Southern California invader Phantom Boss inched clear in the final eighth of a mile to win Saturday’s 118th running of the $125,000 Bashford Manor (Grade III) on closing day at Churchill Downs’ 38-day Spring Meet to beat Rowdy Yates by three-quarters of a length.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Phantom Boss ran six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:10.78 for trainer Jorge Periban and owners Bada Beng Racing, Tom Beckerle, Terry Lovingier and Amanda Navarro.

Phantom Boss broke alertly from post position No. 1 but he settled nicely behind early leaders Verb and Rowdy Yates. Before the pacesetters hit the first quarter-mile marker in :21.84, Phantom Boss switched to an outside tracking position in third with Snell Yeah just to his inside. Leaving the turn in :45.51, Phantom Boss made a four-wide move to draw even with the bunch. He inched away with a furlong to run and proved to be best.

“I always believed in this horse since I started working him as a baby,” said Bejarano. “He has always been so intelligent ever since I got on him. He debuted for maiden special weight in open company and ran an awesome race. The one thing that has been so special about this horse is not only has he been improving in his performances on the track but he’s been improving mentally. Today, breaking on the rail, I knew there would be some speed to my outside. We were able to sit a great trip just behind them and get around them at the top of the lane.”

Phantom Boss’ triumph was worth $75,950 and increased his bankroll to $131,850 with a record of two wins and a second in three starts. Previously, he broke his maiden at Santa Anita with an easy 2 ½-length score in a California-bred maiden special weight.

Phantom Boss is a 2-year-old son of 2011 Preakness (GI) and 2012 Clark Handicap (GI) winner Shacklefordout of the Street Boss mare Bossy Belle. He was bred in California by Lovingier.

“I told my wife this is the best place in the world to be,” said Periban. “It is such a beautiful track and I hope to be back here in the spring. When we debuted this horse in open company and he only got beat a nose I knew we had something special. I told the owners that he could have a very bright future. Today’s performance was unbelievable. I love Kentucky and can’t wait to come back.”

Phantom Boss returned $5, $2.80 and $2.20 as the 3-2 favorite. The Steve Asmussen-trained Rowdy Yates, second under Ricardo Santana Jr. as the 8-5 second choice, paid $3.20 and $2.60 and finished two lengths in front of Verb who paid $3.20 to show under James Graham at 5-1.

Silent Malice, Snell Yeah and Rookie Salsa completed the order of finish. Alec and Arthur missed the start and was distanced. Jamming Cameron and Finnick the Fierce were scratched.

First run in 1902, the Bashford Manor is named for the former Louisville Thoroughbred breeding and racing farm that dominated the American racing scene in the early 1900s. George J. Long, a wealthy foundry owner, purchased Bashford Manor Farm in 1887 and developed his Thoroughbred operation that provided him two Derby wins as an owner, 1892 (Azra) and 1906 (Sir Huon), and three as a breeder, 1892 (Azra), 1899 (Manuel) and 1906 (Sir Huon). In addition, Bashford Manor also won the Kentucky Oaks in 1894 (Selika) and 1915 (Kathleen). The original Wilder family owned Bashford Manor. The Wilders were direct descendants of Lord Baltimore, whose English home was also called Bashford Manor. Long died in 1930 and the farm was eventually sold in 1973 to make way for the development of a mall complex, fittingly named Bashford Manor, that formally closed in 2003.

The Bashford Manor was the last of three stakes races on Saturday’s closing day card at Churchill Downs.

Earlier, heavily-favored Magic Dance collared California invader Cholula Lips with a furlong to run and won the 119th running of the $125,000 Debutante (Listed) for 2-year-old fillies by 1 ½ lengths. She clocked six furlongs in 1:10.26. Ricardo Santana Jr. rode the winner for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and Goncalo Torrealba’s Three Chimneys Farm LLC.

In the 10th running of the $120,600 Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes, recent $62,500 claim Line Judge returned immediate dividends to owner Tom Kagele and trainer Peter Miller with a 3 ¼-length romp over Transatlantic Kiss by running seven furlongs in a stakes record 1:21.35 under leading rider Corey Lanerie.

Lanerie was the Spring Meet’s leading rider for the 17th time with 43 wins, 14 more than runner-up Miguel Mena. Steve Asmussen collected his record-extending 21st crown as Churchill Downs’ champion trainer with 28 victories, 10 more than Eddie Kenneally. There was a three-way tie for leading owner between Calumet Farm (10th local title), Maggi Moss (sixth local title) and the track’s all-time win leaders Ken and Sarah Ramsey (record-extending 32nd local title) with six wins apiece.

Racing in Kentucky will shift to Ellis Park on Sunday. Action at Churchill Downs will return Friday, Sept. 13 for the seventh annual 11-date September Meeting, which will continue through Sept. 29.

Terry Lovingier made the trip to Kentucky to watch two of his homebred juveniles compete in stakes June 29 at Churchill Downs.

The owner of Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs, Calif., said he would have been happy if Phantom Boss and Cholula Lips had finished in the top three, but the California-breds made it a bumper weekend.

Phantom Boss lived up to his favoritism and scored in the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) despite being bumped multiple times, and Cholula Lips was a strong second to Magic Dance after dueling near the lead in the Debutante Stakes.

“I thought ‘Cholula’ ran lights out against that really good filly, because that filly’s like a Breeders’ Cup filly. She’s really good,” Lovingier said. “‘Cholula’ moved way forward, and I loved her gallop out. If you watch the gallop out, she galloped right on past the other horse. I think ‘Cholula’ ran just really, really big. Phantom Boss is just a super good horse.”

