Bottas, Citrus Springs, Laigina win Monday’s Ky Downs undercard stakes
Bottas doubles up on sophomore stakes scores in $1.75 KTDF Gun Runner;
Citrus Springs scores in American debut in $750,000 Pepsi Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies;
Laigina captures $250,000 Lucky Lantern
Stakes recaps by Kentucky Downs publicity team (Coady Media/Renee Torbit photo above of Bottas winning the KTDF Gun Runner under Jose Ortiz.)
On Kentucky HBPA Youtube: Hear from Jose Ortiz on Bottas’ Gun Runner victory
FRANKLIN, KY (September 7, 2026) – Dahman’s Bottas continued a rise through his divisional ranks, and a solid meet for his connections, by sweeping down the lane for a 1 ¼-length victory in the $1.75 million KTDF Gun Runner Stakes for 3-year-olds going one mile on Monday at Kentucky Downs.
Bottas, who races for the stable of Abdulhadi Mana Al Hajri, has now won four of seven career starts and added the Gun Runner to a last-out victory in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes on August 7 at Saratoga, as well as a win in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes last fall in New York. The Vekoma colt is trained by Miguel Clement, who sent out another good turf 3-year-old, Caroline St. Beat, to a win in the Grade 2, $3 million 1/ST BET Nashville Derby Invitational on Saturday. Bottas also shipped in from the barn’s New York base under the care of assistant Amanda Villafranco, who gave a leg up to Jose Ortiz, the current meet-leading rider who was putting together another multi-win day Monday at Kentucky Downs.
Conducted caught a flyer out of the gate and led the field down the backstretch of this one-turn mile through an opening quarter of 23.74 seconds. He did not get any chance for a breather, as he was keen for jockey Luis Saez while pressed by Fuzzbuster on his outside, running downhill with his ears pricked through the half in 46.45 seconds. At that point, midway through the race, Bottas and Ortiz were 10th in the full field of 14, but obviously getting a strong pace setup.
“It was my first time on the horse, but I’ve watched him run and he’s a very nice horse,” Ortiz said. “He broke well, I was able to follow a good horse in the two horse [stakes winner Touch of Fire]. When I had the opening I asked him to go, and he responded very well. All the credit goes to the team. The horse was ready. I just had to go out there and give him a good trip.”
Conducted tried to give them the slip in the stretch, opening two lengths. However, coming to the uphill grade in the final furlong, he clearly began to run out of gas, switching leads as he looked for more.
“Luis said the horse was jumping all the way,” trainer Jose D’Angelo said of Conducted. “Jumping, jumping, and when he jumped, he changed leads. That’s why he thinks that he didn’t win the race. But he ran a huge race. He just lost the momentum. If you see the fractions, he ran :23 and change and jumping, he still went :46 and change. He was running but it was hard to keep the pace.”
Bottas burst through a wide seam between horses in about the three-path and came to the leader with a rush late, winning going away.
The time for the mile on the firm turf was 1:34.55 as favored Bottas returned $17.20 for a $5 win wager.
The speed held gamely, as Conducted was second by two lengths over Fuzzbuster. They were followed, in order, by Touch of Fire, Street Beast, Vitruvian Man, Turf Star, Go for Rocket, Mr. A. P., Proton, Infiltrate, Brave Force, Khozalite, and Blackmail.
The Gun Runner is named for the 2017 Horse of the Year who was co-campaigned by the Ron Winchell’s Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm. Winchell purchased Kentucky Downs in 2019, in partnership with Marc Falcone. Last year, Winchell was honored with a lifetime contributions award from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Lifetime Contributions Award, both for his breeding and racing program, and for his impact on the state in growing Kentucky Downs.
Gun Runner, a first-ballot inductee into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, was a six-time Grade 1 winner, highlighted by the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He has become a perennial leading sire, with 16 Grade 1 winners in North America alone highlighted by Eclipse Award champions Echo Zulu, Sierra Leone, and Super Corredora, Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting, and Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner.
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On Kentucky HBPA Youtube: Hear from Citrus Springs’ winning connections
When bloodstock agent Justin Casse signed the ticket to land Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Citrus Springs at this year’s OBS March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, the hope was that the Kentucky-bred daughter of Olympiad would eventually make her way to her native state and, ultimately, make a big impression.
While Thoroughbred racing often sees the best-laid plans go by the wayside, that objective came to fruition in Monday’s $750,000 Pepsi Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies as Citrus Springs battled past pacesetter Elegante Miz in late stretch then held off a furious bid from Up Before the Dawn to capture the one-mile test by a head in her stateside debut.
Though Citrus Springs made her first three career starts in Ireland for trainer Joseph O’Brien, the filly is rooted in the Bluegrass having been bred by International Equities Holding, Inc. and sent through the ring at Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton before Casse ultimately notched winning bid after stretching to $300,000 for her in March. It took her a few tries to get a handle on the European competition before she ultimately prevailed at third asking at seven furlongs over good ground at Gowran Park by five lengths on August 12.
