Bentornato, who hadn’t raced since his slim half-length defeat to Straight No Chaser in final 12 months’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar, dazzled in his 4-year-old debut by placing away elegant chief Skelly and drawing away for a widening 5¼-length win over Here Mi Song in Saturday’s fifth operating of the $300,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society at Churchill Downs.
Bentornato, a Florida-bred, zipped six furlongs over a quick monitor in a stakes report 1:08.43 that broke Just Might’s 2021 mark of 1:08.71. Irad Ortiz Jr. rode the winner for coach Jose D’Angelo and proprietor Khrysselv Mavarez’s Leon King Stable Corp.
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This was the fifth stakes win for the son of Valiant Minister, who most notably received the Gallant Bob (G2) at Parx as a 3-year-old.
As anticipated, Skelly, who entered the race with 19 prime two placings in 22 begins, ran off to the early lead via a gap quarter mile in a swift :21.90 with Bentornato monitoring to the within simply off his left hip. Around the flip, Skelly opened up however Bentornato swung to the surface and shortly engaged on the prime of the stretch. From there, it was all Bentornato as he impressively drew away from all rivals in his first begin in 315 days.
“This was all Bentornato,” Ortiz mentioned. “He broke sharp and I wanted take him back to get outside. Once I was able to get outside, he just took off. He’s a really impressive horse and did a lot of that on his own.”
Bentornato rewarded his backers with $5.56 for the win. Here Mi Song outfinished Skelly by a head for second.
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Roll On Big Joe, Durante, Ajaayb, Banjo Chris and Little Ni accomplished the order of end. Nash, Full Moon Madness and World Record have been scratched.
Bentornato, out of the Put It Back mare Her Special Way, received for the sixth time in his 10-race profession. The $150,350 payday elevated his earnings to $1,282,180.
“Our goal is to get back to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and this was a great spot to get him back to the races,” D’Angelo mentioned. “We’ll see how he comes out of this race to see if he needs another start before the Breeders’ Cup but he seems to be a horse that may not need to have another start. He’s been doing great since we got to Kentucky and Irad gave him a great trip today.”
The race is called for the Louisville Thoroughbred Society, which opened for normal hours of operation in March 2021. The Louisville Thoroughbred Society is Louisville’s solely on-site wagering by Churchill Downs within the coronary heart of Louisville’s metropolitan scene. The premier membership for Thoroughbred fans is open for personal membership functions, and reservations for particular occasions are being accepted. For extra data, go to www.thelouisvillethoroughbredsociety.com.
This story was initially reported by Paulick Report on Sep 13, 2025, the place it first appeared within the News part. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.