Opening day of Churchill Downs’ Fall Meet is billed as the “Stars of Tomorrow
I” program, dedicated exclusively to juveniles, and Sunday’s $171,150
Iroquois
S. (G3) has fulfilled that mission by showcasing an up-and-comer in WinStar
Farm’s COURT VISION (Gulch). Still far back at the top of the stretch, the Bill
Mott pupil found another set of gears inside the final furlong to collar Halo
Najib (Halo’s Image) and win going away by a half-length. With Julien Leparoux
in the irons, Court Vision stopped the teletimer in 1:37 1/5 for the one-turn
mile over fast dirt. The dark bay colt was dispatched at 8-1, paying $19.60, $9
and $5.20 and keying the $88.20 exacta, $648.60 trifecta and $3,212.80
superfecta (3-7-4-5).
“The horse ran a super race,” assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy said. “It was
a bit of a test today, because after two starts on the Polytrack, we weren’t
sure how he would take the dirt in his face. I think early on he was maybe a
little farther back than we thought he would be, but he’s been a very honest
little horse.”
Halo Najib tracked the pace, overtook the leading St. Joe (Trippi) in the
stretch and opened up, only to be caught in the last few jumps. The 3-1 second
choice returned $4.80 and $4 for finishing runner-up by 2 1/2 lengths. St. Joe,
who mixed it up early through splits of :22 2/5, :45 4/5 and 1:11 1/5, yielded
$5.80 at 6-1. Sok Sok (Trippi) was fourth, followed by Chitoz (Forest Wildcat),
Little Nick (Tiger Ridge), Pulaski Runner (Tale of the Cat), 5-2 favorite
Mythical Pegasus (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Ben and the Twin (Storm Boot).
Blackberry Road (Gone West) was scratched.
Court Vision was a pinhooking success, bringing $180,000 as a Keeneland
September yearling and $350,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Calder two-year-old. The dark
bay now sports a mark of 3-2-1-0 with $137,542 in earnings. A close runner-up in
his debut at Turfway Park, he broke his maiden by 1 3/4 lengths at Keeneland
next time out.
Bred by W.S. Farish and Kilroy Thoroughbred Partnership in Kentucky, Court
Vision is out of Weekend Storm (Storm Bird), a full sister to 1990 Preakness S.
(G1) hero Summer Squall and a half-sister to 1992 Horse of the Year and
mega-sire A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew). Court Vision is himself a full brother to
multiple Hong Kong stakes victor Garcia Marquez as well as Kipling, the sire of
Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Kip Deville. Weekend Storm has also produced an
unnamed yearling filly by Smart Strike and a weanling colt by City Zip.