Rhetorical. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Punches ticket for the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1)
Keeneland Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable’s Rhetorical rocketed past front-running Quatrocento at the eighth pole en route to a three-quarters of a length victory over Program Trading (GB) to win the 40th running of the $1.25 million Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) for 3-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Keeneland.
The victory provided Rhetorical with a fees-paid berth into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
Also earning tickets to Del Mar via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series were Spendthrift Farm’s Ted Noffey, winner of the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) for the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) to be run Oct. 31, and Newtown Anner Stud’s Praying, winner of the Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) for the $1 million PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) on Nov. 1.
Others stakes winners on Keeneland’s Fall Stars Saturday were Colebrook Farms’ Simply in Front in the First Lady (G1) and Mrs. Fitriani Hay’s Khaadem (IRE) in the Woodford (G2) Presented by FanDuel.
In the Coolmore Turf Mile, Quatrocento cut out fractions of :22.40, :46.07 and 1:10.08 while being tracked by Howard Wolowitz and Epic Ride with Rhetorical racing in the clear behind the top trio.
At the head of the stretch Rhetorical made a three-wide move to challenge the leaders, hitting the front at midstretch and holding off Program Trading for his first graded stakes victory.
Trained by Will Walden and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Rhetorical completed the mile on a firm turf course in 1:33.61. It is the second win in the race for Ortiz, who won the 2022 running on Annapolis.
Rhetorical is a 4-year-old gelded New York-bred son of Not This Time out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor. Now a winner of five of six races, Rhetorical has earned $824,700.
Rhetorical returned $21.18, $9.62 and $7.10. Program Trading, ridden by Flavien Prat, returned $6.58 and $4.02 and finished a neck in front of Brilliant Berti, who paid $6.32 to show under Jose Ortiz.
It was another half-length back to Jonquil (GB), who was followed in order by favored Diego Velazquez (IRE), Quatrocento, Howard Wolowitz, Epic Ride, Mercante, Beach Gold and Woodshauna (FR).
Racing continues Sunday afternoon with a 10-race program that features three stakes races headlined by the $650,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) with reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna.
Keeneland will offer a Super Hi Five carryover of $12,990.
Quotes from the $1,250,000 Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland
Irad Ortiz Jr. (winning rider of Rhetorical): “It was great. Going into the first turn — he broke so good — and he’s the kind of horse that shows speed early. There was speed in the race, so we were looking to have a pocket trip and it ended up being beautiful, perfect. Going into the first turn, we already pulled that off. He switched off, and after that I was a good passenger, I guess, because I tipped him out at the quarter pole, and he responded. He was ready to run. (Trainer) Will (Walden) did a great job, so I’m happy for him to get his first Grade 1.”
Will Walden (winning trainer), On winning his first Grade 1: “I’m just happy for the team. This is why we do it, get up and do it seven days a week, for moments like this. Super happy for the horse and the ownership: Adam Wachtel (of Wachtel Stable), Gary Barber, Everett Dobson (of Cheyenne Stable). There were some doubts about whether the horse could jump up. We didn’t know. But he’d been training awfully good and giving us all the signs that we wanted to see going forward. Irad came into the office this morning and we talked about the race. He rode it to perfection. He’s such a clutch rider and makes the right decisions in those split-second decisions. Just happy for everybody involved.”
On winning with a son of Not This Time, who stands at Taylor Made Farm, where Frank Taylor is director of new business development. Taylor created Stable Recovery, a substance abuse recovery program in which Walden participated: “I wouldn’t have been able to start training if it wasn’t for Frank Taylor. I had burned so many bridges and ruined my reputation so bad that there wasn’t anybody that was going to give me a horse, and rightly so. But Frank saw something and decided to put up his own money, and without those (original) 10 horses we wouldn’t have gotten started. So, yeah, for it to be a (son of) Not This Time, I couldn’t be happier for Frank. I wouldn’t be here without him.”
Flavien Prat (rider of runner-up Program Trading-GB): “Good trip. Made a good run.”
Jose Ortiz (rider of third-place finisher Brilliant Berti): “It was a good trip. In the last eighth of a mile, I wish I had been more clear, but I was running through horses with traffic, splitting horses. He finished well, and I had no excuse. Three good horses in the top three. It was a very good and fast race. I was very happy with the performance.”
Frankie Dettori (rider of fifth-place finisher and beaten favorite Diego Velazquez-IRE): “I gave him a chance to gather himself. I asked him to stay close. I got him going after that around the turn, then he was struggling. It just took him by surprise. He’s been running on straightaways, and it was too much for him. I mean, he ran OK, but he struggled with the track. Happens. We tried. You gotta try.”
