Matthew Garretson

Matthew Garretson’s Einstein (BRZ), ridden by Julien Leparoux, outdueled Cowboy Cal by a head to become the first repeat winner of the $557,600 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (Grade I) on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Helen Pitts-Blasi, Einstein added Saturday’s Grade I victory over the Matt Winn Turf Course to a triumph in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on Pro-Ride on March 7. Last year, Einstein won the Grade II Clark Handicap on dirt at Churchill Downs and ran second in the Grade I Stephen Foster on dirt to Horse of the Year Curlin.

Thorn Song, with Kent Desormeaux aboard, led the field through fractions of :23.87, :48.40 and 1:12.34 with Cowboy Cal and John Velazquez in closest attendance. Leparoux had Einstein in a ground-saving position another couple of lengths back.

Turning for home, Cowboy Cal collared Thorn Song but Einstein was right on his right flank and the two raced to the wire as a team with Einstein pulling clear in the final yards.

Einstein covered the mile and one-eighth on a “good” Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:49.62.

The victory in the 23rd running of the Woodford Reserve was worth $331,884 and increased Einstein’s earnings to $2,609,904. Einstein a 7-year-old son of 1985 Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck, has won 11 of 25 career starts, seven of the triumphs coming on turf.

Einstein, the favorite in the field of nine, returned $5.60, $3.60 and $2.80. Cowboy Cal returned $7 and $3.80 in finishing 2 ¾ lengths ahead of Court Vision, who paid $3.60 to show under Ramon Dominguez.

WOODFORD RESERVE TURF CLASSIC QUOTES

JULIEN LEPAROUX (rider of winner Einstein) – “I think it went pretty good. He’s a fighter, he always tries, but you can tell he was not as comfortable on turf as he is on PolyTrack or probably on firm turf, too. We got a good trip. We got an inside trip and we saved ground. The only time I really had to work was at the three-eighths pole: I had to make my way out, but after that we got a good trip everywhere.

“The second horse [Cowboy Cal] is a nice horse too, he’s won stakes in California, so we beat a nice horse today. But Einstein’s a fighter and he didn’t want to let it go. He likes the dirt: he won a Grade II on it, especially at Churchill he loves the dirt. He really liked the PolyTrack actually. I never rode him on the firm turf, but I’m sure he’ll do really good, too.”

HELEN PITTS-BLASI (Trainer of winner Einstein) – “I was worried about the soft turf. He doesn’t care what he runs on, he’ll always give you his best anyway. Is he as good as some horses on soft turf? No, but he’ll still give you 110 percent. And that got him through today. I was very worried during the race. They swung him wide turning for home, and I thought the horses up the inside would be toughest. But Cowboy Cal was on my inside and got the jump on me, and that’s what I was worried about. Cowboy Cal was better today than he was in California, and at the sixteenth pole I was worried. I’m not saying he wasn’t trying, but Cowboy Cal got the jump on him. But my man dug deep today.

“I’m not going to say he’s the best horse in the country. I’ll let you know on Nov. 6. The Breeders’ Cup Classic is a possibility. He loved that track at Santa Anita, and with the Breeders’ Cup being there, it’s worth a shot. I was very proud of him today. He’s a special animal.”

JOHN VELAZQUEZ (rider of second-place finisher Cowboy Cal) -- “I couldn’t ask for much more. Everything was perfect but winning. That’s about it. He ran great but a better horse beat me today. (On if he saw Einstein closing) “I saw him the whole way. That sucker (Einstein) kept running. I couldn’t believe it."

TODD PLETCHER (trainer of second-place finisher Cowboy Cal) -- “He ran great and we lost a very tough head-bob to an excellent horse. He’s a pretty solid performer on all three surfaces -- turf, dirt and synthetic -- so we’ll just see what races come up. It’s a plus that he’s so versatile.”

RAMON DOMINGUEZ (rider of third-place finisher Court Vision) -- “I was pleased with the way he ran. I got excited at the eighth pole. I thought he was going to continue his momentum and maybe get there but the others horses kept opening up on me and I had to settle for third.”

