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Idiomatic. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Champion Repeats in Spinster on Fall Stars Sunday to Earn Breeders’ Cup Distaff Berth
Keeneland Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Juddmonte’s homebred champion Idiomatic grabbed the lead at the start, fended off a challenge at the top of the stretch and cruised to a 6½-length victory over Occult in the 69th running of the $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) for fillies and mares Sunday afternoon at Keeneland.
Also posting stakes victories were Minaret Station in the 34th running of the $350,000 Castle & Key Bourbon (G2) for 2-year-olds and Governor Sam in the seventh running of the $250,000 Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select for 2-year-olds.
With the repeat victory in the Juddmonte Spinster, Idiomatic earned a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), a race she won last year at Santa Anita en route to earning the Eclipse Award as champion older dirt female.
Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, Idiomatic completed the 1⅛ miles on the fast main track in 1:49.04. Idiomatic became the fifth runner to win the Juddmonte Spinster in consecutive years with the most recent being Blue Prize (ARG) in 2018-2019.
Idiomatic broke sharply and led the race to the first turn ahead of Candied and Loved. She then set unopposed fractions of :23.53, :47.01 and 1:11.10. On the far turn, Candied and Loved both closed in on Idiomatic only to have Idiomatic scamper clear at the top of the stretch and ran unthreatened to the finish.
Idiomatic is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Curlin out of the First Defence mare Lockdown. Now a five-time Grade 1 winner, Idiomatic increased her earnings to $3,944,190 with Sunday’s $367,350 check and improved her record to 17-12-3-2.
Idiomatic returned $2.64, $2.16 and $2.10. Occult, who rallied for second under Jose Ortiz, returned $5.86 and $3.16 and finished three-quarters of a length in front of Candied, who paid $2.36 to show under Luis Saez.
Loved finished fourth another 1¾ lengths back and was followed in order by Honor D Lady and Bow Draw.
Because the early Pick 5 was not hit at Keeneland today, the carryover of $265,934 will carry forward to the early Pick 5 on Wednesday, when racing resumes with an eight-race program that begins at 1 p.m. ET.
Quotes from the $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1)
Brad Cox (winning trainer of Idiomatic): “I want to start by thanking Prince (Fahad Bin) Khalid’s family for the opportunity with such a classy mare. Her figures say she’s just as good this year as she was last year. She’s training every bit as good this year as last year. This year she’s had a little bit of a target on her back. She’s been pressed in some races, where maybe last year she kind of had things her own way. She doesn’t always have to be on the lead.
“Overall, it’s been a great year. She’s two heads from being undefeated (when second in both the Ogden Phipps Stakes-G1 June 8 and the Personal Ensign Stakes-G1 August 23). I’m proud of her. Every time we’ve led her over there, she’s never let us down, and she added to her resume today.”
Florent Geroux (winning rider): “It’s all up to her. She has a ton of ability, and she is a champion for a reason. She has a very high cruising speed, and she just is a gifted racehorse. She’s amazing. I just try to stay out of her way and guide her in the best possible way.
“It’s very unfortunate that we lost two races this year (by a head in both the Ogden Phipps Stakes-G1 June 8 and the Personal Ensign Stakes-G1 Aug. 23). I thought we would not, and it was probably my fault, and thanks to the ownership group (Juddmonte) for sticking with me and giving me another chance on her. It paid off.”
Jose Ortiz (rider of runner-up Occult): “I was able to drop in and save ground. Idiomatic went there by herself, and she is very nice. She was much the best today. I am very happy with the race and the result we got. Second was a great race for our horse and it’s a Grade 1 so it will help this mare.”
Luis Saez (rider of third-place finisher Candied): “Good trip. She broke from there pretty well. She was trying, but the winner was too tough. She looked she was going to get there in the top of the stretch, but the winner rebroke. (Idiomatic) has a huge stride.”
