Spendthrift Farm’s Kentucky-bred Kingsbarns registered his first Grade 1 with a facile score in Saturday’s 43rd running of the $1 million Stephen Foster S. (G1) at Churchill Downs. The victory in the Stephen Foster earned Kingsbarns a berth in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar and made him racing’s newest millionaire.
Luis Saez rode Kingsbarns for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Kingsbarns, winner of last year’s Louisiana Derby (G2), defeated Pyrenees by 2 ½ lengths, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.09. With the win, Kingsbarns turned the tables on Pyrenees, who defeated him six weeks earlier in the Pimlico Special (G3).
“We’re extremely proud of this horse’s effort and for the entire team behind him,” Pletcher said. “Obviously winning a Grade 1 is a tremendous accomplishment. I think we’ve seen this year he’s been able to settle better than when he was a 3-year-old and show that new dimension. He sat a perfect trip today and really kicked well when turning for home.”
Winning rider Saez said, “There wasn’t a whole lot of speed in the race, so I knew we had to be closer to the pace. Around the far turn he found his stride nicely and just took me from there. He fought hard down the entire stretch.”
Kingsbarns is a 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo out of the Tapit mare Lady Tapit. He was bred in Kentucky by Parks Investment Group LLC, which earned a Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund award of $7,500 for breeding a Grade 1 winner.
“We’re thrilled for winning a Grade 1 with his horse,” said Spendthrift Farm’s Ned Toffey. “At Spendthrift Farm, we are in the stallion-making business and winning a Grade 1 obviously means we have to get a stall ready for him in the stud barn when he finishes his racing career.”
Now a winner in six of nine lifetime starts, Kingsbarns has earned $1,559,060. He was an $800,000 graduate of the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale in 2022, where he was acquired by Spendthrift Farm out of Tom McCrocklin’s consignment.