Warrant held off the late close of Red Run by a neck to win Wednesday’s $175,000 Isaac Murphy Marathon S. at Churchill Downs.
The victory was the third career stakes win for the 5-year-old son of Constitution, and also made him racing’s newest millionaire with $1,058,893 in career earnings.
The win in Wednesday’s 1 ½-mile contest would not come easy. Warrant came out of the gate without incident and tracked just off the flank of the pacesetter Nest. The pace was moderate, with six furlongs in 1:14.74 and the top two holding their positions.
Entering the last of three turns, Warrant turned up the pressure on Nest, eventually getting by him in upper stretch. Warrant began to edge clear until Red Run came on in deep stretch, when Warrant gave one final surge to get to the wire in front.
The final time on a fast track was 2:31.03
“He’s a horse that I thought would get better with age. I was disappointed in his last race (when third in the Temperence Hill at Oaklawn April 2),” said trainer Brad Cox. “He ran flat that day. He shipped here from Oaklawn and had a good week leading up to this race. He put it all together today.”
Warrant races for his breeder Twin Creeks Racing Stables. His record of 5-5-4 in 16 starts includes stakes wins in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) and Texas Derby. Out of Whisper Number, Warrant is a half-brother to five-time stakes winner Ms Locust Point.
Constitution now has a half-dozen stakes winners in 2023 and has six chances to add to that total over the coming weekend with several entries on the Derby Weekend Friday and Saturday cards, as well as at Belmont and Gulfstream Park.
