Edgar Morales and Epic Ride cross the wire. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Epic Ride gives Ennis first graded-stakes win
Kentucky Downs Release
FRANKLIN, Ky. – Welch Racing’s 4-year-old gelding Epic Ride, a stubborn second in his prep last month at Ellis Park, took command from the start and held off all comers in the stretch to spring a 14-1 upset by two lengths over favored Lagynos and give trainer John Ennis his first graded-stakes win in Saturday’s $2.5 million FanDuel TV Mint Millions Invitational (G3) at Kentucky Downs.
The one-mile Mint Millions Invitational for 3-year-olds and up was the second of six stakes, five graded, worth $13 million in purses anchored by the $2.5 million Kentucky Turf Cup (G2).
Ridden by Edgar Morales, Epic Ride won for the first time since being moved to the grass three starts back. It was the son of Blame’s second stakes win following the one-mile Leonatus on the all-weather surface at Turfway Park while on the 2024 Triple Crown trail that ultimately landed him in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
“The last race was his first route going two turns. I felt the one-turn mile here would suit him a little better,” Ennis said. “He was probably under the radar, but I thought we definitely deserved a shot. I didn’t think we were coming here just to take part. He was training so good. The horse has never been training this good.
“He’s run against such tough company on the dirt, on the grass. He just excelled that dirt form to the grass. There aren’t that many horses that will run so good on the dirt and grass,” he added. “He’s run against Sierra Leone, maybe a length and a half behind him. He’s run against Seize the Grey. Run against many of those good sprinters in the Perryville. He’s danced with them all. I knew there was a big one in there someday. Today was amazing.”
Aboard for the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Mile Aug. 2, when they ran second throughout and came up three-quarters of a length short of Beach Gold, Morales hustled Epic Ride from Post 11 of 13, just inside of Beach Gold, to get early position. Racing in the middle of the straightaway, they sailed through a quarter mile in 22.41 seconds and a half in 44.83 with Beach Gold flanking to their outside.
Six furlongs went in a sharp 1:08.32 with little change in a tightly bunched group up front. Lagynos, winner of the $500,000 Tapit Aug. 28 at Kentucky Downs that broke from the far outside, moved into a threatening position heading into the long left-handed far turn. Morales and Epic Ride were unfazed, turning into the gentle uphill stretch with confidence and never yielding, crossing the wire two lengths ahead in 1:32.42 over a course rated good.
Lagynos gained steadily through the lane to edge past Beach Gold for second. Brilliant Berti was fourth, followed by Major Dude, St Anthony, Point Lynas, defending champion Goliad, Air Recruit, Swift Delivery, Cairo, Spirit of St Louis and Steal Sunshine.
Epic Ride, making his second start as a gelding after going off at 13-1 in his prior start, returned $30.54 to win.
“First I was to thank [trainer] John [Ennis] and all the owners for the opportunity. It was just lovely,” Morales said. “He had his ears up the whole way. He loved the course. When I got to the front around the turn, I was loaded the whole way. When I tapped him, it was game on. He sprinted home and it felt great.”
While on the Triple Crown trail, Epic Ride finished second in the John Battaglia Memorial and third in the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) to earn a shot at the Derby, where he stalked the pace early before fading to be 14th behind Mystik Dan. He was off until the fall when he dead-heated for third in the Perryville (G3) at Keeneland. This year, Epic Ride had two wins and two seconds from six prior starts, including a runner-up finish in the Maryland Sprint (G3) May 17 on the undercard of the Preakness Stakes (G1).
“This is right up there with his entry in the Derby two years ago, the 150th Run for the Roses. Incredible win. Right up there, wire to wire,” Welch Racing’s George Hough said. “That’s hard to do. And we’ve only been on the turf three races now. John Ennis made all the right decisions. I go along with him and act like I know what I’m talking about. We’re certainly hoping we can get to Del Mar. A lot of conversations though down the road before that.”
Ennis indicated he planned to bring Epic Ride straight to the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) Nov. 1.
“I’m so lucky. You see him here in the paddock and he’s as cool as you’d like. Any trainer in the country would love to have him,” he said. “He’s excelled. He just got better. We gelded him. I persuaded the owners to let me geld him. I said, ‘Look, he’s not going to be a stallion. He could make a great racehorse and run for many years.’ I said, ‘I’d love to try the grass and geld him.’ And here we are.”
Lagynos, winner of the opening-day Tapit Stakes, closed from eighth to wear down Beach Gold for second after breaking from post 13.
“He won from there (the outside post) last time, no excuse, I was very happy with where I was,” said Jose Ortiz, who rode Lagynos. “The pace was plenty fast; I was very content at the quarter pole. I never thought that horse (Epic Ride) would keep going. He went pretty fast earlier. He cleared Goliad, which is pretty amazing and kept going. But I have no complaints about my trip.”
