It was a good day to be a Cinncinnati Bengals fan Dec. 21.
Just a few hours after the Bengals put the finishing touches on a 45-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins, the city's sports attention turned just over the Kentucky border to Turfway Park in Florence for the Synthetic Championships. It was there that 4-year-old gelding Joe Shiesty, named after the popular nickname of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, came out victorious against his Florida-based opponent, Howard Wolowitz, in the $247,835 Holiday Cheer Stakes.
The triumph was an emotional one for trainer Eric Foster, whose Foster Family Racing co-owns the son of Air Force Blue with Lonnie Reynolds, Vicki Mills, and Donald Coomes. A quick winner of the Mighty Beau Stakes at Churchill Downs in June, the speedster had encountered all sorts of problems in his following three starts.
"Joe just means a lot to our barn and family," Foster told the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association's Jennie Rees. "I got pretty emotional, more for Joe than anything else because I know he deserves it."
The bay gelding failed to take his preferred frontrunning position in those last three starts due to grabbing himself out of the gate at Ellis Park, being distracted by the horse to his inside popping the gate early at Keeneland, and a general rough trip at Churchill Downs. Sunday was a different story as he broke from the gate cleanly and soared through fractions of :22.37 and :45.18 under Fernando De La Cruz.
Gold Square's grade 1 winner Howard Wolowitz, attempting to defend his title from last year's edition for trainer Jose D'Angelo, was rated second off the pace by Irad Ortiz Jr. Turning for home, De La Cruz cut the corner and lengthened his lead. Howard Wolowitz began to chip away, but the wire came up too soon.
At the end of 6 furlongs, Joe Shiesty maintained his lead by a head in 1:09.05, paying $21.08 to win. Script was third.
Bred in Kentucky by Rodney Orr, Joe Shiesty was purchased for $16,000 as a short yearling at the 2022 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.
"We already knew he was going to be great," Foster said of the purchase. "It doesn't always work out, but when you buy one, you want to put that faith in all of them. He lived up to what we built (him) up to be."
The victory was a third in stakes company for the grade 2-placed gelding, and improved his career record to 6-2-2 from 17 starts for earnings of $745,217.
Video: Holiday Cheer S. (BT)
Mink's Palace Provides Gift in Holiday Inaugural
The winner's share of the $250,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes was truly a gift for Summerhill Stables as they saw their pride and joy, Mink's Palace, rally from off the pace to score going away.
The 4-year-old Palace Malice filly danced every dance in Kentucky's female dirt sprint division this season, but had been defeated for five consecutive races after winning the Roxelana Stakes at Churchill Downs April 26.
Trained by Eddie Kenneally and ridden by Walter Rodriguez, Mink's Palace was last after the opening quarter mile, but a hot pace set by Ms. Tart of :21.93 and :44.55 set the table for her strong late kick.
Swung wide into the stretch, Mink's Palace was rolling like a freight down the middle of the stretch, flying past rivals and pulling clear to a 2 1/4-length win while completing 6 furlongs in 1:09.48.
"I felt confident with her the way she was traveling," Rodriguez told Rees. "When I was getting closer and closer at the half, I knew I had time."
Ms. Tart held tough despite the pace, but surrendered the runner-up spot to favored Pondering in the final strides. Mink's Palace paid $26.28 to win.
Jo Leone has owned Summerhill Farm for about six decades, focused primarily on raising horses for others. One of her longtime clients was Ty Scheumann of Grousemont Farm, who died in 2022. One of the first horses Scheumann entrusted to Leone's care was Fortune Pending, the third dam of Mink's Palace.
If being a fourth generation raised on the farm wasn't special enough, Summerhill typically only breeds about two mares a year for themselves despite boarding about 15.
"She's been amazing for us," an emotional Cary Simon, Leone's daughter, told Rees. "We don't normally race, we barely breed any for ourselves. We really raise for other people. We don't take this for granted that we have this filly. ... It's amazing. It's lifechanging for a small operation like we are."
Now a five-time winner from 15 starts with earnings of $657,078, Simon said the filly will now get a short break before turning her attention to a 5-year-old campaign.
Rodriguez was a last-minute replacement after her originally scheduled rider, Edgar Morales, was involved in a spill two races earlier exiting the starting gate. Morales was transported to a local hospital to be checked out and undergo x-rays, according to his agent Joe Paulley. His mount, Classic Legacy, was caught by outriders and walked off.