BILL MOTT (trainer of third-place finisher Court Vision) -- “We were right in it with a shot; he ran well. He made a run and then got a little flat on us the last 70 yards.”

GARRETT GOMEZ (rider of fourth-place finisher Zambezi Sun) – “He was going fine until we hit the far turn. Then he was wanting to get out on me bad. Bobby (trainer Robert Frankel) had put a new bridle on him and everything, but it still didn’t help. I don’t know if these left-handed turns throw him off or what, but we were fine until that turn – right where we wanted to be. Then he started to crank his head all over the place.”

KENT DESORMEAUX  (rider of fifth-place finisher Thorn Song) – “He felt like a million. He ran great.”

VICTOR ESPINOZA (rider of sixth-place finisher Proudinsky) – “Everything went right. I got through all the way. I just didn’t have enough horse to finish.”

(November 28, 2008) – Einstein, a 6-year-old son of 1985 Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck, collared 2-5 favorite Commentator at the head of the stretch and then held off a late surge from Delightful Kiss to win Friday’s 134th running of the $440,400 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII) at Churchill Downs by 1 ½ lengths.

Trained by Helen Pitts, Einstein ran the 1 1/8 miles on a fast main track in 1:49.79. The victory was the fifth of the day for Leparoux, who earlier in the card established a Fall Meet record for victories.

            The Fall Meet concludes its 26-day run Saturday with the “Stars of Tomorrow II” card featuring all 2-year-olds. The 12-race program begins at 11:30 a.m. (ET) with general admission gates opening at 10 a.m.

            Highlighting the card will be two Grade II stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the main track: the $150,000-added Golden Rod for fillies that goes as the ninth race at approximately 3:28 p.m. and the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club that goes as the 11th race with an approximate 4:27 p.m. post time.

Also, reigning Horse of the Year and North America’s leading all-time money-earner Curlin will be paraded before the crowd between Races 5-6, and there’s a $23,365 carryover for the Z-5 (Super Hi-5), which requires bettors to pick the top five finishers in order, for the fifth race.

            Commentator, ridden by John Velazquez and carrying high weight of 124 pounds, led the field of seven through early fractions of :24.57, :48.58 and 1:12.64 with Einstein, toting 119 pounds, as his closest pursuer. Leparoux moved Einstein to the outside of Commentator at the top of the stretch, dueling on even terms for a sixteenth of a mile before beginning to draw clear.

Delightful Kiss, ridden by Calvin Borel, rallied from far back to be a clear second, but was no threat to Einstein, who took home the winner’s check of $267,588 to raise his career earnings to $1,634,019.

Racing for court-appointed owner Matthew Garretson, Einstein posted his first career graded-stakes victory on dirt. Einstein, who had run second to 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin in this summer’s Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) here, owns three Grade I victories on the grass.

Einstein rewarded his backers with mutuels of $11.80, $5.20 and $2.60. Delightful Kiss returned $10.80 and $3.80 in finishing 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Commentator, who paid $2.10 to show.

Completing the field in order were Magna Graduate, Wayzata Bay, Dominican and Anak Nakal.

Two races before the Clark Handicap, 2008 Belmont Stakes winner Da’ Tara finished third in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming race. Da’ Tara was the first Belmont Stakes winner to run at Churchill Downs since 1999 winner Lemon Drop Kid ran in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Leparoux broke a 23-year-old Fall Meet record for victories when he recorded his 56th win. The victory in the third race aboard Just Like William eclipsed the mark of 55 set in the 30-day meet of 1985 by Pat Day. Leparoux’s total entering Saturday’s card is 59.

POST-RACE QUOTES – THE CLARK HANDICAP

JULIEN LEPAROUX (Jockey, EINSTEIN-BRZ, winner) – “I knew I had to stay close to Commentator and he broke sharp. I just kind of eased up a little bit on the outside. I just ran behind him all the way. When I asked him, he stuck his head in front of him and we were gone. It was done.”

Q: Did you work him in the morning?

