TO Elvis nearly sets a track record in the Churchill Downs Stakes, Courtney Snow/Past The Wire
Churchill Downs Press
LOUISVILLE, KY – Tomoya Ozasa’s T O Elvis exploded from mid pack to destroy a field of top American sprinters with a 3 1/4-length victory over Disruptor in the 91st running of the $1 million Churchill Downs (GI) presented by Ford for 4-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon.
Trained by Daisuke Takayanagi and ridden by Ryusei Sakai, T O Elvis completed the seven furlongs over a fast main track in a stakes-record 1:20.49.
Macho Music led the field through fractions of :22.46 and :45.03 with favored Knightsbridge, Disco Time and Imagination in closest pursuit and T O Elvis racing in mid pack between horses.
On the far turn, T O Elvis launched a four-wide move that gave him clear sailing into the stretch. He blew past Imagination before the eighth pole and never was threatened in the run to the wire.
A Grade III winner in Japan, T O Elvis improved his record to 9-6-0-3 and with Saturday’s $530,100 check boosted his earnings to $1,149,212. T O Elvis is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Volatile out of the Curlin mare Stopshoppingdebbie.
T O Elvis returned $13.74, $7.30 and $5.58. Disruptor, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., returned $7.16 and $5.44 and finished 2 lengths in front of Imagination who paid $9.82 to show under Flavien Prat.
It was a nose back to Crazy Mason in fourth with Cornucopian, Knightsbridge, Hall of Fame, Disco Time, Macho Music and Point Dume.
CHURCHILL DOWNS QUOTES
Ryusei Sakai (Jockey, T O Elvis, winner) – “It’s so special to get a win like this at Churchill Downs. It’s been such a great experience.”
Daisuke Takayanagi (Trainer, T O Elvis, winner) – “This is a first winner for Japan here. It was a very challenging race but we were able to get it done. We had a plan for this race even though we did not get to run in Dubai.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. (Jockey, Disruptor, second) – “It was a beautiful trip. Man, the winner is a really nice horse. I was kicking and he still ran away from me. He was moving well turning for home, so I followed him. I tried to get to the clear outside, and as soon as I did that, he just opened up on us.”
Junior Alvarado (Jockey, Knightsbridge, sixth as beaten favorite) – “I had a good trip. We were sitting there in second and when I turned for home I asked my horse and he didn’t fire today.”
