Desvio with John Velazquez wins the Sycamore. (Keeneland photo)
Pick 6 transfers for Saturday increases to $408,658
Keeneland Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Stonelea Stables and Bonnie Rye Stables Detour came from well off the pace at 34-1 to post a half victory over Safe Trip Home to win the 31st running of the $400,000 Sycamore (G2) for 3-year-olds and up on Friday afternoon.
Desvio, trained by Madison Meyers and ridden by John Velazquez, completed 1½ miles on a turf course that was rated good in 2:29.16. The performance marked the first Keeneland win for Meyers and the fifth stakes victory of the Fall Meet for Velazquez, who also won the 2022 Sycamore with Highland Chief (IRE).
Utah Beach led the field of 10, while favored Ohana Honor remained in second place with fractions of :25.49, :50.94, 1:15.26 and 1:39.51, while Desvio raced next to last while getting a ground-saving ride from Velazquez.
The top two remained unchanged throughout, with the first threats coming from Safe Trip Home and Grand Sonata. At the eighth pole, Velazquez tapped Desvio out to make a six-wide move that propelled them past Safe Trip Home at deep stretch.
Desvio, a sales graduate from Keeneland, is a four-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Yoshida (JPN) out of the Uncle Mo mare Fitzrovia. In posting his first stakes victory, Desvio improved his record to 16-4-1-2 and increased his earnings to $479,839 with Friday’s $174,375 check.
Desvio earned the highest win in Sycamore history with $70.90, adding respective place and show payouts of $25.18 and $11.60. Safe Trip Home, ridden by Emmanuel Esquivel, returned $10.36 and $6.68 to finish a length and a half ahead of Utah Beach, who paid $3.28 to show under Jose Ortiz.
It was a long way back to Ohana Honor, with Anglophile, Grand Sonata, Il Siciliano, San Siro, Reiquist and Goldeneye in succession.
Racing continues Saturday with a 10-race schedule beginning at 1 p.m. ET and featuring the 42nd running of the $800,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1), presented by Dixiana for 3-year-old fillies going 1⅛ miles on the turf.
Keeneland is offering a Pick 6 transfer of $408,658.
Quotes from the $400,000 Sycamore (G2) in Keeneland
John Velazquez (winning rider of 34-1 long shot Desvio): “The first part was pretty easy. (Trainer) Madison (Meyers) told me, ‘If you’re going to get going, you’re going to have to ride him. He’s not going to be an easy ride.’ Once I got to the five-eighths pole, I started patting him, patting him, and when I got to the quarter pole I released him and he started running. He got to the lead a little early and started waiting, and I said, ‘No, buddy, we gotta keep running.’ The team has done well to come here. Madison told me he was ready today and he was ready.
Madison Meyers (winning trainer), About the decision to enter the Sycamore with Desvio: “He’s just training better than he has in a while, since around the time of (his win in) the (Listed) Kent (Stakes at Delaware Park in July 2024). He stopped a little bit in the fall, and we had been traveling a lot with him, so we sent him to the farm in the winter and just let him be a horse. (Former jockey and now practice rider) Rob Massey comes in at night. to him in the morning – he had him at his house over the winter – and he came back and was just in great shape.
“A few weeks ago I was looking at long races and we were trying to figure out where you go at this time of year, and Rob said, ‘If you’re going to take a chance, now’s the time because this horse is better than ever before.’ So honestly, we had a kind of very quiet confidence when we came here, because it is Keeneland, and they don’t give away races here.”
About processing winning a certain bet at Keeneland: “It’s going to take a while. This is actually my home track. I’m from Lexington. We’re located in Middleburg, Virginia and in Laurel Park. My husband has a rope there and we move horses in and out of the training center. So it’s going to take a while for this to sink in because we’re from here, growing up here and going to Keeneland.”
Jose Ortiz (rider of third-place Utah Beach): “Broken clean. Going into the first corner everyone was looking at each other. Who’s going? No speed in the race. So I was there. I took the lead. I tried to hold it as long as I could. I felt like the times were very moderate. Very easy. I just couldn’t hold it.”
Did you see the eventual winner Desvio coming from behind? Did you expect that?: “I don’t think anyone did that. That’s why we organize the races: anyone can win.”
Terry Finley, president of West Point Thoroughbreds (co-owner of fourth-place and defeated favorite Ohana Honor): “Flavien (Prat) rode the horse perfectly; he just didn’t shoot quite right today. He wasn’t beaten (very far), he kept grinding. We’ll regroup for his next start. The third start after a layoff is a good handicap corner. There are plenty of spots for him. He’s quality, he looks great, and we just need to get him back in the game.”
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