“Yes. I breezed him last time and he breezed very good. We were expecting a good race from him, that’s for sure.”

Q: Was the game plan not to let Commentator get away?

“Yes, yes. The plan was to be right behind him and to not give him too much to do. Commentator is a very, very good horse and if you give him too much to do it would be tough.

Q: You were second aboard Einstein in the Stephen Foster. What was the difference today?

“That was a different race. It was a slow pace and he didn’t break very, very good that day. We came from the back and then finished. He still finished very good and just got beat by Curlin. Not bad.”

HELEN PITTS (Trainer, EINSTEIN-BRZ, winner) – “To be able to win a stake like that means the world to me but to get a graded stake on the dirt for him is super. It was kind of my main objective coming in here. He was second in a Grade I in the Stephen Foster. But to win a graded stake on the dirt for him, he deserves it more than anybody out there because I’ve never had a horse that loves his job and loves to train and loves to run as much as he does. When he turned for home, I knew he’d dig deep down inside to find all he could to get there. He’s a very special horse.”

Q: The game plan was to stay close, but isn’t there a fine line?

“There is. I mean, he worked him the other day and it was a big key. He rode him in the Stephen Foster but he had him close today and I think he realized that. In the Stephen Foster, I think he left him with a little too much to do. Today, they went :24 and change in the first quarter and he was perfect. It was a little bit out of Einstein’s style but at the same time they went slow enough where it wasn’t putting him totally out. I might have been second-guessing my own training at the three-eighths pole, but he pulled through for me. Just to have a horse like him means the world to me.”

Q: It was a nice win off the layoff . . .

“It was and I was hoping he hadn’t lost too much. That’s why everybody kept asking me, ‘Are you going to run? Are you going to run?’ I was going to let him tell me. When he worked like that last week and Julien said he did it all on his own, I figured he was ready.”

PETE ANDERSON, trainer of DELIGHTFUL KISS (runner-up)

“He (jockey Calvin Borel) gave him a lot to do.  I like the guy’s riding and all that, but he just gave him a little too much to do.  But it was a big effort.  At one stage of the game he had to be close to 20 lengths off the lead, I would think.  Unless my eyes are bad, I would say he was close to that.  When the horse (Timber Reserve) scratched, it changed the complexion of the race.”

Q: Will Delightful Kiss return racing next year?

“I’m staying with this horse until he dies.  I’ll have him until he dies.  It’s better than the fountain of youth, having this horse.  It’s one of the great thrills in my life, and I’ve had a whole lot of them.  But this is one of the great thrills of my life – I love this horse.”

CALVIN BOREL, jockey on DELIGHTFUL KISS (runner-up)

“I wish the other horse (Timber Reserve) hadn’t scratched – I think he would have added a little more pace.  But he ran good – he ran his race.  He ran a huge race – no complaints.  This horse is doing good.”

NICK ZITO, trainer of COMMENTATOR (third as the 2-5 favorite)

“He wasn’t himself.  Like everything else, it could just be the effect of a long year for him, the way he is.  He puts everything into everything he does.  You know, Helen (Pitts) did a good job with Einstein – coming off a three-month layoff.  He’s a nice horse that finished second to Curlin.  But John (Velazquez) said Commentator was just skipping.  He wasn’t getting a good hold (of the track).  He just wasn’t himself.”

Q: Were you concerned throughout?

“When he left there I was happy, but down the backside he just couldn’t accelerate and get away, and I knew something was wrong.  John said he just wasn’t himself.”

JOHN VELAZQUEZ, jockey on COMMENTATOR (third)

“He struggled with the track.  He was good the first part of the race, but he got to the half-mile pole and I tried to encourage him, but it seemed like he was skipping – he was slipping and sliding a little bit.  That’s the first time he ever felt that he was not getting hold of the track, and he’s been everywhere.  But today he just struggled with it.  I got after him, but he just went through the motions.  He didn’t do like he can.”

SHAUN BRIDGMOHAN, jockey on MAGNA GRADUATE (fourth)

“He ran OK.  He went around and had a good trip around there.  He was just fourth today.”