Trikari Shocks American Turf At 47-1 Odds

When Amerman Racing's Endlessly bypassed the $600,000 American Turf (G2) for 3-year-olds Saturday at Churchill Downs in favor of the Kentucky Derby (G1) later on the card, trainer H. Graham Motion took down the lucrative grass stakes for the same owners with lightly regraded Trikari, who pulled an unlikely victory at 47-1 odds.

Formidable Man led the field through fractions of :23.85, :48.15 and 1:12.96 with favored Legend of Time (GB) tracking in second and Trikari getting a rail-skimming trip under Umberto Rispoli just behind the leaders. Third nearing the home turn, he uncoiled a determined stretch rally on cue and rushed up outside Formidable Man, collaring the front-runner near the sixteenths pole and surging clear to score by about 1 1/4 lengths. 

Formidable Man held second and Lagynos was third, another half length back. Legend of Time checked in fifth.

Trikari finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.59 on turf rated as good and returned $96.34 for the victory, his first in a graded race following his win in the Rushway on the all-weather track at Turfway Park March 23 in his stakes debut. That triumph provided Rispoli a milestone career win.

“This horse is a very special horse to my career," Rispoli said. "I won my 2,000^th race aboard him and I can’t thank his connections enough for keeping me aboard. I hope we get just as lucky in the Kentucky Derby on Endlessly.”

Like Endlessly, Trikari is an Oscar Performance colt. but the former is homebred trained by Michael McCarthy. Trikari was bred Michael A Slezak and Amy Boll and purchased for $27,500 at the 2022 OBS October Yearling Sale, where Ordonez Thoroughbreds consigned him. His dam is the Harlan's Holiday mare Dynamic Holiday.

McCarthy, who will saddle Endlessly in the Derby, sent out Formidable Man, who he said ran very well. 

"I’m very proud of him. First time traveling, big crowd like this, the horse ran well and was a game second. It was a crazy number (his odds), I thought he was too big of a number on the odds board, but he’s obviously a horse who is on his way up. (On the lead) is kind of where we wanted him. I told (jockey) Luis (Saez) to go ahead and put him in the game and I thought Luis rode him wonderfully.”

Trikari, who broke is maiden for Motion Dec. 28 on the all-weather at Gulfstream Park in his second career start, was runner-up in an allowance optional claiming race Feb. 10 at the South Florida track before taking the Rushaway.  The $342,100 winner's share of the American Turf purse boosted his lifetime bankroll to $541,890..