Chopsticks (inside) battles with favorite Kingsolver. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Favorite Comport Takes Ellis Park Juvenile
Past The Wire Staff
HENDERSON, Ky.—Ellis Park was host to several stakes introducing the stars of tomorrow as 2-year-old fillies vied for the $200,000 Ellis Park Debutante Stakes and the males competed in the $200,000 Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes, both at seven furlongs on the fast rated main track.
With six in the gate at the start it would be Selective, LLC’s Chopsticks hitting the wire first under Florent Geroux in the Debutante by one length over favorite Kingsolver.
After breaking outwardly, Boom Boom Bell under Gabriel Saez took the lead with a fast 22.43 first quarter as favorite Kingsolver under Tyler Gaffalione would give chase and stick to the leaders.
Leading narrowly from an inner prompter Boom Boom Bell cleared to the inside at the nine sixteenths pole before meeting an outer pair of challenges into the turn and vied with those rivals while getting headed at the five sixteenths marker.
Brad Cox trainee Chopsticks tracked three deep and ranged up to bid into the turn. He led turning for home then split horses as an outer Kingsolver bid entering the lane and the pair gamely sparred neck and neck.
"She's very uncomplicated to ride. She's always going to put herself in a good position." @joeydakracing talks to winning jockey @flothejock and trainer @bradcoxracing after Chopsticks' win in the Ellis Park Debutante! pic.twitter.com/pXd0vP0ntG
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 10, 2025
Prompted by Gaffalione along the inside before backing off to stalk with nine sixteenths to go, Kingsolver tracked while moving out to the four path around the turn, bid outside of Chopsticks entering the lane battling through midstretch but was turned away in the final sixteenth as Chopsticks took over by a head coming into the stretch and held fast to a one length victory.
Prowess who stalked two wide and made a big along an outer rival settled for third with Red Beretta four lengths behind for fourth. Boom Boom Bell faded to fifth as Mescat completed the order of finish.
The final time was 1:23.68 for the seven-furlong contest on dirt with fractions of 45.57 and 1:10.32.
Chopsticks’ faithful picked up $3.40 for the win (2.20, 2.10) with Kingsolver paying $2.50 (2.10) and Prowess with $2.14 for show.
Bred by Machmer Hall in Kentucky, the Essential Quality filly is out of More Than Ready mare Miss Southern Miss.
The 2-year-old gray filly now has two wins in a row and adds $121,380 to her career earnings.
Florent Geroux would win the following race scoring his second win on the card for the day.
Comport Scores In Ellis Park Juvenile
Two races later the boys were up in the Juvenile with Tyler Gaffalione hitting the wire first aboard Joseph W. Sutton’s Comport scoring a win for trainer Eddie Kenneally.
It was all Comport and Spice Runner as the latter set the speedy pace in the two path with Comport sticking close pressing the leader from the three path. An unrelenting Spice Runner applied pressure into the turn getting headed with five sixteenths to go keeping on well through the final furlong but Comport took the lead and drove clear of his stubborn inner rival.
Shake and Rattle and Longstrider complete the order of finish. Street Player was scratched.
The final time for the seven furlongs on dirt was 1.22.73 with fractions of 46.01 and 1:09.97.
Comport paid $2.70 (2.10, 2.10) for the win with Spice Runner rewarding players with $4.38 (2.16) for place and Papa Ken paying $2.10 for show.
"Every time I asked for more, he kept finding. I don't see distance being an issue."@joeydakracing talks to the winning connections of Comport after his win in the Ellis Park Juvenile! pic.twitter.com/dsMLfuJa59
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 10, 2025
Purchased at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling sale for $135,000, the son of Collected was bred in Kentucky by Edwin Anthony and is out of Flatter mare Bartlette Narrows.
Comport was coming off of a second in the Bashford Manner Stakes facing some of the same company as at Ellis such as Spice Runner (fifth in the Bashford). This is the chestnut colt’s second victory in three starts.
It was Gaffalione’s third win on the day.