While the top finishes made for a thrilling weekend, it was the experience of watching horses he raised and sharing the moment with his racing partners that topped Lovingier’s day.

“We’re super excited, super happy, and there’s nothing better than breeding them and foaling them and raising them,” Lovingier said. “If you can’t get them sold at market, then put partners in and run them. I get more of a thrill out of that than anything.”

Lovingier also enjoyed sharing Phantom Boss’ winning moment with Jan Loftus, who’s worked at Churchill Downs for 65 years.

“I think one of the more exciting things was to have Jan the server get in the picture with us,” Lovingier said. “I get amazed by people when I meet someone like her. Jan, our server in the stakes room, has seen 64 Kentucky Derbys. That’s how long she’s been there, and I think that impressed me as much as anything.”

Phantom Boss, co-owned with Bada Beng Racing, Tom Beckerle, and Amanda Navarro, was making his third start in the Bashford Manor. The flashy Shackleford colt trained by Jorge Periban broke his maiden June 2 by 2 1/2 lengths after leading every step in a maiden special weight for California-breds. That effort followed a neck defeat in his debut May 19 in open company. Both races were 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Park. Phantom Boss stretched out to six furlongs for the Bashford Manor and eked out a three-quarter-length victory in 1:10.78 from off the pace after being bumped at both the three-eighths and five-sixteenths poles.

Phantom Boss is out of the Street Boss  mare Bossy Belle, whom Lovingier purchased after she went through the ring at the 2016 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale without a bid.

“She was in a little bit of bad shape, and she looks marvelous now,” Lovingier said. “If you saw her now, it’s like she just blossomed into a beautiful, really, really nice mare at the ranch. Her numbers were good enough to where I went ahead and picked her up, and I had a breeding to Shackleford and I liked the cross. She’s a little bit sort of a stockier horse, and I wanted to put a little bit more range on her with Shackleford, and he certainly did that with Phantom Boss.”

Lovingier said the Aug. 10 Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar could be the next spot for Phantom Boss.

The Bashford Manor victory came one race after Cholula Lips, an Empire Way filly also co-owned by Navarro, dueled near the lead in the Debutante Stakes and held for second as heavily favored Magic Dance came from off the pace to complete six furlongs in 1:10.26. The Mike Harrington trainee was making her second start after winning by 3 1/4 lengths May 24 against fellow California-breds sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita.

Cholula Lips is out of the Rio Verde mare Sweet Lips Pooh, another homebred Lovingier raced with partners. In 2016, Sweet Lips Pooh was bred to Empire Way, who stood at Lovacres Ranch at the time. Lovingier consigned Cholula Lips at the California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association January Mixed Sale this year, but she did not reach her $3,700 reserve price.

Lovingier said her pedigree kept her from selling at the time. However, he was impressed by her physical and saw a girthy filly with a great shoulder.

“I always look at the horse first. Frankly, looking at her, I thought she was probably at least a $10,000 to $15,000 horse because she was that good of an individual,” he said. “The rest of the industry, the buyers, didn’t think so. They looked at her pedigree and they backed off of her. But the truth is, she’s actually a really pretty filly.”

Lovingier suspects Cholula Lips will be a tough competitor against other California-breds during Del Mar’s upcoming meet, which begins July 17.

Unchain Her Heart sold for $ 140,000 as a yearling and is out of Courting Elaine, a half-sister to Wise Dan.

Congratulations to trainer Brian Koriner and owners, Blinkers On Stable, Pate, or Neal Et Al.

ARCADIA, Calif. (May 10, 2019)—In the first 2-year-old race of the year at Santa Anita, Terry Lovingier’s homebred Roses for Laura registered an impressed three-length victory, as she got 4 ½ furlongs under Edgar Payeras in 54.18. Trained by Gary Sherlock, Roses for Laura is one of 25 juveniles owned in-part and bred by Lovingier currently on the grounds here at Santa Anita.

Breaking from the rail, Roses for Laura, who is by Time to Get Even, sat a close third while full of run in behind dueling leaders Vegan and Cheap Cheap Cheap. Turning for home, Roses for Laura hugged the fence, took command a furlong out and drew clear late in impressive fashion.

“We liked her from birth,” said Lovingier, who operates Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs, which is located in northern San Diego County. “She’s out of real productive mare and she’s got an older (full) sister, Time for Angie, that made $300,000 ($334,830).”

Off at 7-2 in a field of six California-bred or sired juvenile fillies, Roses for Laura, who is out of the Gold Case mare Amorous Angie, paid $9.80, $3.80 and $2.80.

Owned by Lovingier, Sally and Tom London and Eugene Zondlo, Roses for Laura banked $39,000 for her efforts.
“She had a lotta training, I’ll put it that way,” said Sherlock. “She ran like she’d trained and Edgar rode her perfect. He rode her like she was the best horse because he’s worked her every time.”

Trained by Doug O’Neill and the 4-5 favorite with Mario Gutierrez up, Vegan prevailed by a nose over stablemate Cheap Cheap Cheap and paid $2.60 and $2.10.

With Martin Garcia up, Cheap Cheap Cheap, who was off at 5-1, paid $2.60 to show while finishing 4 ¼ lengths clear of A Dream Is a Wish.

Fractions on the race were 22.99 and 47.80