The famed Wimbledon tennis championships use the electronic line-calling provider Hawk-Eye to track the bound of a ball to a margin of error of 2.2 millimeters. That level of precision was close to being needed by the Kentucky Downs judges Aug. 30 as Wimbledon Hawkeye outlasted the bid of Burnham Square in the 1 5/16-mile Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes (G3T).
Having faced some of the best competition the European 3-year-old division has to offer, jockey Frankie Dettori was a bit concerned that the campaign and travel would take its toll on the Kameko colt. However, upon seeing him full of energy in the paddock ahead of his American debut, those concerns went out the window.
In addition to the journey from England, Dettori also had to navigate the extra ground gained by breaking from post 12. Entering the lane of the long stretch in midpack after fractions of :24.52, :48.04, and 1:11.08, Dettori decided to press the launch button and force his competitors to catch him if they could.
"I said, 'Well, if anyone is in doubt about stamina, I'm going to make sure that they are,'" Dettori said.
The one who took up the chase was Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard the Whitham Thoroughbreds' homebred Burnham Square, who was making his turf debut for trainer Ian Wilkes. He gained ground with every stride, but came up a head short as they hit the wire in a final time of 2:03.74, according to track publicity. Hill Road finished third while grade 1 winner Test Score completed the superfecta.
The victory was an emotional one for Dettori, who celebrated in the winner's circle by pretending to strum the guitar handed to the winning team by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. The jockey recently lost one of his best friends, who died in Dubai two weeks ago.
"I was thinking of quitting," Dettori said. "If it wasn't for his strength, I don't think I would be riding here this meet. I'm doing it for him; he would want me to carry on."
Dettori's relationship with the Gredley Family, who own the colt and bred him as Stetchworth in partnership with Middle Park Studs in England, also goes back two decades. Wimbledon Hawkeye is trained by James Owen, who had been considering a trip to Kentucky Downs since early in the season.
"The horse is improving," Owen said. "He's not the biggest, but he's getting stronger all the time, and he's a very consistent horse. I'm privileged to train him."
Video: DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational S. (G3T)
Despite No KY-Bred Bonuses, KY Downs Still Profitable for Europeans
This was the first time that Owens had visited the United States, and the payday was well worth the trip. Although Wimbledon Hawkeye did not qualify for the bonus money awarded to Kentucky-breds from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, the race still awarded the British winner $1,109,800.
"It's my third season training, and to win this prize is unreal," Owen said.
With the lone non-Kentucky-bred taking the lion's share of the $3.5 million purse, the total value of the Nashville Derby was $2.78 million. However, that was no deterrent for the Gredley family to ship across the pond for the race that still stands as the richest turf race in the United States outside of the Breeders' Cup.
"It's massive," Tim Gredley said of the purse. "In England, in Europe, we're almost running for as much money as the English Derby (without the Kentucky-bred bonus). It's a massive incentive, it's quite addictive, and I think, hopefully, more European horses will come to take them on."
In total, European-breds took three of the five stakes on the Saturday card with Eckhard Sauren's Flatten the Curve opening the action with a 5 1/2-length romp over 2 1/16 miles in the $655,000 Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational Stakes. Shipping over from Germany for trainer Henk Grewe, he completed the distance for jockey Thore Hammer Hansen in 3:29.58 over Tawny Port and last year's victor Limited Liability.
Video: Mountain Dew Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational S. (BT)
The available purse money for Irish-bred filly Special Wan also caused Team Valor International CEO Barry Irwin to invoke "the God play" in the one-mile Ladies Turf Stakes (G3T), which he said he does once a year.
"I appeal to the higher deity to please win this one for me," Irwin said. "I chose this race today. It's rare that you can actually have everything line up perfectly. This one lined up perfectly today. Usually, I get a little nervous. (Today) I'm cold as ice. This is our day. Thank you, Lord."
Irwin's prayers were answered emphatically as the 5-year-old Belardo mare set a course record with a mile in 1:31.74 while defeating Segesta by a half-length, with In Our Time third. With the winner bred in Ireland by Kilnamoragh Stud, the end value of the $2 million race was $1,316,000.
Having won her American debut over the course last year, Special Wan is now 3-for-5 in the U.S. for Team Valor and co-owner Steven Rocco. Joel Rosario guided the mare for trainer Brendan Walsh.
"It's always nice when you know they like the track," Walsh said. "Joel gave her a nice ride. Everything went according to plan on the rare occasions that they do."
