It was a runaway performance in the Bourbon Flight Stakes for TAPIT’s Batten Down on Saturday when the colt easily outclassed the field to win by 5 ¾ lengths.
The Juddmonte homebred was one of the horses challenging for the lead early in the 1 3/16-mile dirt race and stayed in contact with the field early on. With five furlongs left to run, Batten Down was ready to make a serious move and started to pull away from the field with Junior Alvarado looking supremely confident while glancing around.
Batten Down looked like he was out for a breeze down the stretch when pulling away to win by 5 ¾ lengths without ever being asked.
What a performance by #3 BATTEN DOWN!
The son of Tapit strolls home in the $300,000 Bourbon Flight Stakes at Churchill Downs. @JuniorandKellyA up on the @JuddmonteFarms runner. pic.twitter.com/WSvr2VS6jm
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 21, 2024
Trained by Bill Mott, Batten Down has won two of his four stakes appearances with a victory in the Ohio Derby (G3) as well.
He is one of three stakes winners by TAPIT out of 2014 Champion Older Dirt Female Close Hatches, who also produced this year’s Fleur de Lis S. (G2) winner Scylla and multiple graded stakes winner and six-time Grade 1-placed Tacitus.
Close Hatches is also a half-sister to TAPIT’s stakes placed Hail and a full sister to stakes winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Lockdown, who produced last year’s Champion Older Dirt Female Idiomatic.
This is the second stakes winner of the month for TAPIT, whose daughter May Day Ready won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies two weeks ago.