Perfect Proforma!
Helluva weekend for the Stidham barn, wasn’t it? And the headline act was undoubtedly DARRS Inc’s Proforma, who won Saturday’s $500,000 GIII Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs.
Given a text-book ride by Joe Bravo, Proforma demonstrated a heroic battling spirit the length of Kentucky Downs’ home stretch, sticking his nose out to win by a head. Phew!
This was Proforma’s third stakes victory (he previously won the 2016 Sugar Bowl Stakes and the 2017 Jersey Shore Stakes), but is his first graded stakes win. This 4-year-old son of Munnings has never been better.
“This was a great victory,” said Stidham. “He’s a super horse. Just really honest and tough. And I’m absolutely delighted for the owners, great supporters of the yard.”
But this wasn’t the only nice win for the yard over the weekend.
At Monmouth Park yesterday, Simply Great pulverized the field under Albin Jimenez to win going away. Owner Clark Kuhr’s daughter of Greatness is pretty well exposed, but judging by this evidence, she still has a few more races of this nature up her sleeve.
Gainesway Stable and Cobra Farm enjoyed a nice winner a couple of races later when the 3-year-old Tapit gelding Graham’s Way broke his maiden under Albin Jimenez, pulling away to pass the post over five lengths too good. There’s every reason to believe he can build from this.
And now to the weekend entries:
Wednesday
Indiana Grand Race Course
Nilus – Race 2, Maiden Special Weight
Kentucky Downs
Harv Won’t Tap – Race 4, Starter Allowance $25,000
Graham’s Way – Race 10, Maiden Special Weight
Thursday
Arlington
English Laughter – Race 4, Maiden Claiming $25,000
Penn National
Homefield – Race 3, Maiden Special Weight
Friday
Belmont Park
Summer Sweet – Race 8, Allowance Optional Claiming
