Swamp King held off a rival at the wire to earn his maiden victory and give his sire, Silver State , his first winner Aug. 17 at Ellis Park.
Breaking sixth in a field of 11, Swamp King settled in along the rail with jockey Axel Concepcion. They found an opportunity to challenge the leaders and took the lead less than halfway into the one-mile maiden special weight on turf.
Steadily holding off the field, Swamp King grew his advantage to 2 1/2 lengths as he and Concepcion reached the top of the stretch.
They looked as if they were about to put the rest of the field away when the appropriately named Epic Horsepower charged from the four path to present a threat. With Epic Horsepower closing the gap quickly, Concepcion moved his crop from his left to right hand and urged his ride forward. Swamp King won by a neck in 1:36.64.
It was the second start for Swamp King, who was seventh in his July 21 debut.
Trained by Riley Mott and owned by Claiborne Farm, the colt was bred by Clarkland Farm.
Swamp King has twice entered the sales ring, most recently an RNA at a price of $70,000 out of the Claiborne Farm consignment at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Silver State, a freshman sire, stood the 2025 season at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky., for $10,000.
The son of Hard Spun retired from racing with a 7-3-2 record from 14 starts and $1,933,094 in earnings. He won the 2021 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and finished third in the Whitney Stakes (G1) that same year.
