3-1 shot Dullahan turned in a powerful late run to pull off a mild upset in the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) this afternoon at Keeneland race course, charging past Hansen in deep stretch to win by about a length and a quarter.
Ridden to victory by Kent Desormeaux, Dullahan settled far off of the pace early on as Hansen, as expected, led the way through challenging fractions of :23.10 and :46.64. Politicallycorrect, Hero of Order, Midnight Crooner, Gung Ho, Howe Great, Heavy Breathing, Scatman, Prospective were also fairly close to the early lead, while Ever So Lucky, Dullahan, Russian Greek, and Holy Candy were the early trailers.
As the field made their way around the far turn, Gung Ho shifted to the outside and moved up to challenge his stablemate for the lead. Hero of Order and Midnight Crooner were still up close too, but both were tiring by the time the field entered the homestretch.
In the meantime, Dullahan was in the process of making a powerful run along the rail, which was followed by a shift to the outside as he split horses to reach contention. Up front, Hansen had turned back Gung Ho's bid and briefly opened up a commanding advantage, but Dullahan's late run was simply too strong, and the son of Even the Score blew past the favorite to win convincingly, stopping the clock for nine furlongs in the very sharp time of 1:47.94.
Hansen finished clearly second best, while Gung Ho and Holy Candy rounded out the superfecta. Howe Great, Prospective, Heavy Breathing, Midnight Crooner, Scatman, Ever So Lucky, Russian Greek, Politicallycorrect, and Hero of Order completed the order of finish.
The winner is owned by Donegal Racing and trained by Dale Romans. His next start will most likely come in the $2,000,000 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at Churchill Downs on May 5th.
-Keelerman
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