Video: Resolute Racing Ladies Turf S. (G3T)
Improving Bear River Clinches Breeders' Cup Berth in Turf Sprint
While the Europeans had their time in the sun, it was all about the Kentucky-breds in the pair of grade 2 turf sprints held on Saturday's card, with Charles Marquis' Bear River continuing his upward trajectory with a course-record-setting half-length win over grade 1 winner Howard Wolowitz in the $1.87 million Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T).
Sent of at 19-1, the 4-year-old Flameaway ridgling led every step of the way beneath jockey James Graham through fractions of :22.42 and :44.69 before stopping the six-furlong clock in a record 1:06.91. Howard Wolowitz, who found himself in traffic through the lane, was closing quick, but ran out of ground late. Irish-bred Khaadem, who was second in the race last year, finished third.
Making the 22nd start of his career for trainer Keith Desormeaux, Bear River appears to be developing into one of the nation's finest turf sprinters. Taking his third stakes in his last four starts on grass, he exited a victory in the preview stakes for this race held at Ellis Park Aug. 3. Five-for-13 last year, Desormeaux took his time bringing Bear River back to the races after a seventh-place finish in an off-the-turf stakes in January.
"He's just got another dimension of speed and finishing power as a 4-year-old," Desormeaux said. "Maybe I ran him too much as a 3-year-old. He ran hard as a 2-year-old. He ran hard as a 3-year-old. ... He's a top-level horse. We gave him the time and he just came back a monster."
Graham said he felt the ridgling has gotten bigger since that last run, and he has progressively gotten away from the gate sharper in each start this season.
"He's one of those horses you want to be around because he's kind," Graham said when calling him the best sprinter he's ridden. "He's good to deal with; he tries every time. That's what I put down to being the best (sprinter) I've ever ridden."
Bear River was bred in Kentucky by Dreamfields Farm, Don Brady, and Brendan Burke. He is the first graded winner in the U.S. this year for his sire Flameaway, who stood the 2025 season for a $15,000 fee at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington. Bear River is out of the winning Midshipman mare Sixtyfivenorth.
Now with a graded win under his belt, Bear River will have the opportunity to prove just how good he can become at Del Mar Nov. 1 in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), for which he received an automatic, fees-paid berth through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.
Desormeaux said he was not a big fan of the five-furlong distance of the Breeders' Cup race, but "why would I be disappointed because this horse has broke his last three races and he's been on the lead, so maybe it's right up his alley."
Video: Mint Kentucky Turf Sprint S. (G2T)
Ag Bullet Fires a Course Record in Ladies Turf Sprint Title Defense
Should Bear River run in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, he will likely face the speed of Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran's star turf mare Ag Bullet, who dominated the Kentucky Downs grass for a second consecutive year in the $1,994,300 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T).
"She likes it here," said trainer Richard Baltas. "She gallops good over the track. She likes going out and grazing. She likes the open air. She loves Kentucky Downs."
In addition to being 2-for-2 in Franklin, Ky., the 5-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy improved her 6 1/2-furlong record to 5-for-5 while setting a course record of 1:13.13. She led from the start beneath jockey Luis Saez through fractions of :21.74 and :43.24 before finishing three-quarts of a length ahead of Simply in Front, with Jody's Pride another half-length back in third.
"I think this is her distance," Baltas said. "She's so effective with her early speed that she can carry it. A mile might be too far for her, but this 6 1/2 (furlongs) hits her right in the nose."
Bred in Kentucky by H & E Ranch, Baltas picked her out for the owners at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, paying $220,000 for the mare who has now earned $2,771,228. They had originally planned to pinhook Ag Bullet at a 2-year-old in training sale, but kept her after she came up with a hind ankle injury.
A few minor injuries have kept Ag Bullet's workload minimized with just 15 starts, of which she's won eight, but Baltas has continued to have patience. Plans call for Ag Bullet to enter a broodmare sale at the end of the year after she competes in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, a race in which she finished third against the boys last year.
"She's been a blessing," Baltas said. "I'm sure she'll be a good mother and produce good babies, and her racing work will be done."
Ag Bullet holds a "win and you're in" berth to the Breeders' Cup after defeating males in the June 8 Jaipur Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course, part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. She is one of three grade 1 winners and six graded stakes winners for Twirling Candy this year, who stood the season for a $60,000 fee at Lane's End near Versailles, Ky. She is out of the winning Forestry mare Noble Grey.
