Brilliant Berti lives up to his name in the Wise Dan (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Klein Racing’s homebred Brilliant Berti overcame a dawdling pace and powered home in the stretch to win Saturday’s 36th running of the $500,000 Wise Dan (Grade II) at Churchill Downs by three-quarters of a length over Taking Candy with Lagynos another nose back in third.
Ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. and trained by Cherie DeVaux, Brilliant Berti completed 1 1/16 miles over the firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:43.41 – the slowest of nine editions of the Wise Dan at the distance.
DeVaux also trained the runner-up.
In his previous start, Brilliant Berti went to the front in the pace-less $275,000 Arlington (GIII) at Churchill Downs on May 31 only to be caught by Mercante to lose by a neck in the final yards. That wasn’t Brilliant Berti’s ideal running style.
Seminole Chief fell into the lead by default Saturday when it appeared that none of the seven entrants wanted to go to the front. He set measured fractions of :24.96 and :50.31 as Brilliant Berti tracked in a comfortable fourth position down the backstretch. Mi Hermano Ramano had enough of the slow fractions and made a move for the lead on the final turn after six furlongs 1:14.17. Brilliant Berti tipped out five wide to collar Mi Hermano Ramano at the eighth pole, but he had to outkick Taking Candy and Lagynos to his inside with a sixteenth of a mile to run to ensure the victory.
Brilliant Berti gets the win in the G2 Wise Dan at @churchilldowns for trainer @reredevaux with @b_hernandezjr aboard!
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 28, 2025
TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/6Eo2j24Nus
“In the Arlington Stakes I got floated pretty wide going into the first turn and it sort of forced me to go,” Hernandez Jr. said. “Today I was able to track just off the pace, much more to his style. He really picked it up down the lane late for me to get the job done.”
Brilliant Berti returned $6.08, $3.64 and $2.66 for his Wise Dan victory as the 2-1 favorite. Taking Candy, under Jose Ortiz, paid $5.24 and $3.54 at odds of 5-1. Lagynos, under Flavien Prat, paid $4.66 to show.
This marked the fifth stakes triumph for Brilliant Berti, who won the $350,000 Opening Verse (Listed) at Churchill Downs earlier this year. As a 3-year-old, he won the $250,000 American Derby, $1.5 million Gun Runner and $600,000 Bryan Station (GIII).
Brilliant Berti, a 4-year-old son of Noble Mission (GB) out of the Langfuhr mare Believe in Berti, was bred in Kentucky by her owner Richard Klein.
Brilliant Berti earned $303,230 for the win, which improved his career earnings to $2,170,745. He sports a record of 7-2-0 in 11 starts and is 5-for-6 over the Churchill Downs grass course.
“(Brilliant Berti) is such a testament to the Klein family and their breeding program,” DeVaux said. “So much credit goes to Richard and his family for their program. (Taking Candy) ran a huge race as well. He fought hard to get second.”
Mi Hermano Ramon and New York invader Fort Washington, the 2-1 second choice, finished a length back of Lagynos is a dead heat for fourth and were followed by Henro and Seminole Chief. Event Detail and 5-2 morning line favorite Mercante were scratched.
