Kentucky Downs: Ancient Rome seeks repeat win in Mint Millions
The defending champ was chilling on Tuesday morning in the barn area at Kentucky Downs.
The 5-year-old Ancient Rome was in a grassy area outside his stall, munching on grass while being attended to by Violet Barton, an assistant to England-based trainer Charlie Hills.
Ancient Rome will try again to win the Grade 3, $2 million Mint Millions on Saturday at Kentucky Downs. Last year, he took it by a half-length while going off at 6-1 odds. This time around, he is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.
“Good,” Barton said when asked what the expectations were heading into the Mint Millions. “He ran really well the last time out, and he likes it here.”
The last time out was the Arlington Million (G1) at Colonial Downs on Aug. 11. He finished third in that race, 2 1/4 lengths behind Nations Pride, who isn’t at Kentucky Downs. Integration, who was second in the Arlington Million, is at the Western Kentucky track, but he is running in the Kentucky Turf Cup (G2). He is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the 1 ½-mile race.
After the Arlington Million, Ancient Rome flew back to Hills’s base at Lambourn in the United Kingdom. He had a few weeks rest then he was back on an airplane bound for the U.S. After a quarantine at Churchill Downs, he arrived at Kentucky Downs earlier this week to get ready for the Mint Millions.
Ancient Rome, a son of the Claiborne Farm stallion War Front, was bred in Kentucky, so he eligible to run for the full purse. The $2 million purse includes $1 million from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund and is available only to horses bred in the commonwealth.
“He shipped really well,” said Barton, who has worked for Mills for four years. “Traveling doesn’t bother him at all. He eats. He drinks. Doesn’t care about it at all.”
Since last year’s Mint Millions, Ancient Rome has gone winless in four starts, and he hasn’t received much respect at the windows. He was 7-1 in the Arlington Million, and those were his shortest odds.
“We were happy with it,” said Barton, who accompanied Ancient Rome to Colonial. “He was stuck a bit far back.”
Before that, he was 18-1 in the Summer Mile Stakes (G2) at Ascot, where he was second, and 28-1 in the Wolferton Stakes, also at Ascot. He finished 20th. In both of those races, he saw soft turf courses. He won the Mint Millions on firm ground.
Barton was on Ancient Rome when he went out for his morning gallop.
“I know him fairly well,” she said. “He is a lovely ride, and he is nice and fresh.”
Barton is also tending to another Hills-trained horse in the Irish-bred Khaadem, an 8-year-old gelding who is the 7-2 morning-line second choice in the wagering behind 6-5 favorite Cogburn in Saturday’s six-furlong Ainsworth Turf Sprint (G2).
He has a career record of 36: 9-2-4. At the six-furlong distance he has six wins in 25 tries. He will be ridden by Jamie Spencer, who also is the jockey for Ancient Rome.
| Post | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last Start / Next Start | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Emmanuel More Than Ready |
6.57 | Entered | |||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 2 |
|
Mountain Bear No Nay Never |
4.45 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 3 |
|
Irish Aces Mshawish |
6.12 |
1st, Big Ass Fans Tapit S. |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, Big Ass Fans Tapit S. |
|||||
| 4 |
|
Cash Equity Toronado |
5.91 |
3rd, KD HCP (09/01/2024-R9) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
3rd, KD HCP (09/01/2024-R9) |
|||||
| 5 |
|
Tut’s Revenge Eskendereya |
4.79 |
1st, KY Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile S. |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, KY Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile S. |
|||||
| 6 |
|
Strong Quality Quality Road |
6.28 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 7 |
|
Funtastic Again Funtastic |
6.60 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 8 |
|
Talk Of The Nation Quality Road |
6.82 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 9 |
|
Reckoning Force Air Force Blue |
3.79 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 10 |
|
Ancient Rome War Front |
6.56 | Entered | ||
|
Last Race Next Race |
||||||
| 11 |
|
Goliad War Front |
5.67 |
1st, KD HCP (09/01/2024-R9) |
Entered | |
|
Last Race Next Race |
1st, KD HCP (09/01/2024-R9) |
|||||
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