In November 2018, we (Woodford Racing) were incredibly fortunate to have a horse (Catapult) running in the Breeder’s Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs. As we walked with Catapult from the saddling area onto the track for the Breeder’s Cup Turf Mile, the roar of the crowd was deafening. I had never experienced anything quite like it and didn’t think I would experience anything quite like it again.
One year later we (Woodford Racing) are returning to the Breeder’s Cup World Championships to be held at Santa Anita Park. On Friday at Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, Kentucky, Engage punched his ticket to the 2019 Breeder’s Cup Sprint by winning the Grade 2, $250,000, Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes! The Phoenix Stakes was first run in 1831 and is the oldest thoroughbred horse race in North America.
Overlooked in the wagering at 9-1, Engage was coming off a win on September 2 in the Bensalem Stakes at Parx Racetrack in Philadelphia. As the starting gate opened in the Phoenix Stakes, jockey Jose Ortiz placed Engage near the rear of the field in seventh place. As they raced down the backstretch, Engage was wide but able to avoid the dirt kickback from the leaders. As they entered the stretch, Ortiz swung Engage six wide and he changed leads on cue. In a blanket finish, Engage prevailed by half a length in the winning time of one minute and ten seconds over the Keeneland dirt surface. Race Video Here
Engage’s win was a gutsy performance against a very strong field of accomplished dirt sprinters! The current plan is to ship Engage from Lexington to Los Angeles to allow him to workout at Santa Anita and become acclimated with the track.
While the competition in the Breeders Cup Sprint will be formidable, Engage is lightly raced in 2019 (three starts) and is peaking at the right time!