BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Roll On Big Joe improved his Churchill Downs record to three wins in four starts this year and won his third stakes in 2025 with a convincing victory in the $269,500 Bet On Sunshine Stakes under the Twin Spires on Saturday. With Julien Leparoux in the irons, Roll On Big Joe ran off to a four-and-a-half-length score in the six-furlong contest for seven 3-year-olds and older.
Roll On Big Joe broke best from post five but Glengarry, a multiple stakes-winner at Prairie Meadows this summer, sprinted to a clear lead down the backstretch as Roll On Big Joe shuffled in second with between Ajhaayb and Durante. Leparoux eased Roll on Big Joe alongside Glengarry past the half-mile marker after a :22.38 quarter mile then allowed the big gray to take him to the lead past the quarter pole. Roll On Big Joe kicked clear at the top of the stretch and was four-lengths in front mid-stretch before easily racing to the finish in 1:09.58 on the fast track.
Mondogetsbuckets was second, a length-and-half clear of Durante in third. Surveilance, Ajaayb, Champlin and Glengarry finished in that order.
“He was traveling great the entire race for me,” Leparoux said. “He relaxed beautifully. I wanted to get him started early, but not too early. He just exploded and finished up very well at the end.”
Sent postward as the 5-2 favorite, Roll On Big Joe paid $7.12 to win.
Roll on Big Joe is trained by Robert Hess Jr. for Rancho Temescal LLC, Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners, White Fence LLC and Richard Hale Jr.
A winner of a second level, $80,000 optional claiming in January and the Grade 3 Palos Verdes in February at Santa Anita, Roll On Big Joe also won a $175,000 optional claiming in May and the Grade 3 Kellys Landing in June at Churchill Downs. In his last two starts, he was fifth in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby won by Lovesick Blues at Del Mar in July and fourth in the $267,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society (Listed) won by Florida-bred Bentornato, who a few minutes earlier won the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
Roll On Big Joe increased his career earnings to $666,425 from eight wins, six seconds and a third from 21 races. Rancho Temescal selected him out of the Gayle Woods consignment at the 2022 Ocala Breeders’ Sales June Sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age.
He is by Prospective out of Nina’s Gift, by Victory Gallop and was bred in Florida by Max Ubide. Nina’s Gift has produced five starters, all winners, from six foals with Roll On Big Joe her only stakes winner.
The Bet On Sunshine is named for the 13-time stakes winning Florida-bred sprinter who won back-to-back runnings of the Aristides Handicap (G3). Trained by Paul McGee, Bet On Sunshine posted a record of 22-7-10 and $1,449,892 from 47 starts between 1995-2002 for owner David P. Holloway Racing Inc. The son of Bet Big finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) twice behind Elmhurst and Hesabull in 1997 at Hollywood Park and behind Kona Gold and the filly Honest Lady in 2000 at Churchill Downs. He also ran in the 2001 Sprint but finished 13th. Bet On Sunshine won eight of 20 starts at Churchill Downs with four seconds and four thirds. He earned $1,449,882 in his career from 22 wins in 47 starts with seven seconds and 10 thirds.
— A portion of this story was taken directly from a Churchill Downs press release.
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