Hit Show fights to the wire to win the Mineshaft Stakes in a gripping stretch duel
Photo: Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges Jr.
From the start, Hit Show refused to back down, gripping a hard-fought victory in the Grade 3, $250,000 Mineshaft Stakes at Fair Grounds. The 2025 Dubai World Cup champion, trained by Brad Cox with Florent Geroux aboard, covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.49—just off Olympiad’s Mineshaft track record of 1:42.01 set in 2022.
“He’s a fighter,” Geroux commented. “When he’s in a battle, he gives his all every step of the way. He’s always been a nice horse. He was on the Kentucky Derby trail as a 3-year-old. Now, as he matures physically and mentally, that growth has helped him elevate his game from his 2-year-old season to today.”
Well away, Hit Show pressed Accelerize early while Time to Win stayed within striking distance behind the pacesetter. After opening splits of 23.53 and 47.04 seconds, Hit Show and Time to Win both advanced at the top of the stretch. Accelerize drifted outward, hampering Time to Win and bringing him face-to-face with Hit Show, but the 6-year-old surged through the final yards to prevail by a head. Time to Win held third.
“Accelerize was the horse to beat coming in,” said assistant trainer Ricky Giannini. “He beat a nice one of ours, Just a Touch, in his previous start. It was a dogfight all the way. We’d love another Dubai World Cup score, and we’re grateful to have had him since he was a two-year-old with Gary and Mary West. Now with Wathnan Racing, we appreciate them keeping him in our care.”
Sent off as the favorite, Hit Show paid $4.20, $3.00, and $2.10. The 6-year-old, owned by Wathnan Racing and bred by Gary and Mary West, improved his career earnings to $9,052,183 and his lifetime record to 24 starts: 12-2-1.
