$35,450,603 Equestrian Trainer’s Cherished Horse Nears Churchill Downs’ All-Time Record with Just One Win to Go

Churchill Downs is all set to host 11 days of the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes. The upcoming match is set to bring in the equestrian community for a captivating mission. Interestingly, the Churchill Downs Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes will carry a purse of $300,000 with 6 equines on the line.

Among the contenders, one of the equines will be racing for more than the rest. Coming Saturday, the audience at Churchill Downs will settle down to watch a speculated record tie-up as the equines head down the start.

Equestrian Community on its toes for the Saturday’s battle

The Tim Glyshaw-trained 20-year-old gelding, Ready Rocket, currently holds a record for 11 times at the Churchill Downs. Now threatening to tie up with the 10-year-old record is a new equine entering the 6 furlongs track on Saturday.

The Bango trained by Greg Foley who is valued at $35,450,603  will be one of the 6 equines to compete. Bango is a 6-year-old gelding with as many as 10 wins at the Churchill Downs. Kentucky has been the equine’s base and home through the summer. According to his trainer, Bango has been regularly training at the Churchill Downs and seems to be doing well.

“He’s doing great and looks like a million bucks,” Foley said according to the Paulick Report. “It would be great for this horse and my owners to have a place in the history books at Churchill Downs. This is our home and the owners have invested a lot into this game. This horse is very special to us.” 

Also Read: “You Couldn’t Hold Her”: Renowned Equestrian’s Latest Update Behind $1,667,857 Worth Horse’s Grade 1 Stakes Victory

The 5 other equines competing at the Churchill Downs include Baytown Bear; Awesome Aaron; Strobe; Gulfstream Way; and Necker Island. With his previous win and ongoing speculations, Bango’s track record is certainly on the audience’s list.

Bango Still Has a Way to Go

The son of Congrats, debuting as a 2-year-old back in 2019, has quite the profile to his name. Having raced 32 starts, some of the tracks raced at by Bango include the Churchill Downs, Ellis Park, Keeneland, and Turfway Park; with the recent win recorded at Ellis Park on July 1st. Further, with wins incurred at Churchill Downs and Turway Park, Bango has had the most successful starts in 2022. As of 2023, the gelding has 13 wins, 4 seconds, and 2 thirds and is entitled to career earnings of $1,275,811.

As the gelding has entered 5th year of his career, fans have wondered about the equine’s retirement. However, in the light of the upcoming event, trainer George Foley has denied any such speculations. According to BloodHorse, Foley said, “As long as he stays healthy and sound as he is right now, knock on wood….He’s 6-years-old, but there’s no reason, you know. We’d love to run him again next year and plan to.”

The news comes as a happy one for most of the fans who await the equine’s further wins, adding to the excitement of Saturday’s Churchill Downs. What do you think? Will Bango be successful in tying the record? And will he continue longer to break it as well?

Watch this story: Equestrian World Mourns as Beloved Equine Tragically Passes at 34