Jockey Umberto Rispoli won his second Grade 1 on Memorial
Day when piloting 4-year-old colt Johannes to his first top-level victory in
the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on the turf at Santa Anita.
Rispoli, who two races earlier won the Gamely (G1) on
Anisette, settled Johannes (2-1) in mid-pack of an 11-horse field. They
launched their bid near the quarter pole and reeled in a stubborn Funtastic
Again (11-1), ridden by Frankie Dettori, to score by a half-length. Du Jour,
who went off a slight favorite over Johannes, rallied under Flavien Prat to
finish 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner in third.
Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.
“That was fantastic. I beat my idol,” said Rispoli, 35, who
like Dettori hails from Italy. “I have so much respect for Frankie. Having my
second Gamely and Shoemaker Mile on the same day is just a dream come true.”
Trained by Tim Yakteen, Johannes won with a sharp final time
of 1:33.00.
Funtastic Again led through an opening quarter mile in 22.28
seconds before 31-1 long shot Goliad and Kyle Frey took over and proceeded to
set fractions of 45.50 and 1:09.20 for six furlongs. Funtastic Again, who was
invading from Kentucky for trainer Wesley Ward, seized the lead at the top of
the stretch but could not hold off the oncoming Johannes.
Sired by Nyquist, Johannes is a homebred for Cuyathy. After
losing his first two starts, both on dirt as a 2-year-old in 2022, he was
switched to turf and has lost only once in six starts since.
“He showed talent from the start, but to develop into this? I
didn’t expect it in the early stages, but I’m very thankful for him and
appreciative,” Yakteen said.
Last time out April 4 at Santa Anita, Johannes returned from
an 11-month layoff and won the American Stakes (G3) at one mile on turf. Last
year he won the Baffle Stakes sprinting on the hillside turf course and the
one-mile Pasadena before suffering his only turf loss at Churchill Downs in the
American Turf (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Johannes has an overall record of 9: 5-0-1 with $423,859 in
earnings. He paid $6.40, $4.00 and $3.00. Funtastic Again returned $10.00 and
$6.80. Du Jour, ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Bob Baffert, returned $3.20.