Calumet Farm enjoyed a fine first Saturday in May as its homebred colt Wild Shot, by farm stallion Trappe Shot, notched his first stakes victory in the G3 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby Day undercard.
Wild Shot overcame pace setter Uncontested at the head of the stretch before cruising to a four-length victory over No Dozing in the $250,000 contest. Trained by Rusty Arnold and ridden by Corey Lanerie, 3-year-old Wild Shot covered the mile on a muddy track in 1:35.67.
“I went in with the mindset to let my horse run his race,” Lanerie said. “I just patiently let him do what he wanted to do. It was a dream ride. When I called on him (at the top of the stretch), he had plenty left.”
The victory was worth $142,600 and increased Wild Shot’s earnings to $318,200 with a record of 8-2-2-2. It was the first stakes victory for Wild Shot, who placed in this year’s G2 Tampa Bay Derby, plus the 2016 G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity.
“We tried the Derby trail and we just didn’t like the two turns so we backed him up,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “His last work was brilliant and he’d done really well. This horse probably will go to New York for the Woody Stephens on Belmont Day. It’s a Grade 1 going seven eighths.”
Wild Shot was produced from the Storm Cat mare Ranter. His sire Trappe Shot is currently ranked the #1 third-crop sire by stakes winners. Trappe Shot, who has sired seven stakes horses in 2017, including other graded stakes horse and Kentucky Derby contender Untrapped, stands for $7,500 at Claiborne.