Cornishman had been a modest success in seven starts for Joseph Schumer since the owner acquired him last fall for $80,000 from Godolphin's consignment to the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale, winning two races and making $45,325.
But Cornishman would return an even more sizable dividend July 5 in upsetting Heroic Move and favored Gould's Gold in the $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) at Prairie Meadows.
Pouncing from just off the pace under Prairie Meadows veteran rider Glenn Corbett, Cornishman outkicked those rivals to take home the $180,000 top prize. He ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.10 over a main track rated as good.
Cornishman turned in his best performance in 16 races Saturday, giving his current trainer, Dan McFarlane, his second graded stakes win and the richest win of his 38-year training career. McFarlane notched his previous graded win 20 years ago in taking the $111,900 Senorita Stakes (G3T) with Virden in 2005 at Hollywood Park.
"He's a well-bred horse. My brother-in-law bought him in Kentucky, and he's panned out," the trainer said of Cornishman.
Always within striking distance under Corbett, Cornishman passed the stands for the first time in fifth in the six-horse field before advancing to third, within a couple of lengths of the leaders into the first turn and within a length down the backstretch. It was where he needed to be as the pace was a crawl. After an opening quarter in :24.31 and a half-mile in :49.64, the six-furlong split set by Unload was 1:13.72.
This turned the Cornhusker into a three-furlong test of acceleration the rest of the way, and Cornishman outkicked pace-pressing Heroic Move and a stalking Gould's Gold, who bid up the inside. Cornishman won by a neck over Heroic Move, who finished another neck in front of Gould's Gold. The winner returned $30.40 for a $2 bet.
Jokestar ran fourth, Unload faded to fifth, and defending race winner Red Route One was last in the six-horse field. Morning-line favorite Dragoon Guard was scratched.
Corbett, one of the top riders at Prairie Meadows through the years, captured his first Cornhusker.
McFarland felt he needed to "take a chance" in Saturday's race after Cornishman had been a close second in the Jim and Sandra Rasmussen Stakes, the June 7 local prep for the Cornhusker.
Cornishman, bred in Kentucky by Godolphin, is a 4-year-old gelding by Curlin out of the graded stakes-winning Bernardini mare Penwith.
One of the country's top sires, Curlin stood this year for $225,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Kentucky.
Video: Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. (G3)
Magnitude Registers High Marks in Iowa Derby
Risen Star Stakes (G2) winner Magnitude, who missed the Kentucky Derby (G1) and other major races this spring with an ankle chip, picked up where he left off Saturday evening at Prairie Meadows with an effortless comeback victory in the $250,000 Iowa Derby. Outclassing the competition and showing no signs of rust after almost five months away from racing, he led from start to finish and was a handy 9 1/4-length winner for jockey Ben Curtis with 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.26.
Magnitude, a 3-year-old son of Not This Time owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, paid $3.40 to win as the heavy favorite.
Itsmybirthday ran second and Mister Omaha was third.
Video: Iowa Derby (BT)
