Coolmore squad at Epsom, as Aidan O'Brien notched his 11th Derby victory Saturday after posting a 1-2 finish in the Betfred Oaks and a win in the Group 1 Coronation Cup on Friday. Admittedly, the Derby triumph came with a horse most would have regarded antepost as no better than second-best of three O'Brien runners. But it only matters what goes on the board after the race, and that was the name Lambourn, who led virtually every step of the 1 1/2 miles and held on stubbornly for jockey Wayne Lordan to win by 3 3/4 lengths over Lazy Griff. Coolmore's main chance and the race favorite, Delacroix, had trouble early in the race and lost position. Jockey Ryan Moore said that essentially eliminated him from any chance and he got home ninth, passing some tired rivals. The outfit's third runner, The Lion In Winter, reported 14th, tiring late. Lambourn is a son of 2024 Derby winner Australia, who in turn was sired by 2001 Derby winner Galileo. O'Brien said Lambourne's performance was not unexpected in the Ballydoyle yard. "Wayne rides him in all his work and, after his last piece, he told me he's absolutely there," O'Brien said, according to Racing Post. "He knew exactly what this horse was and what he was capable of doing and the word in our place was that Wayne wanted to ride the filly [Oaks runner-up Whirl] and him." "He's a Derby winner by a Derby winner by a Derby winner. It's pretty extraordinary," Coolmore's M V Magnier said. "I don't want to sound like a broken record, but that's how we win a Derby -- by breeding precocious horses that are quick enough to do it." Lordan and Coolmore filly Whirl almost pulled off a similar feat a day earlier in the Oaks, leading until the final strides before yielding to the better-fancied stable companion Minnie Hauk by a mere neck. That pair handed a first career defeat to the favorite, Desert Flower, winner of the Betfred 1000 Guineas among her five previous victories. The Godolphin filly never looked comfortable while stretching out to the 1 1/2 miles. She flattened out when asked by William Buick and was third, 4 lengths adrift of Whirl, at the finish. Minnie Hauk, a Frankel filly, was making her fourth start and first since winning the Cheshire Oaks at Chester on May 7. "Ryan gave her a beautiful ride and she's a very exciting filly, Racing Post quoted O'Brien as saying. "She's obviously learning and she's going to improve with racing." While O'Brien might have been comfortable watching the final furlong of the Oaks with a 1-2 finish seemingly in bag, he would have been less so in the late stages of the Coronation Cup. In that, Moore got Jan Brueghel to the front right about at the 2-furlong marker only to see Mickael Barzalona urge the favorite, Calandagan, up on his outside. The two were on even terms with a furlong to go, with neither yielding until Jan Brueghel inched clear in the final strides to win by 1/2 length. The 4-year-old Galileo colt now has won four of five starts and finished second in the other. "He stays the trip very well, he's an uncomplicated horse," Moore said on ITV Racing. "Aidan had him, as he always does, in unbelievable shape. He showed a great attitude." Japan His connections have yet to figure out why Jantar Mantar finished 13th in last December's Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile -- by far his worst-ever performance. But they likely care less about what happened six months earlier after the 4-year-old cruised to a trouble-free win in Sunday's Grade 1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse -- his third top-level victory. The Palace Malice colt, with Yuga Kawada up, took command while cresting the stretch hill and reported 1 1/2 lengths ahead of runner-up Gaia Force. The favorite, Soul Rush, last seen winning the Group 1 Dubai Turf over Romantic Warrior, settled for third. Jantar Mantar earned a "Win and You're In" spot in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar. Soul Rush already owns a ticket to that heat, thanks to the Dubai win. After a clean break from the middle of the 18-horse field, Kawada held an eager Jantar Mantar in check just behind the early leaders, while sticking to a path well off the inside rail. Turning into the stretch, he let the colt run, and he responded to grab the lead and finished with enthusiasm. Kawada said the race, from his perspective, wasn't as easy as it as Jantar Mantar was keen after his six-month vacation after Hong Kong. "The colt broke well and was in a good position in third to start," Kawada said. "But then he got a little over-excited as horses came from behind, so I got a little worried. The colt just barely managed to contain himself as much as he could after that." The son of Palace Malice won the Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity at age 2 and the NHK Mile Cup last season. "I knew he would become a potential miler when he won the Asahi Hai as a 2-year-old and was certain he was the best miler in Japan when taking the NHK Mile Cup title," the jockey said. Today, he's justified his talent, so I'm happy for that."
