KARAKONTIE registered his 10th stakes winner on Saturday when Foreign Relations won the Louisville Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Conor Murphy for Double O Racing, the Gainesway-bred 5-year-old broke a step slow from his outside position before hustling to a spot just a few lengths off the leaders in third. Racing wide under the twin spires on the turf, Foreign Relations was keen under Declan Cannon down the backstretch and was taken up a notch to keep him focused on the job.
When Cannon let his mount go, Foreign Relations took off like a shot and collared the leaders by the top of the stretch before pulling away. A few late runners closed the gap to 1 ½ lengths, but in the end he easily won his second race of the year and took his career earnings to nearly $200,000.
#10 Foreign Relations and @decky_cann take the G3 Louisville S. at Churchill Downs for trainer Conor Murphy! 🏆
The 5-year-old gelding went off at 7/1!
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/wKcQE6BEhq
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 20, 2023
Foreign Relations is one of two winners from two to race out of three-time winner Quest alongside KARAKONTIE’s Guaranteed Speck. Quest is a half-sister to stakes winner Tresorerie, Group 3 placed King Ottokar, and stakes placed and Group 1 fourth place finisher Tresorier.
Quest has a KARAKONTIE 3-year-old named French Lover to come.
In the past four weeks, KARAKONTIE saw daughter Princess Grace win an Australian Group 3 and his Grade 1 winning daughter Spendarella win New York-Bred Horse of the Year and finish second in a Grade 2 in her return to the track on Kentucky Derby day.