Though he was making his first stakes start, Ironicus looked like a seasoned black-type veteran as he closed from tenth with a quarter mile to run to capture the $300,000 Dixie S. (G2) under a heady ride by Javier Castellano.
Making his eighth lifetime start, the 4-year-old Distorted Humor colt, a Stuart Janney III homebred, broke from the rail in the crowded 13-horse field. Castellano let the gray Kentucky-bred find his stride early, settling well off the pace near the back of the field.
After the half-mile went in :48.14 seconds, the field began to bunch up on the final turn, with Ironicus still on the rail behind a large group of horses all jockeying for position. Coming into the stretch, the field suddenly fanned almost all the way across the track, and Castellano found an opening along the rail. Spurting through, he went from 10th to second in a matter of strides, with only Cage Fighter to catch.
Castellano swung Ironicus to the outside of the leader, blowing by him and rolling home strongly to win by 2 ¾-lengths in 1:40.53 for the 1 1/16-miles on the firm turf.
“This race set up perfectly for us. In his last race (a Keeneland allowance on April 15), the leader just galloped and he made a run but didn’t have a chance to win,” Castellano said. “The turf was also softer that day. He likes a little harder track and with todays fast pace, it was exactly what we needed.”
Ironicus picked up $180,000 for the win and has now earned $272,790 from a mark of 3-3-1. He is out of the multiple stakes-placed mare Meghan’s Joy and is a half-brother to three graded stakes winners: Hunting, Norumbega, and Quiet Harbor.
With $3.1 million in progeny earnings to date, Distorted Humor ranks in the top 10 on this year’s General Sire list. His five graded stakes winners also ranks fifth on the same list.
