Patriot Spirit, winner of last year’s Illinois Derby, was a dominant winner of Saturday’s $100,000 Reigh Count S. at Colonial Downs, drawing off with ease in the stretch to take the seven-furlong affair by four lengths.
Patriot Spirit is the ninth North American stakes winner in 2025 for Constitution, who is currently fifth on the General Sire list with over $9.3 million in progeny earnings.
Patriot Spirit and Celtic Contender dueled for the early lead down the backstretch. After a quarter-mile in :22.67, Patriot Spirit began to edge away, and by the time he turned for home, he had a two-length advantage. The bay colt widened from there without being asked and coasted under the wire to stop the timer in 1:21.01 on a fast track.
“I’ve been working him in the mornings, and he did better than what I expected from him,” winning rider Michael Sanchez said. “I think he stepped forward today. He put away those horses like nothing. I was going to try to set up behind the leaders, but he was so much the best today that he went to the lead, ran huge down the stretch, and had so much left past the wire.”
Bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm, the 4-year-old is out of the Game Plan mare Mistical Plan and now has a career record of 14-5-2-1 with $421,210 in lifetime earnings for owner Mellon Patch, Inc.
