Volatile got his first Grade 1 winner in spectacular style on Derby Day when T O Elvis stormed down the stretch to win the $1 million Churchill Downs S. (G1) by 3 ¼-lengths over a star-studded field.
The winning time of 1:20.49 for the seven furlongs was a new stakes record and was only :05 of a second off the track record.
T O Elvis, who had won four races in a row in his native Japan prior to shipping to the States, was three-wide in fourth in the early stages as Macho Music and Knightsbridge battled through a half-mile of :45.03. Still in the three path around the turn, T O Elvis steadily advanced and was within a length of the lead at the top of the stretch. He found another gear with a furlong to go and ran away from the field for the dominant win.
“It’s so special to get a win like this at Churchill Downs. It’s been such a great experience,” said jockey Ryusei Sakai, who finished third aboard Forever Young in the 2024 Derby.
Added trainer Daisuke Takayanagi: “This is a first winner for Japan here. It was a very challenging race but we were able to get it done.”
T O Elivs is owned by Tomoya Ozasa and is now 6-0-3 in nine starts and has earned $1,149,212, making the 4-year-old racing’s newest millionaire.
Bred by Jeff Prunzik & Melissa Prunzik, T O Elvis is out of eight-time stakes winner Stopshoppingdebbie.
