Peter Callahan’s Scotus, winner of the Matt Winn (Grade III) beneath
the Twin Spires in June, returned to Churchill Downs in style by winning the
$48,187 Sunday afternoon feature for 3-year-olds and up by 3 ¾ lengths.
Trained by Ken McPeek and ridden by Manny Cruz,
Scotus covered the 1 1/16 miles on the main track in 1:45.82.
Scotus was well-held in mid-pack through fractions of :24.32,
:47.97 and 1:12.83. A 3-year-old son of Successful Appeal, Scotus was asked for
run with three furlongs remaining, split rivals at the top of the stretch, took
the lead at the eighth-pole and continued to increase his advantage from there.
Breaking from the gate as the odds-on favorite at 3-5, Scotus
returned mutuels of $3.40, $2.40 and $2.20. Robert Mondun’s Wealth to
Me finished second to return $6.20 and $4 with William Butler’s Isthmus
another 1 ½ lengths back in third returning $3.20.
The victory was worth $30,000 and increased Scotus’ bankroll
to $170,454 with a record of 3-1-3 from nine lifetime starts.
Racing resumes Wednesday with a 10-race program highlighted
by a four-day Pick 6 carryover of $12,963. The Pick 6 will begin with race five
at 2:34 p.m. EST. Post time for the first race is 12:40 p.m.