Further Ado proved himself the best of a classy field with his two-length victory in the $500,000 Matt Winn S. (G3) Sunday at Churchill Downs, the third graded stakes win for the 3-year-old Gun Runner colt.
Just 30 minutes after Further Ado’s stellar win, Gun Runner’s day at Churchill Downs even better when the regally-bred Leading Change rolled to a 6 ¾-length maiden special weight win to become Gun Runner’s 24th lifetime TDN ‘Rising Star’. The $800,000 Keeneland September 2024 yearling is owned by Wathnan Racing and was bred by WinStar Farm, LLC. Leading Change is a half-brother to Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil.
The Matt Winn featured four horses that were entered in last month’s Kentucky Derby (G1), including Further Ado. After a less than an ideal start in the Run for the Roses, Further Ado broke very alertly on Sunday and tracked outside of Pavlovian, just a length back, through the first five furlongs. Further Ado coasted past Pavlovian midway on the final turn. Further Ado opened up a two-length lead at the top of the stretch and held that margin the rest of the way.
Further Ado’s final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:41.26, the second-fastest Matt Winn only behind his sire’s 1:41.12 in 2016.
“He broke very well today, which is something he didn’t do quite as well in the Derby,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “He was able to put himself right into the race and he finished up very well with a big run.”
Further Ado is likely to stretch back out to nine furlongs for his next start, according to Cox.
“We’ve had this race as a target after the Derby and he came into it training well,” Cox said of the Winn. “We felt like this was a good steppingstone to try something like the Haskell at Monmouth next.”
Further Ado is now 4-1-1 in eight starts, with earnings of $1,446,958. Prior to Sunday’s win, his previous stakes wins came in the Blue Grass S. (G1), which he won by 11 lengths, and the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2).
