Royal Spa wires the Locust Grove (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Breffni Farm’s homebred Royal Spa led every step of the way in Saturday’s 41st running of the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove (Grade II) for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs to defeat Alpine Princess by 1 ¼ lengths and become a millionaire.
Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and trained by Rodophe Brisset, Royal Spa ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:42.53, just ticks behind Search Results’ 2023 record of 1:42.40.
Breaking from post position No. 3 in the field of six, Royal Spa broke alertly and set a comfortable early pace of :24.48, :48.42 and 1:12.7 without much pressure from a quartet of chasers: Corningstone, Our Pretty Woman, Alpine Princess and Free Like a Girl. Regaled was the trailer.
Gaffalione asked Royal Spa for more around the final turn and she responded to open up by two lengths. Alpine Princess, who won the $100,000 Mari Hulman George Memorial at Horseshoe Indianapolis in July, tipped out three-wide to challenge but could not close into the front-running Royal Spa.
“The plan was to just play the break,” Gaffalione. “She’s been breaking a lot more alertly lately. I saw not a whole lot of speed so I just sent her to the lead and was able to do everything.”
The victory was worth $244,140 to Royal Spa and increased her earnings to the milestone $1,096,732 with a record of 6-3-4 from 16 starts. This was the third stakes win of her career, all coming during her 5-year-old season. She also won the $100,000 Heavenly Cause at Laurel Park in January and this spring’s $275,000 Shawnee (GIII) at Churchill Downs.
In her previous two starts, Royal Spa ran second to reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the $500,000 Fleur de Lis (GII) and was fourth in the $400,000 Clement L. Hirsch (GI) at Del Mar on Aug. 2.
This was Royal Spa’s fourth win in eight starts at Churchill Downs with two seconds.
Royal Spa, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Violence out of the Mineshaft mare Bodacious Babe, returned $4.62, $2.86 and $2.12. Alpine Prince, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., returned $2.86 and $2.40. Regaled, with Joe Ramos up, paid $2.92 to show.
Our Pretty Woman was fourth and was followed by Corningstone and Free Like a Girl.
Royal Spa was bred by her owner Rhonda O’Rourke.
“Rudy (Brisset) and his wife Brooke have done a great job with her to stretch out in distance,” O’Rourke said. “I’ve known her since she was a little dot on an ultrasound. This was a really special win.”
The Locust Grove is named after the 1790 Georgian mansion in Louisville that played home to ancestors of Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark.
