It's been a good weekend to be a 3-year-old colt in royal blue silks.
Less than 24 hours after Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty captured another jewel of the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Godolphin's other homebred Derby graduate, East Avenue, secured his return to the winner's circle with a gate-to-wire victory in the $387,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs June 8.
"It's been an unbelievable, super weekend," said Godolphin's director of bloodstock Michael Banahan.
Following Belmont evening celebrations, Banahan departed Saratoga, N.Y. around 4 a.m. ET and arrived back in Lexington around 10:30 a.m. to make it back for East Avenue's run.
"I wanted to be here and see what he was going to be able to do," Banahan said. "We really like the horse. We were a bit disappointed in the Derby, obviously, but we didn't lose any faith in him. It was nice to get him on a dry track and see what he could do."
The Medaglia d'Oro colt was eighth in the Derby, failing to make the lead over the sloppy track—a strategy that carried him to all three career exacta finishes before.
Back in that customary position Sunday, jockey Luis Saez hustled him out of the gate but set comfortable fractions of :24.41, :47.66, and 1:11.38. But his three competitors were no slouches, all returning from the Kentucky Derby themselves. The small field turned for home exhibiting signs of a thriller as Burnham Square moved up on the rail, Coal Battle challenged from the outside, and Final Gambit was winding up out wide.
East Avenue was not to be denied, digging in and fighting to the wire for a half-length triumph over Burnham Square, who had previously defeated him by a nose in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in April. Coal Battle was third another 3/4 lengths behind.
"We've always thought the world of this horse," said trainer Brendan Walsh. "We had a little bump in the road at the start of the year, but it was great to see him dig in today. When those horses were coming to him, he fought on again. There were three very good horses with him. He moved his game up from Derby day again."
East Avenue completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.12 and paid $4.94 to win as the slight favorite.
After becoming a top Derby contender with a Breeders' Futurity (G1) domination at Keeneland last fall, East Avenue left many scratching their heads with lackluster performances in the winter. It appears, with his Blue Grass runner-up effort and Matt Winn victory, those days are behind him.
"A lot of people wrote him off after the Risen Star (where he finished 10th) this year," Walsh said. "He was far from finished. He was too good a horse not to be a good horse. It's great to see him win this today."
Walsh said East Avenue's future will likely contain races in the one-mile to 1 1/16-mile range but, before connections determine the next spot, they will be enjoying the return to the top of their grade 1 winner.
"We've always expected those types of performances out of him," Banahan said. "This was a great race to come back today. We're very pleased with what we saw today against some really nice horses."
Video: Matt Winn S. (G3)
Kilwin Takes to Dirt With Leslie's Lady Win
It was also a grand return to the winner's circle for Kilwin in the $175,000 Leslie's Lady Overnight Stakes, her first start on dirt.
Winless since September's Untapable Stakes at Kentucky Downs, the Leslie's Lady provided a perfect opportunity at seven furlongs for owner BBN Racing and trainer Rusty Arnold to try the dirt with the bay filly. The pedigree suggested a versatility in surface as she is a half sister to grade 2 turf winner One Timer (Trappe Shot), and a half to grade 1 dirt-placed Just Basking (Arrogate).
"She trained really good on the dirt, but we ended up on the turf because of Kentucky Downs," said Arnold. "We knew she was talented, she won her first start. After she won that, it's hard to change. After she got beat a couple of times, we seemed like a run or two short. This just fell in the right spot. We decided—it was the owners—they said we'd like to try the dirt once. I said if we're going to do it, this is the place to do it. We still have plenty of time to get ready for the turf races in the fall."
Their risk was rewarded as jockey Edgar Morales kept the Twirling Candy filly, out of the unraced Blame mare Spanish Star, relaxed in mid-pack behind Vodka With a Twist's fractions of :22.86 and :45.58. The pacesetter hung tough in the stretch, but Kilwin finally asserted command inside the 16th-pole for a 1 1/4-length score in 1:21.61 while paying $18.08 to win. Evanescence was third.
Victory on the dirt now opens a lot of options for Kilwin, but Arnold's eyes are set back on the large purses of Kentucky Downs in the Music City Stakes (G2T) Sept. 6.
"It's $2 million, 6 1/2 (furlongs), she's won on the course," Arnold said. "She loved it down there, so that'd be the plan."
