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It is the race season down at Kentucky Downs as the equestrian enthusiasts rush to get a look at their favorite equine in action. With its live dates lasting from the 31st of August to the 13th of September, Kentucky Downs is currently home to some notable stakes. Hosting its third showdown of the season, the Kentucky lent grounds to the National Thoroughbred League Dueling Grounds Derby. The Grade 3 equines raced the 1 5/16-mile annual turf eyeing the $1000000 purse and the Dueling Derby title.
With the eye-widening stretch of events on the ground, Sunday’s KY derby etched on to be a memorable one. Turning the meet exciting, the English Channel’s 3-year-old colt performed to weigh down on the favorite, turning the odds in its favor. Catching on the contest, the spectators were in for a treat.
Equestrian Declan lands first victory
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The Kentucky Derby on Sunday had some compelling and promising equines on the start line. However, standing out from the crowd the 3-year-old Colt, Far Bridge was speculated to earn the title. And for better or worse, the results took an interesting turn.
Marking the beginning, Really Good took an early lead into the match. Following him were the Wizard Of Westwood and the Battle Of Normandy. The three equines maintained a suitable length early on. Proceeding into the match, Jockey Declan Cannon took to the rail to ward off the chasing contenders. Through to the first turn, Wizard of Westwood took the lead by 3 lengths, overtaking Really Good and Battle Of Normandy. And, at the same time, Anglophile fell 6 or 7 lengths off the lead right beside Far Bridge.
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The contest went on with Wizard of West leading the chase into the very last furlong; upon entering which the match turned towards a very different sight. Maintaining a steady pace throughout, Far Bridge and Anglophile picked up their ground into the final furlong. Nearing the finish, Anglophile took the lead from the inside while Far Bridge battled the Battle of Normandy from the outside to go head-on with the former.
The intense pacing between the two, however, ended with Declan Cannon manned Anglophile finishing first with 2:o8.93. “It will probably take a day or two to sink in. I’ve never seen those kinds of numbers in front of my name in a card before” Equestrian Declan Connon said, as reported by Daily News.
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Anglophile’s track so far
The chestnut colt made his debut last year with 3 starts to his name and securing a place in the top 3 twice. Proceeding into the current year, Anglophile has had 9 starts with 3 firsts, 1 second, and 2 thirds.
“I think the sky’s the limit for this little guy, especially for these marathon distances. So we’ll just let the dust settle here and we’ll look for bigger and better things down the road”, Trainer Brian Lynch said following the win.
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The 3-year-old has a career earning of $735,599 and is expected to continue to earn more titles in the meets to come.