UPI
6 hours ago
- UPI
Triple Crown is done, but battle for 3-year-old honors will rage on
1 of 2 | Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on Saturday. Photo by Mark Abraham/UPI | License Photo June 9 (UPI) -- The score stands Sovereignty 2, Journalism 0 at about halftime in this year's 3-year-old wars, but the game is far from over, with some of the year's biggest races slated for the remainder of the season. Sovereignty's definitive victory over runner-up Journalism in Saturday's Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, an almost duplicate of the Kentucky Derby finish, certainly gives his connections bragging rights -- for now. But it's worth noting Journalism had trouble early in the Derby and then, just two weeks later, won the Preakness Stakes. Sovereignty ducked the Preakness and ran in the Belmont on five weeks' rest. The playing field might even out a bit by Aug. 23, when the two could meet again in the Grade I Travers at Saratoga, the "Midsummer Derby." And the definitive showdown, all being well, could come in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar -- in Journalism's backyard. Both camps were talking about the prospect even as their colts cooled out from the Belmont. "We're looking to have a horse for the whole year and have a career with him, as well," said Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for Godolphin, Sovereignty's owner and breeder. "There's races down the road we'd really like to win," Banahan said. "The Travers is a very special race. We've won it before .... Maybe if the horse is healthy and well, to try and get to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup [Classic]. It's a race we've run in several times, but not had an opportunity to win it yet." Journalism's trainer, Michael McCarthy, noted Sovereignty had the advantage not only of five weeks before the Belmont, but also of running in familiar surroundings. "[Sovereignty] is a very good horse," McCarthy said. "He trains up here. He's been up here for a while. He's in his back yard. Let's hope everybody stays happy and healthy, and we'll see him in Del Mar hopefully in November, in our back yard." Asked about the Travers, he added, "It is possible. Yeah, you have to think about it." The other 3-year-olds There was more 3-year-old action around the country as the Triple Crown contenders dispersed. On Sunday, Godolphin moved the celebration to Churchill Downs, where East Avenue led virtually gate to wire in the $400,000 Grade III Matt Winn Stakes for 3-year-olds -- a race that attracted several more Triple Crown refugees. At Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert saddled both ends of the exacta in Sunday's $100,000 Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita. Gaming scratched out of the Matt Winn and caught a flight back home to get the win with a front-running effort. Saturday's $500,000 Grade I Woody Stephens for 3-year-olds at Saratoga attracted a squadron of former Triple Crown contenders, all dropping back to 7 furlongs. At the end of that journey, it was an early defector from the Triple Crown trail, Patch Adams, out front by 2 1/4 lengths. Classic / Dirt Mile Raging Torrent spoiled the story line in Saturday's $1 million Grade I Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga, the "Met Mile." With attention focused on White Abarrio, star of the 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic, and Fierceness, second in last year's edition, fans may have overlooked Raging Torrent's last-race victory in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile in Dubai -- and, in the race before that, his score in the Grade I Malibu on Opening Day at Santa Anita. Whatever the case, Raging Torrent, with Frankie Dettori up for the third straight time, led all the way in the Met Mile, contending with Fierceness before kicking away to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Just a Touch edged White Abarrio for third. Raging Torrent earned a "Win and You're In" spot in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, and Trainer Doug O'Neill said that race would be a logical target "and maybe a race between now and then." In other action: Distaff Dorth Vader, winless in her last seven starts, righted the ship in Friday's $500,000 Grade I Ogden Phipps Stakes at Saratoga. The 5-year-old Girvin mare chased pacesetting long shot Dazzling Move, came for that one near the furlong marker and drew off easily to win by 4 3/4 lengths. La Cara dominated Friday's $500,000 Grade I Acorn for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga, winning by 3 lengths while the favorite, previously undefeated Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer, didn't fire and finished fifth. Baffert saddled the 1-2 finishers in Saturday's $100,000 Grade III Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. Cash Call, the odds-on favorite, rallied by pacesetting stablemate Howin at the top of the stretch and outfinished that one by 3/4 length. Sprint Book'em Danno closed relentlessly through deep stretch in Saturday's $400,000 Grade III True North Stakes at Saratoga, got by Mullikin some 70 yards from the finish and worked clear to a 1 1/4-length victory. Filly & Mare Sprint Kilwin won Sunday's $175,000 Leslie's Lady Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs by 1 1/4-lengths. Indy Bay stuck her head in front of Long Neck Paula in the final strides to win Sunday's $150,000 Jersey Girl Stakes at Saratoga. Turf Deterministic led the way in Sunday's weather-delayed $1 million Grade I Resorts World Casino Manhattan Handicap at Saratoga and fended off a pair of determined closers to win by a head. Integration was second, a neck in front of Far Bridge. A.P. Kid won Saturday's off-the-turf $300,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga. Tank scored by 3 lengths in Saturday's $75,000 Not Surprising Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Filly & Mare Turf She Feels Pretty ran her race in Friday's $750,000 Grade I New York Stakes, despite facing yielding turf for the first time, and got to the lead in the stretch en route to a 1/2-length victory. South African import Beach Bomb was second, 4 lengths ahead of Bellezza. Nitrogen won Saturday's off-the-turf $300,000 Wonder Again Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga by 17 lengths over a sloppy main track. And Starship Impulsive won Saturday's $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Gulfstream Park by 4 1/2 lengths. Turf Mile Dynamic Pricing rallied from next-last to land Friday's $500,000 Grade I Just a Game Stakes at Saratoga by 3/4 length over the favorite, Excellent Truth. Turf Sprint Ag Bullet, third and beaten just a neck in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, earned the "Win and You're In" right to try again with a 2-length victory over My Boy Prince in Sunday's weather-delayed $500,000 Grade I Jaipur Stakes at Saratoga. Ways and Means won Friday's $300,000 Grade II Bed o' Roses Stakes for fillies and mares at Saratoga by 7 3/4 lengths over Scylla. On Saturday at Churchill Downs, Joe Shiesty won the $225,000 Mighty Beau Stakes by a neck over the favorite, Arrest Me Red. On Saturday, Flirt won Sunday's off-turf $175,000 Soaring Softly Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga by 5 1/2 furlongs.
