Caroline St. Beat off short rest takes the Nashville Derby, Kentucky Downs Photo
Grace Clark
The latest edition of the Grade 2, $3 million 1/ST BET Nashville Derby Invitational had a decidedly European feel to it, from its undulating host course that is Kentucky Downs, from the homebase of its past two winners, to the pair of horses expected to shine in the 2026 edition of the 1 5/16-miles test.
When the results went final for Saturday’s running of the second richest race for 3-year-olds in the country, however, one could be forgiven if they thought they were residing in New York City proper.
Under heady handling from jockey Tyler Gaffalione, New York-bred Caroline St. Beat prevailed in a stretch battle with British-bred Grade 1 winner Glacius to upset the apple cart at odds of 17-1 and annex the Nashville Derby Invitational by 1 1/2-lengths, highlighting a blockbuster card at the Franklin, KY track.
The 1/ST BET Nashville Derby was one of five Graded stakes on the first day of the U.S. Open of Turf Championships.
In his fifth career outing and first start outside of his home state, Caroline St. Beat earned his first Graded stakes win in his debut against such company. The son of leading third-crop sire Tiz the Law prompted trainer Miguel Clement to take a short-rest swing at the lucrative Kentucky Downs accolades following an allowance win at Saratoga on August 2, one where he rallied to prevail by half a length going 1 1/16-miles on the lawn.
“Miguel [Clement] has [run horses off short rest] before,” said Amanda Villafranco, assistant to Clement. “Last year, we did it with [Graded stakes winner] Tawny Port here and ran two good seconds. He ran a great race last week, but obviously he came back after that race at Saratoga and Miguel saw something that made him decide to go for it, and I’m glad he did.”
In his prior stakes effort this year, Caroline St. Beat had finished second to Chummers in the $200,000 Rick Violette, a 1 1/16-mile Mellon turf route for New York-bred sophomores July 24. Facing a deep field of 10 that included Irish-bred multiple Group winner Causeway, sent off as the 6-5 betting favorite, the chestnut colt owned by Madaket Stables and Steven Bouchey broke through with a stamina-laden effort that saw him run down a stubborn Glacius after that one led the procession on the front end through fractions of :24.82 and :48.64 with Versailles Road tracking second just off his flank.
As the field neared the three eighths pole, Caroline St. Beat was still biding his time on the inside path in fourth before Gaffalione began asking his partner how serious he was about his upset attempt. The 3-year-old colt responded in kind as Gaffalione angled him off the rail and advanced on the outside to take dead aim at Glacius, still brave on the lead.
It became a two-horse race from there over the final quarter mile as that pair put daylight between themselves and the rest of the field with Caroline St. Beat edging clear late en route to stopping the teletimer in 2:08.49 over the firm going and paying $91.35 on a $5 wager. He became the first North American based winner of the race since Anglophile in 2023 as Irish-bred Bellum Justum (2024) and English-bred Wimbledon Hawkeye (2025) departed with the spoils the last two seasons.
“Miguel [Clement] told me to just ride him with a ton of confidence,” Gaffalione said. “He said that the horse had come back off short rest, but he’s been doing great. He definitely proved that today, and he gave us a big effort.
“Approaching the half-mile pole going down the hill, he really grabbed the bit and was travelling beautifully,” Gaffalione continued. “I was able to give him a little breather there. He took another pull nearing the three-eighths pole. As soon as we popped him outside, he found another gear and finished up well.”
Glacius, who entered the Nashville Derby off a victory in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby on August 8, held for place honors – an effort jockey Luis Saez felt was especially admirable considering the colt prefers the softer ground he caught at the Spa.
“Last time, the track was softer, and it seemed like he really loved it,” Saez said. “Today, the track was much harder.”
Go Grey was 3 ¼ lengths back of Glacius in third, while Causeway never found his best gear and finished fifth under champion jockey Ryan Moore.
Bred by Lawrence Goichman, Caroline St. Beat is a $100,000 graduate of the 2024 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale and is out of the Scat Daddy mare Myhartblongstodady, herself a three-time stakes winner against New York-bred stakes company. He improves his overall record to three wins from five starts with a bankroll of $1,175,875.
Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon with a 12-race card, featuring the Grade 3, $1.5 million Global Tote Ladies Marathon Invitational and the $500,000 One Dreamer. First post is 12:25 PM CT.
The 1/ST BET Kentucky Downs Meet will be broadcast live each day of the seven-day meet on Peacock, FanDuelTV, as well as Kentucky Downs’ YouTube channel @kydownsracing. NBC Sports also will provide live coverage of Opening Day from 3:00-5:00 PM CT, while NBC will air Kentucky Downs on Saturday, September 5 during the same time slot.
About The Mint Gaming Hall – Kentucky Downs
Cashville, KY is The Mint Gaming Hall: Kentucky’s leading sports, adventure and gaming venue. Locations feature a wide range of opportunities to win, from horse racing and simulcasting to the Circa Sports Kentucky sportsbook and attached SpringHill Suites hotel in Franklin, alongside tastefully designed restaurants and bars with exciting entertainment and events. The Mint Gaming Hall has four locations near the Kentucky and Tennessee border: Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Bowling Green, Williamsburg and the Cumberland Run harness track in Corbin. More information is available at themintgaming.com and on Facebook and Instagram (@mintgaminghall).
Contact: Ryan Martin
