Dark Cove grabbed the lead with a quarter mile to run and held off late charges by Atigun and Najjaar to win the 76th
running of the Grade III, $111,800 Louisville Handicap by a half-length on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.
Dark Cove ran 1 ½ miles over a firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 2:27.29 and just missed
Simmard’s 2012 stakes record of 2:27.16.
Rosie Napravnik rode the winner for the Spring Meet’s leading trainer
and owners,
Mike Maker and
Ken and Sarah Ramsey, respectively.
“The horse gives you 110 percent every time,” Maker said. “He’s all heart and class.”
Dark
Cove, the 122-pound starting high weight in the field of nine older
horses, was forwardly placed in the early stages of the turf
marathon and relaxed off the early pace in fifth as Al Qasr
led through quarter-mile fractions of :24.24, :49.09, 1:14.03 and
1:38.87. While racing in the clear
on the outside, Dark Cove drew even with the leaders around the final
turn and took command at the top of the stretch. He kicked clear in the
stretch and turned back late runs by slight 2-1 favorite Atigun and
Najjaar, who was a nose back of the runner-up.
“I was in a dream
spot,” Napravnik said. “I couldn’t have picked a better spot. I was
happy with where I was the whole way … I knew they were coming, but
(Dark Cove) was the class of the race.”
Dark Cove, who
went to post at odds of 2-1, paid $6.40, $3.80 and $3.20. Atigun, who
had to check briefly around the turn after three-quarters of a mile,
returned $3.60 and $2.80. Najjaar paid $4.60.
Prime Cut was another 6 ½ lengths back in fourth and was followed by
Ioya Bigtime,
Heathcote, Al Qasr,
Harrods Creek and
Mack’s Blackhawk.
The
Louisville Handicap was the second consecutive graded stakes win for
Dark Cove. On April 26, the 6-year-old took the Grade II, $150,000
Elkhorn at Keeneland by 4 ¼ lengths – exactly one year from the day the
Ramseys claimed him for $50,000.
The Ramseys have banked
$187,294 with Dark Cove since the claim. Saturday’s $66,544 first prize
jumped his career earnings to $399,054. In four years, he’s won eight of
his 23 starts with two seconds and one third.
Dark Cove was bred in Kentucky by
Stonewall Farm Stallions and is a son of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Kris S. mare Crystal Cove.
The victory was the 14
th
of the meet for the Ramseys, who are on a record-pace for wins at a
Churchill Downs Spring Meet. They won 21 races during the 57-day season
of 2009
and have 14 wins through 17 days of this year’s 38-day session. This was
their third stakes win of the meet. They also won the Churchill Distaff
Turf Mile (GII) with
Stephanie’s Kitten and Edgewood with
Kitten’s Dumplings.
Meanwhile, Maker, who notched his second stakes win of the meet, tops the trainer standings with 16 wins, three more than
Steve Asmussen. He also trains Kitten’s Dumplings for the Ramseys.
Napravnik, in her first full season at Churchill Downs, collected her third stakes win and 18
th victory overall at the meet (she’s third in the standings behind
Shaun
Bridgmohan’s 25 and
Corey Lanerie’s 22). She also won the Alysheba (GII) on
Take Charge Indy and Churchill Downs (GII) aboard
Delaunay.
LOUISVILLE HANDICAP QUOTES
Mike Maker, trainer of Dark Cove, winner: “The horse gives you 110 percent every time. He’s all heart and class.”
Any plans for his next race? “One race at a time.”
Rosie Napravnik, rider on Dark Cove, winner:
– “I was in a dream spot. I couldn’t have picked a better spot. I was
happy with where I was the whole way. He’s a very nice horse to ride and
they’ve done a great job with
him.”
Were you worried about getting caught by Atigun (second) and Najjaar (third)? “I felt them the whole way, so I was riding to win; I was riding till the wire. I knew they were coming, but (Dark Cove) was the
class of the race.”
Ken McPeek, trainer of Atigun, runner-up: “He had a terrible trip. I think he was several lengths the best horse.”
Will you look to Saratoga and those mile and a half grass races up there? “I would think so. He’s had some issues with his feet that we’ve been dealing with and I think he’s a little more comfortable
on the grass. He’s obviously a very good horse.”
You had some fun with the winner when he was in your barn … “We
did good. He’s a nice horse – he always has been. I claimed him for
maiden 16 (thousand) and we had a lot of fun with him.”
Danny Peitz, trainer of Najjaar, third
(by telephone from Chicago): “We’ve been wanting to stretch him out,
though I don’t know that a mile and a half is what we were looking for.
But we looking for something longer
than a mile and a sixteenth, but that’s the way it’s all kind of shook
out here the last year and a half. We hadn’t had a shot to get him going
a little longer and I think he’s a little better on the grass. So
that’s what we’re kind of thinking now. We have
a couple of races up here (at Arlington Park) that we have a shot to run
in and we’ll see how we run.”
Leandro Goncalves, rider on Najjaar, third:
“He ran well, but we just couldn’t get to him (Dark Cove). He gave me a
110 percent. He had a great trip. I was very happy with the position I
had and when I called on him
at the quarter-pole I thought for a minute that I was going by the
6-horse (Dark Cove), but he never stopped.”
