Arrieta’s 6-win day includes Banishing repeat in Jeff Hall
Coady Media/Pumita Rodriguez photo above after Banishing gives Francisco Arrieta his sixth win Saturday at Ellis Park
HENDERSON, Ky. (Saturday, July 18, 2026) – Giving jockey Francisco Arrieta his sixth win on the nine-race card, Banishing denied two-time winner Here Mi Song’s bid for an unprecedented third Jeff Hall Memorial (Listed) title while successfully defending his own in Saturday’s fifth running of the $175,000 stakes at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming.
The Ellis Park record for most wins on a card is seven, set in 1993 by Willie Martinez.
With the $104,584 payday for defeating the late-running Dreaminblue by a length, Banishing topped $3 million in earnings at $3,102,989.
After finishing third in Saturday’s first race, Arrieta swept his remaining mounts in races 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, which was the stakes. He takes a 15-10 lead (out of in the jockey standings over Ben Curtis, who rode at Del Mar Saturday. Arrieta also won the co-featured Dade Park Dash aboard Two Seven O on the July 4 meet-opening card. The jockey also has eight seconds and seven thirds out of his 50 mounts, while his $893,449 in purses easily tops the standings.
Banishing is trained by David Jacobson, who co-owns the 6-year-old gelding with Jacobson Racing, Saraf Mohammed Al Hariri and Larry Roman. The gelding finished 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.52 over the fast main track.
Zero Sugar broke alertly and got the first call of the race but was quickly joined by Banishing to his inside and Speed King to his outside. Following an opening quarter-mile in :22.40, two-time Jeff Hall Memorial winner Here Mi Song shot through an opening along the rail to join Banishing on the lead. The two dueled into the stretch before Banishing shook clear of Here Mi Song at the eighth pole and held off a late charge from Dreaminblue to win by a length.
It was three-quarters of a length back to Here Mi Song in third. He was followed by Echo Again, Dr. Saikali, Track Mate, Zero Sugar, Speed King and Bourbon Bash.
Sent off as the 6-5 favorite, Banishing returned $4.62.
Banishing’s 11 victories out of 31 career starts include winning the $1 million, Grade 2 Charles Town Classic after last year’s Jeff Hall victory. The Ghostzapper gelding started 2026 with a sixth place finish in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream. Sent to the Middle East, he was eighth in the $20 million Saudi Cup but six weeks later won the Grade 2 Godolphin Mile in Dubai.
The Jeff Hall was Banishing’s first start since he was pulled up in the stretch of the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Banishing is out of the A.P. Indy mare Dowager. He was bred in Kentucky by Godolphin. He was sold to Roman for $80,000 at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky’s 2024 Horses of Racing Age sale. Last year he won the Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile between seconds in Oaklawn Park’s Razerback (G3) and Oaklawn Park Handicap (G2). To get an idea of the company he’s been keeping, Banishing was second in the G1 Churchill Downs in his next start in a four-way photo won by Mindframe, with Nysos third and Book’em Danno fourth.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Ellis Park with a first post of 11:50 a.m. CT.
