Kentucky-bred Johannes registered the first Grade 1 win of his career on Memorial Day, proving best over 10 rivals in the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Johannes settled in mid-pack early. Johannes launched a bid near the quarter pole and reeled in Funtastic Again and jockey Frankie Dettori in the lane to score by a half-length. He covered the distance in a sharp final time of 1:33.
“That was fantastic. I beat my idol,” said Rispoli. “I have so much respect for Frankie. He (Johannes) is very mature. We always believed in him. Tim and the owners were very patient to give him a long break and the horse came back stronger than ever. He is a fantastic horse. That’s the type of horse you want to ride.”
Trained by Tim Yakteen, Johannes is a 4-year-old son of Nyquist and is a Kentucky homebred for Cuyathy LLC. Johannes is produced from the Congrats mare Cuyathy.
“He showed talent from the start, but to develop into this, I didn’t expect it in the early stages,” said Yakteen. “But I’m very thankful for him and appreciative.”
In his last start, Johannes returned from an 11-month layoff and won the American Stakes (G3) at one mile on the turf. Last year, he captured the Baffle Stakes, sprinting on the hillside turf course and the one-mile Pasadena Stakes. Johannes now has an overall record of 9-5-0-1 with $423,859 in earnings.