Program Trading, under Flavien Prat, squeezed through along the rail inside Naval Power and Frankie Dettori in the final strides to win the $1 million Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) May 4 at Churchill Downs by a head.
Webslinger was third after looming boldly at the top of the stretch with a wide move and Integration finished fourth.
Program Trading, a Chad Brown-trained 4-year-old colt by Lope de Vega, finished the 1 1/8 miles on good turf in 1:50.30 in his first race since a victory in the Hollywood Derby (G1T) Dec. 2 at Del Mar.
Program Trading and Naval Power raced virtually side by side behind pacesetting Never Surprised until the field hit the stretch turn. Dettori then sent his Godolphin homebred colt to the front while Program Trading lost a little ground and seemed to be blocked at midstretch.
Prat opted for the rail, found just enough room and Program Trading was up in the final strides.
"We had a great trip," Prat said. "We were able to save ground as much as we could. A great job by Chad and his team to get him ready after such a long layoff."
Prat said the stretch run tactics were dictated partly by circumstances and partly by his confidence in Program Trading.
"After a long layoff I didn't want to go too wide and I was trying to save ground as much as I could. He's a very handy horse so that makes my job easier," he said.
Program Trading now has five wins from six starts for his owner, Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables. He won his first two starts at Monmouth Park and Belmont Park in 2023, then jumped right into grade 1 company, winning the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) by a head over Webslinger last August.
His only loss came in the Virginia Derby (G3T) at Colonial Downs Sept. 9 when he was second to a late-running Integration.
Naval Power suffered his second straight tough beat. A winner in both his starts during the World Cup Carnival meeting in Dubai, he was second behind Godolphin stablemate Master of The Seas in his first United States start, the Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland April 12. He now has six wins and two seconds for trainer Charlie Appleby.
Program Trading, bred by Fittocks Stud and Arrow Farm and Stud, is out of the Oasis Dream mare Dreamlike.
It was the second Turf Classic win for the Klarman-Brown-Prat axis. They won the 2021 renewal with Domestic Spending—the third straight victory in the race for Brown.
The 1 1/8-mile Turf Classic has been won by some of America's best turf horses over the years, including 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar, who started the Brown three-peat.
Divisidero , Wise Dan, and Einstein all won the race twice. Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. combined to win in 2021 with Colonel Liam and 2023 with Up to the Mark but Pletcher saddled his first Turf Classic winner in 2006 with English Channel, who went on to become a dominant U.S. turf sire.
