Florida-bred Depeche Chat won his second consecutive race, third in his last four starts and his first added-money event when the 4-year-old gelding won the $60,000 Franklin-Simpson Mile Stakes Saturday at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky.
Sent off with long odds of nearly 14-1, Depeche Chat broke well from post eight and fell into single file behind early leader Taino, who was a length and one-half ahead of Ratatat in second. After running the first four furlongs in a tepid :51.98, Taino had fallen back to third behind Ratatat on the lead with Depeche Chat in second. Ratatat maintained an edge around the far turn but Depeche Chat and jockey B.J. Hernandez Jr. were making their move and had the lead at the top of the stretch. Ratatat and Taino tired to finish seventh and eighth respectively while Depeche Chat went on to win by six and one-half lengths over Uncle Brent in second and San Antone in third. The final time for the mile was 1:51.20 on a turf course labeled as “yielding” after overnight rains had passed through the area.
Bred in Florida by Michelle L. Redding of Ocala, Depeche Chat is by Wildcat Heir, who stands at Journeyman Stud, also located in Ocala. He is trained by George Arnold II for Evan Trommer’s Wind River Stable of Lexington, Ky., which picked up $30,070 for the win. Depeche Chat now has lifetime earnings of $160,787.
Depeche Chat returned a healthy $29.80 for a $2 win ticket, $10.60 to place and $5.40 to show. Uncle Brent paid $11.40 and $7.40 and those two made up a nice $193.90 $1 exacta. San Antone paid $4.00 and with 9-10 favorite Seruni finishing fifth, the $1 trifecta paid $967.70.
Depeche Chat broke his maiden at first asking in November of 2010 at Churchill Downs but then went the next nine races and 16 months without a win. That victory came Apr. 12 at Keeneland against $50,696 allowance horses. He came back in his next start and finished seventh in the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap won by Simmard, before returning to win a $40,000 optional claiming race at Indiana Downs in Shelbyville, Ind.
Depeche Chat is also tied to Marion County as he also passed through the sale ring at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company 2010 June Sale of Two Year Olds in Training where he sold for $85,000 from the consignment of Tony Bowling’s All In Sales.
Photo by Kentucky Downs
