McCraken Back to Normal in G3 Matt Winn Victory

LOUISVILLE, KY – Fresh off of a disappointing eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC’s multiple stakes-winning homebred colt McCraken overcame an awkward start to comfortably win Saturday night’s 20th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs by 2 1/4 lengths.

Ridden by Brian Hernandez, Jr., and trained by Ian Wilkes, McCraken returned to the winner’s circle by running 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.84.

This marked the third time that Wilkes has won the Matt Winn. He also won the race in 2012 with Neck ‘n Neck and the 2015 renewal with Island Town.

McCraken, breaking from post 2 in the field of six 3-year-olds, lost his footing when the gates sprung open, which allowed the colt to settle about 9 1/2 lengths behind early leader Aquamarine, who led the cast through a first 1/4 mile in :23.58 and the 1/2 mile in :47.48. McCraken made a bold four-wide move on the far turn, drew even with leaders Aquamarine, Mo’s Mojo, and Colonelsdarktemper, and spurted clear at the 1/16 pole to beat the latter.

The victory was worth $61,380 and boosted McCraken’s bankroll to $472,228 with a record of 7-5-0-1. The Matt Winn was McCraken’s fourth stakes win. He emerged from the Derby with a cut on his left hind leg that likely occurred during a bumping incident shortly after the start of the race.

The bay colt followed a Street Sense Overnight Stakes win at Churchill Downs last fall with victories in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, also at Churchill Downs, and the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay before finishing third in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Blue Grass prior to the Derby.

“Today, he was kind of back to his old self, where he got into a nice rhythm around there,” said Hernandez, Jr. “He wasn’t wanting to overdo it the first part, and then he just kind of built his confidence up as he went. He went on by those horses pretty easily and thought he kind of did it the right way. You always hear it, but it was actually the perfect race that you’re looking for for a horse coming back.”

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McCraken, whose 123 pounds carried was five more than his rivals, won as the odds-on 1-5 favorite. Colonelsdarktemper, ridden by Jon Court, finished 3/4 of a length in front of Society Beau, who took third under Robby Albarado.

It was another half-length back to Mo’s Mojo in fourth, with Excitations and Aquamarine completing the order of finish.

McCraken is a Kentucky-bred son of Ghostzapper out of the Seeking the Gold mare Ivory Empress. He was bred by his owner, Janis Whitham.

The Matt Winn honors the famed Churchill Downs president and general manager who served as the driving force in the development of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. He will will be elected into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame as a “Pillar of the Turf” on Aug. 4.

McCraken returned $2.40, $2.10, and $2.10. Colonelsdarktemper brought back $4.60 and $3.60, while Society Beau paid $3.20 to show.

Additional Race Quotes

Trainer Ian Wilkes, McCraken: “I loved that he relaxed (at the start, like he did early in his career). He left there listening to Brian, doing things the right way.

“I didn’t give Brian any instructions. I just told him when I legged him up, ‘You know him. You ride him. Ride with some confidence.’

“I loved everything about it. He came into the paddock really good today. Behind the gates, he was walking around like he had some confidence about him. And so that was good. And then when he left the gate, he just dropped the bit and listened to Brian. I was very pleased.

Jockey Jon Court, Colonelsdarktemper: “My horse fought on very well. Once we got passed by McCraken, he sort of tried to quit on me, but I roused him pretty well, and he held second, which was great.”

Trainer Jinx Fires, Colonelsdarktemper: “We knew going into the race it would be tough to beat McCraken. Jon gave him a great trip, and I’m proud with how he ran.”

Trainer Neil Howard, Society Beau: “I thought he made a great middle move. If the distance was probably a little bit further, I think we could’ve ran second, but I’m happy with how he ran.”

Churchill Downs