Top-10 General sire Constitution had a banner day Saturday with Touch of Fire dominating the $275,000 Audubon S. at Churchill Downs and Neat winning a nailbiter in the $100,000 Cliffhanger S. at Monmouth Park.
While Saturday’s victory was the first stakes win for Touch of Fire, Neat was collecting his fifth added-money score in his career.
In the 1 1/8-mile Audubon, Touch of Fire was keen early while travelling in third for the first quarter mile, then settled nicely in second for the backstretch run. He reeled in pacesetter Thousand Sticks, then burst clear from the field at the top of the stretch to win by three lengths as much the best.
A Juddemonte homebred, Touch of Fire is 3-1-0 in four starts and has earned $285,605. The 3-year-old is out of European Group 3 winner Mexican Gold and is the 52nd lifetime northern hemisphere for Constitution.
In the 1 1/16-mile Cliffhanger S., Neat came from well off the pace with a daring rail-skimming move to take the lead in midstretch, then held off a hard-charging Cosmic Year (GB) to win by a neck in 1:41.87 on the firm turf.
Five-year-old Neat counts the Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2), Manila S. (G3) and Transylvania S. (G3) among his five stakes wins. He is on the cusp of millionaire status, with $999,110 in earnings for owners Red White and Blue Racing LLC and CMNWLTH.
Neat was bred in Kentucky by Hidden Brook Farm & Spruce Lane Farm an sold for $200,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.
