Take Charge Star gives Spencer sweep of Monday’s graded stakes

Stakes recap by Kentucky Downs’ publicity team (Coady Media photos)

On Kentucky HBPA Youtube: Hear from Take Charge Star’s trainer, jockey and owner

FRANKLIN, KY (September 7, 2026) – Maribeth Sandford’s Take Charge Star provided jockey Jamie Spencer with back-to-back graded stakes wins, as the duo stormed from last to first for a 1 3/4-length win in the $1.5 million The Mint Franklin-Simpson Stakes for 3-year-olds sprinting on the turf on Monday at Kentucky Downs.

One race prior, Spencer was aboard the globe-trotting Haatem to win the Grade 3, $2 million Mint Millions Invitational. He then hopped aboard another raider, Irish-born Take Charge Star, a Starspangledbanner colt making his first start in the U.S. after facing top company in Europe. The colt had been eighth while testing a mile in a European classic, the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas in May. Cut back to shorter distances by trainer John Murtagh, he was second by a neck in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at the renowned Royal Ascot meeting in June – to Thesecretadversary, who bounced straight out to win a Group 1 in France – and then was fourth to top-class competition in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest on August 9 in France.

“He’s a fast horse,” Murtagh said. “We had run him over a mile early in the year, and we thought he would stay a mile and we thought he was a Group 1 horse in the making. Going to Royal Ascot, we dropped him back to seven [furlongs] and he ran very well. He was a little bit unlucky the last time at Deauville. They went very slow. He went to the front, and pulled up a little bit in front.”

A big field of 12 sophomores started the 6 ½-furlong Franklin-Simpson near the crest of the Kentucky Downs course, swinging right before sweeping into the far turn, and as a result of both the field shape and course configuration, there was plenty of early interest. It was Honey Dutch who emerged from the scramble to scoot through an opening quarter in 22.05 seconds. Meanwhile, Take Charge Star, lacking the gate speed of the Americans, was last of the 12 through that opening quarter.

Honey Dutch continued to whistle along through the half-mile in 44.23 seconds, leading by 2 ½ lengths, with Obliteration, a head in front of Throckmorton, closest. Take Charge Star was still last at that point, and Spencer appeared to be looking for an inland route, despite the prospect of the field bunching up.

“He broke just okay,” Spencer said. “He wasn’t really traveling early, but once I got to the bottom of the hill I was a long way back, but I was going to have to chance it going inside.”

Coming to the upper stretch, the pace took its toll, as Honey Dutch began to visibly shorten stride. A pack of four challengers stacked up on near-even terms rallying on his outside, with second choice Alpyland, widest of all, briefly sticking a head in front as seven horses were within about a length of one another. Meanwhile, with Honey Dutch leaving room on the rail, Take Charge Star continued to advance inside, with Oscar’s Hope scraping the paint to rally.

It was Take Charge Star who burst out of this pack of challengers and quickly cleared, opening 1 ¾ lengths to the line.

“That’s Jamie at his best,” Murtagh said. “You can see by the way he finished, he’s a horse with a really good turn of foot.”

Meanwhile, Spencer, who used to face Murtagh in the gate during the trainer’s own riding days, complimented, “Johnny is a great guy and a tough competitor. It’s easier to be riding for him than riding against him.”

The final time for the 6 ½ furlongs on the firm turf in 1:15.45. Sent away favored, Take Charge Star returned $16.50 on the $5 minimum win wager.

Two Out Hero was second by a head over Alpyland, a consistent gelding who has won four stakes this year.

“[Jockey] Javier [Castellano] said that he ran well,” Mark Casse, Hall of Fame trainer of the third-place finisher, said. “He said he wants me to try blinkers on him, that he kind of loses focus. He said he moved up like he was going to run, and he’s done that before. But it’s tough when you win as many races as he has to put blinkers on him. But maybe we’ll try it. He ran good though, I was proud of him.”

In the tight race for the minor awards, Alpyland was third by three-quarters of a length over Oscar’s Hope, who was fourth by a neck over Blinging It Back. They were followed, in order, by Obliteration, Learntodiscover, Throckmorton, Honey Dutch, Immortalised, Hey Nay Nay, and Vasy.

With this victory, Take Charge Star has established himself as a candidate to stretch back out for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile on October 31 at Keeneland.

“Would he stay a mile in America? He just might,” Murtagh said, adding, “The owners are from that area, so they’d be keen on that. I think he’s a horse that’s capable of running a big race in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.”