More Than Ready got his second Grade 1 winner of the year Saturday when the 2-year-old colt Daredevil splashed to a 2 ½-length victory in the $500,000 Champagne S. at Belmont Park.
After a six-furlong duel with Holy Boss, Daredevil assumed command at the head of the lane to stride clear and was never seriously threatened in the stretch. The final time for the mile on the sloppy track was 1:36.62.
“He’s a special horse,” said winning rider Javier Castellano. “I worked him last weekend and he was very impressive the way he did it. He didn’t do anything much today; he just galloped along. The one thing I told (trainer) Todd (Pletcher) just now is that he reminded me of Bernardini when he won the Jim Dandy. He just splashed along today; he liked the track. He’ll do whatever you ask him to.”
“Very impressive,” said Pletcher. “We’d never breezed him on an off track, so I was a little concerned running him the first time, but we felt pedigree-wise he would handle it, and he obviously does. He trains like a good horse on fast dirt, too.”
Daredevil, owned by Let’s Go Stable, is now perfect in his two starts following a maiden win at Belmont on Sept. 13. He has earned $345,000. The colt is a half-brother to Donn H. (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Albertus Maximus. Let’s Go purchased the Kentucky-bred for $260,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling sale.
Daredevil joins Room Service, who won both the American Oaks (G1) and Ashland S. (G1) earlier this year, as 2014 Grade 1 winners for More Than Ready. Daredevil is the 18th lifetime Grade 1 winner for his sire.
