It was a Claiborne freshman sire exacta at Kentucky Downs on Saturday when DEMARCHELIER’s (GB) Double Your Money finished a nose in front of CATHOLIC BOY’s Thomas Aquinas in a Maiden Special Weight.
Tackling the unique one-mile course in southern Kentucky, Double Your Money was first out of the gate before Keith Asmussen wrangled him back to let Thomas Aquinas join him on the inside. The pair pushed each other throughout with Double Your Money grabbing a clear advantage going into the turn but Thomas Aquinas was never far behind.
Asmussen started hustling Double Your Money as the field started the stretch run and the colt quickly started pulling away as Thomas Aquinas tried to stay with him. Double Your Money looked like he was home free in the final sixteenth but Thomas Aquinas put on a final burst to close the two lengths he’d lost to the winner near the line and failed to get the lead by only a nose.
Trained by Brian Lynch, Double Your Money was making his second start in the race after finishing third on debut at Ellis Park on August 19. The colt races for Boardshorts Stable and was bred by BHMFR in Kentucky.
Double Your Money is the seventh winner from eight to race out of the stakes placed Aesculus. That mare joins Spanish champion Plantagenet as stakes performers out of the stakes winning Crafty Buzz with one of Aesculus’s half-sisters producing the stakes winning Lyzbeth. This is also the family of Grade 2 winners Josh’s Madelyn and Upstart among others.
DEMARCHELIER (GB) is now the sire of seven winners, putting him eighth best among all freshmen sires. CATHOLIC BOY is the sire of four winners and two stakes performers – one of which is also a winner – with 17 of his other runners hitting the board at least once.