Juddmonte's blue-blooded homebred, Batten Down, demonstrated his prowess with a wire-to-wire victory in the $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3) on June 22 at Thistledown. This marked his first graded stakes run, proving his mettle against a competitive field.
Despite the presence of heavily favoured Catching Freedom, who had a strong resume with wins in the Louisiana Derby, a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1), and a third in the Preakness Stakes (G1), Batten Down outperformed expectations. Catching Freedom, a Constitution colt known for his stretch-running abilities, attempted an early move against Batten Down but ultimately finished fourth. Copper Tax, from Rose Petal Stable, overtook Catching Freedom for third place.
Batten Down, a 3-year-old colt by Tapit out of Juddmonte's champion older female Close Hatches, boasts a stellar pedigree. He is a full sibling to classic-placed, multiple grade 2 winner Tacitus and the impressive 2024 Shawnee Stakes (G3) winner Scylla. Tacitus stands for $10,000 at Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and his first crop of yearlings debuted in 2024.
Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, Batten Down entered the Ohio Derby following an 8 3/4-length maiden win on April 30 at Churchill Downs over 1 1/4 miles. That performance had put him under consideration for the Belmont Stakes (G1), but Juddmonte and Mott opted for the Ohio Derby for his fifth career start.
The Ohio Derby field was reduced to six runners after the race day scratches of Frizzante, Deposition, Who's the King, and Mugatu. Starting from the outside post, Batten Down broke slightly outward, but quickly corrected and sped to the front with an impressive opening quarter in :22.86. He maintained a five-length lead by the half-mile mark, clocking in at :46.82.
Gould's Gold, trained by Ken McPeek and co-owned by McPeek's Magdalena Racing along with 4G Racing and Lance Gasaway (part owners of Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan), was Batten Down's closest contender throughout the race. Despite staying on his left lead for much of the stretch run, Batten Down straightened late to secure a 1 3/4-length victory over Gould's Gold. He completed the 1 1/8-mile race on fast dirt in 1:50.20 and paid $8.60 to win.
Tapit, the sire of Batten Down and now the sire of 103 graded black-type winners, stands at Gainesway in Lexington for $185,000.