Customarily a late runner, Irish Aces was kept closer to the pace than usual by jockey Tyler Gaffalione in the Tapit Stakes at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 29, opening day of a seven-day, all-turf meet.
The style change proved a difference maker. Irish Aces stayed within striking distance of front-running Nineeleventurbo, who set comfortable fractions, and inched past him down the long stretch to win by a head. Longshot Nineeleventurbo was a clear runner-up, well ahead of Siege of Boston in third. Favored Chasing the Crown ran fourth.
The winner, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Brendan Walsh, ran a mile and 70 yards on firm turf in 1:41.71 following fractions of :24.38, :48.39, and 1:13.66. He paid $8.66 to win.
"When I called on him—it was a hard-fought duel—he kept finding, and he got the job done," Gaffalione said.
Though the Tapit was a restricted stakes for horses that had not won a stakes race in 2024, Kentucky Downs' rich purses, supplemented by slot-like historical horse racing revenue, meant the Tapit carried a $498,750 purse.
The winner, bred by Lynch Bages Ltd. in Kentucky and owned by Pocket Aces Racing, is a chestnut son of Mshawish out of the Danehill Dancer mare Nimble Foot. Irish Aces was a $40,000 purchase from the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment.
