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Goliad after his score in the Mint Millions (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
By Mike Kane – Kentucky Downs
FRANKLIN, Ky.— Six days after winning a $500,000 tune-up over the Kentucky Downs course, Goliad captured the $2,000,000 Mint Millions (G3) Saturday by one length with a clever ride by Flavien Prat.
Goliad, a 6-year-old gelding trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella led at every call and picked up his sixth career victory in 19 starts for owner-breeder Ramona Bass. The son of War Front has been especially effective in 2024 with four wins in six starts. He earned $1,195,200.
Sent off at 9-1, Goliad paid $21.14 for the victory.
Assistant trainer Taylor Cambra said it was “very uncommon” for Mandella to run a horse back so quickly.
“It worked out,” Cambra said. “He’s a mastermind. I try to learn something from him every day. A day not learning something new is a day wasted. And there’s not been too many wasted days over there.”
Cambra said Goliad came out of his win in the Stickler Mule overnight handicap on Sept. 1 in good order and was ready for the Mint Millions.
“That race was like a breeze to him,” Cambra said. “We wouldn’t have run him back if he wasn’t 100 percent. He’s been great all the way coming up to this race, to take a shot. We always knew he had the talent. He’s good right now, and he loves this track. So we went ahead and took advantage of it.”
In the one-mile Sticker Mule, Goliad and jockey Florent Geroux turned in a gate-to-wire victory from the inside post position in the field of nine. Starting from the outside post in the field of nine in the Mint Millions, Prat used Goliad’s speed early to challenge Tut’s Revenge for the lead in the run up the hill in the backstretch. Once they were in front, Prat promptly moved Goliad to the rail where they held forth during the remainder of the one-mile test.
“This was the first time I rode him in a long time,” Prat said. “It felt like he was going easy. He’s a tricky horse to ride, but what a great job by Mr. Mandella. The first part he’s nice and relaxed. Then you do about a furlong and he gets on the bridle, and gets his momentum going. If you fight him, he just fights back. So I was just trying to keep him happy. To be honest, at the eighth pole, I was worried because I knew they were coming. He was just brave enough to win, to stay on. Like I said, just a great job by Mr. Mandella.
#11 Goliad hangs on at 9/1 to win the G3 Mint Millions S. at Kentucky Downs for trainer Richard Mandella with Flavien Prat in the irons!
— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) September 7, 2024
#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/XVtGhaJmJ0
After opening fractions of 23.14, 44.92, 1:08.00, 1:20.37, Goliad reached the wire in 1:33.38, a length in front of Cash Equity, who was third in the Sticker Mule. Talk of the Nation was third, three-quarters of a length behind Cash Equity. Finishing sixth was Irish Aces, who also was making his second start of the Kentucky Downs meet after winning the Tapit Stakes on Aug. 29.
“Here is your new handicapping angle, bet the horses that are running back in six days,” said Cash Equity’s trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “They ran first and second! For sure, we are happy that we got a piece of it. At one point, I was getting excited, but the winner just didn’t stop. (Cash Equity) started making his run, but he’s a horse that doesn’t win too often, anyway. He always runs second or third. It’s hard to see if he is ever going to get there. We got the trip we wanted. The track is much more fair and the winner was just the best. Full credit to them.”
Cash Equity came from far back to snag second for Julien Leparoux.
“He had a great trip,” Leparoux said. “Everything went to plan. Just second-best. My horse was trying very hard, running hard as much as he could. But the winner just beat us, that’s all.”
Defending champion Ancient Rome was never a factor and finished seventh.
“We ran a little bit flat today,” trainer Charlie Hills said. “They went very fast and the ground is very quick today. We obviously ran below par. He was a little bit wide and had to take back. It’s a long way to come, but the money is good.”
Remaining order of finish: Reckoning Force, Emmanuel, Irish Aces, Ancient Rome, Tut’s Revenge and Funtastic Again.