“She’s a Kentucky-bred and she was purchased with the dream of coming back here to this meet,” said Michael Halford, assistant to O’Brien. “It doesn’t always work out, but thankfully this time it did. She was purchased by Justin Casse and Kevin Blake from Ireland as well. Joseph [O’Brien] has done a wonderful job with her, and it’s a dream come true to get her back here.”
Back home for Monday’s eight-furlong test, Citrus Springs continued to adapt to a European style course as she tracked along in second to the outside of Elegante Miz through early fractions of 23.12 and 46.29, giving jockey Ben Curtis every cue she would be there for him whenever he asked for her best run.
“It was all very straightforward, like most of Joseph’s horses are,” Curtis said. “Very uncomplicated. I got a lovely [trip sitting] where I was. The horse in front of me battled hard, so we had to battle with that one, and then one came late, but she stuck her head out when she needed to at the wire.
“Joseph’s having winners all over the world, so it wasn’t unexpected he was going to have one here. Just a pleasure to get, especially for them, and I think she’s a filly with a future.”
As the top two rounded the final bend and set down for the uphill run to the wire, Citrus Springs dug in and edged clear of Elegante Miz to her inside in the final sixteenth only to be engaged by Up Before the Dawn, who had advanced from mid pack in the nine-horse field and was flying on the outside under Yedsit Hazlewood. The wire came in time just in time for Citrus Springs as she stopped the teletimer in 1:35.49 over a course rated firm with Up Before the Dawn 1 ¾ lengths clear of Elegante Miz, who held on after her early exploits to take show honors.
Sent off at 9-2 odds, Citrus Springs paid $23.65 on a $5 wager.
“Joseph [O’Brien] won here [in 2022] with [Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile winner] Reckoning Force, another horse that I had bought,” Casse said. “He was a Kentucky-bred and it was the same idea as this (filly). [Reckoning Force] was a maiden and we ran him back here.
“Now, Joseph and I are really good friends and we do a lot of pinhooking, racing or buying horses here or there together. It’s great to be a part of such a revered program.”
Qatar Racing’s Conflict, sent off as the race favorite, rated last early on and tipped out late but could do no better than fourth.
“Broke slow, she found herself far back” said Flavien Prat, jockey of Conflict. “She made a run, but not enough.”
Dazzling was fifth followed by Smoke, Early Autumn, Cardio Cat, and Casablanca Queen.
Out of the Tale of the Cat mare California Spirit, who is a half-sister to multiple Graded stakes-winner Protonico, Citrus Springs may not be done making herself known at home as both Halford and Casse indicated she would remain stateside.
“I’m not too sure where she goes from here,” Halford said. “Mr. Reeves wants to keep her here in America, so we’ll sit down after this and I’m sure he’ll make a plan and do what’s best for her.”
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On Kentucky HBPA Youtube: Hear from Keith Asmussen and his father-in-law Patrick Biancone
Green With MV Stable and Patrick L. Biancone Racing’s Laigina earned her first stakes victory against a field of 12 in Labor Day Monday’s $250,000 Lucky Lantern, a 6 ½-furlong test at Kentucky Downs for 3-year-old fillies which have never won a sweepstakes.
Trained and co-owned by Patrick Biancone, the father-in-law of winning jockey Keith Asmussen, Laigina earned her first victory since defeating winners at Gulfstream Park in February. Since then, the daughter of Leinster secured three stakes placings, including a pair of second-place finishes in the Honey Ryder in May and the last-out Miss Gracie on August 22 – both one mile events at Gulfstream Park.
Breaking from post 4, Laigina took towards the rear of the field early on while Lit Ship, a Kentucky Downs maiden winner last meet, set the early tempo through an opening quarter-mile in 22.55 and the half in 45.41 over the firm turf. Moving five wide approaching the mistretch, Laigina took command within the final sixteenth to win by 1 ¼ lengths in a final time of 1:16.05.
Snappy Comeback finished another half-length ahead of third-place finisher Faye’s Gold. Completing the order of finish were Lit Ship, Carolyncaroline, Epic Lady Luck, Just a Minute, Scratch It, Pillar of Beauty, Mon Reve, Spa Prospector, and Oscar’s Encore.
“The filly handled the course beautifully. She’d been galloping in the morning here with [wife] Andie [Biancone] and I’ve been watching her train. It looked like she really handled the gyrations of the course,” Asmussen said. “Down the hill, she seemed to really love it. Admittedly today it was 6 ½ furlongs and she was coming out of some two-turn races. I still did anticipate her being a little closer to the front. But they were rolling and doing a lot of the front end. So I don’t think I was overly concerned about my position. I was tracking off inside the 11 horse [Pillar of Beauty] so I could kind of slipstream and it turned out exactly like that. It’s awesome when a plan comes together.”
Returning $46.35 for a $5 win wager, Laigina upped her lifetime earnings to $304,710 through an 11-3-3-1 record.
