Irap became Tiznow’s eighth millionaire on Saturday when the 3-year-old colt rallied to win the $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3) by a nose over multiple graded stakes winner Girvin.
Irap, who won the Blue Grass S. (G2) in April, has now earned $1,072,600 for owner Reddam Racing and trainer Doug O’Neill. Irap’s win also pushed Tiznow’s lifetime progeny earnings past the $75 million mark and is one of Tiznow’s 10 stakes horses this year.
Irap had the inside post in the field of nine and broke on top, but settled back into fifth along the rail around the first turn. Fast and Accurate set the pace for the first half-mile, with Irap about three lengths off the lead between horses. The pacesetter quickly retreated after five furlongs, with Girvin and Game Over head and head for the lead with a quarter-mile to run.
Irap was advancing on the outside, and the final furlong came down to a battle between him and Girvin. In an incredibly tight finish, Irap got up in the final stride to win by a nose in 1:50.48 for the 1 1/8-miles on a fast track.
“He broke good and we had good position,” said Irap’s rider Julien Leparoux. “I was a little farther back in the first turn [than expected], but I was right behind Mike Smith [on Girvin], and I knew that was the right horse to follow. He’st he kind of horse you have to ask pretty early, because he has that long, long stride, so I was able to get him going early and got there on time. I didn’t know that I’d won, it was so close.”
Irap has now won or placed in five stakes, including the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1).
Pedigree Notes from the TDN:
Irap is the last produce for the Quebec-bred Silken Cat, Canada’s Sovereign Award-winning juvenile filly of 1995, whose first foal, the meticulously managed Speightstown (Gone West), won the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter in 2004 and has since become a sire of considerable import. Speightstown is one of four of Silken Cat’s offspring to summon seven figures as a yearling, selling for $2 million at the 1999 Keeneland July sale. The others were Tigerline, a $1.4 million 2003 FTSAUG buy; Cableknit, a $1.7 million 2008 KEESEP purchase; and Amour d=Ete (Tiznow), a $1.75 million 2013 KEESEP buy. Silken Cat passed away in March 2016.
