Mafaaz Wins Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton Park March 18
Mafaaz won the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton Park by a neck and earned a spot in the Kentucky Derby field Wednesday, March 18.
The 3-year-old chestnut colt defeated 13 Kentucky Derby contenders in the $115,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes, and gained one of the coveted 20 spots for the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
Mafaaz cruised past long time leader Sohcahtoa and then held off a late challenge by Spring of Fame to win the inaugural Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes on Kempton Park’s all-weather track.
The fast finishing Spring of Fame, with jockey Chris Catlin in the saddle, was only a neck behind. Sohcahtoa, ridden by Ryan Moore, finished third.
Mafaaz, making his third career start and first in 2009, was ridden by jockey Richard Hills and trained in England by John Gosden, who had two Breeders Cup winners and also spent 11 years at Santa Anita.
The winner of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes was guaranteed a place at Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby entries list with a bonus of $100,000 on top of the prize money of $70,000 for finishing first. It was also the highest prize money for an all-weather race in Europe.
Gosden congratulated Churchill Downs and Kempton for teaming up to allow the winner of this race to enter the Kentucky Derby field, which is set based on graded stakes earnings. For the first time, Churchill Downs has allowed a horse to qualify despite his earnings ranking. The rest of the field will be determined by graded stakes earnings if more than 20 are entered.
“I don’t think you can have a bolder initiative by Churchill Downs and the race course here,” Gosden said. “It was a good race. The form of our horse translates well through Crowded House and Donativum who are (either) Grade One winners or Breeders Cup winners. It’s solid and, from that point of view, he is a good inaugural winner of it.”
Gosden, who trained 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Raven’s Pass and captured the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with Donativum, said he would talk to owner Hamdan Al Maktoum to decide where the colt should race next.
“He could well go straight to Churchill Downs. On the other hand he could well run in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, which we nominated him to about a month ago,” the trainer said. “That race is about the middle of April and that race is in Kentucky so it’s a van ride down the road to Louisville.
“They’ve got to take to the track but he’s handled this one very well. He’s got to go left-handed next time but he’s pretty versatile.”
Bookmaker William Hill is offering 33-1 that Mafaaz will win the Kentucky Derby 135 and odds of 50-1 for the English Derby on June 6, which is on turf.
Tags: Agente Parmigiano, Akhenaten, Close Alliance, Depose, Haashed, Keeptheboatafloat, Mafaaz, Markyg, Mastery, Shampagne, Sohcahtoa, Spring Of Fame, Talking Hands, Weald Park
"Mafaaz Wins Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton Park March 18" was posted on 18 March 2009 8:05 PM under Horse Racing News, Horse Racing Results & Payouts, Horses, International Horse Racing, Kentucky Derby, Race Tracks, Stakes Races, Triple Crown
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