Instant Replay Cleans Up in Bathhouse Row Stakes

Coming off a third-place finish in the Louisiana Derby (G2), Instant Replay outclassed his five rivals to capture the $200,000 Bathhouse Row Stakes April 19 at Oaklawn Park. Overcoming slow fractions of :23.54, :49.42, and 1:14.70 set by Hymn in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile dirt race, Instant Replay rallied from fifth in the six-horse field. Once in the stretch, he wore down First Division, who had taken the lead from Hymn, and outkicked Caldera, the runner-up in the Feb. 16 Sunland Park Derby who had been eighth in the March 22 Louisiana Derby. The Brad Cox-trained Instant Replay won by three-quarters of a length and was clocked in 1:52.06 over a fast track. As the favorite he returned $3.40 for a $2 win wager. "Turning for home, honestly, I thought I was going to just get a piece, and he got another gear," winning jockey Flavien Prat said. Along with the Federico Tesio Stakes from Laurel Park, the Bathhouse Row was one of two 1 1/8-mile dirt stakes Saturday that served as automatic-entrance qualifiers for Triple Crown-nominated runners into the May 17 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course. First Division, who weakened in the final furlong, edged Hymn for the show. With the Bathhouse Row victory, Instant Replay became the first stakes winner for his sire, Ashford Stud-based Maximum Security. The 3-year-old is a homebred son of Maximum Security out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Academy Gal for owners Gary and Mary West. The Wests also bred and campaigned the sire and dam. Maximum Security stands at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky. for $5,000.