2023 Phoenix Stakes Replay Analysis | Hoist The Gold Finally Makes The Grade In Keeneland Sprint Prep

Hoist the Gold won the 2023 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, a “Win & You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The Dallas Stewart trainee won his 1st graded stakes effort in his 24th career start & 9th at the graded stakes level.

Is Hoist the Gold – or anyone else – a legitimate contender at the World Championships? Watch the replay & get the Racing Dudes’ expert analysis, then tell us YOUR thoughts in the Comments section!

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Watch the race replay here:

The press release:

Dream Team One Racing Stable’s Hoist the Gold, receiving a dream trip from jockey John Velazquez, posted a three-quarters of a length victory over favored Nakatomi to win the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix. 

Trained by Dallas Stewart, Hoist the Gold covered the 6 furlongs over a fast main track in 1:09.13. It is the first Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix victory for Stewart and Velazquez. 

Doctor Oscar and Sibelius tore through opening fractions of :21.79 and :44.83 with Hoist the Gold tracking a couple of lengths behind the leaders along the rail. On the turn, Velazquez sent Hoist the Gold three wide after the leaders, hit the front at the three-sixteenths pole and held off all challengers. 

A Keeneland sales graduate, Hoist the Gold is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Mineshaft out of the Tapit mare Tacit Approval. It is the first stakes victory for Hoist the Gold, whose career record is 24-4-6-3 with earnings of $804,547 after adding the winner’s share of $200,725. 

Hoist the Gold returned payoffs of $14.04, $6.86 and $4.06. Nakatomi, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., paid $4.04 and $3.06 and finished a neck in front of Bango, who returned $2.80 to show under Tyler Gaffalione. 

It was another 2 lengths back to Necker Island, who was followed in order by Sibelius, Gulfstream Way, defending champion Manny Wah, Doctor Oscar, Top Gunner, Voodoo Zip and Baytown Bear. 

Quotes:

Dallas Stewart (winning trainer of Hoist the Gold)

“When you show up with a nice horse and a jock (John Velazquez) that’s won five Grade 1s for you, you got a lot of confidence. I didn’t worry about a thing down the backside. It played out perfect. He got him out. The horse loves this track. He came home good, so we know where we’re going November 4: back west (for the Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint-G1). It’s great to be here. It’s a great day. We got a great thing going with horse racing; we just gotta keep rolling.”

John Velazquez (winning rider)

“(Trainer) Dallas Stewart and I talked in the Paddock and I watched his (Hoist the Gold’s) races – seems like when he’s close to the pace he’s much better. So I told him I’m going to come out of there and get him third at least and we’ll have a really good chance. Once I got him back and got behind those two horses I was in a great position where I thought I wanted to be. But I almost messed up a little bit when I asked him a little too much the first sixteenth of a mile.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. (rider of runner-up Nakatomi)

“He was game. He was trying. He gave me everything he had. The winner was the best today. My horse ran a huge race. My horse leaned in, but I kept him straight. It was a good pace in front of me. They put on an honest pace.”

Tyler Gaffalione (rider of third-place finisher Bango)

“The horse did everything I asked him to. He ran as hard as he could – just weren’t able to get the money today.”