Glacius seeks another American triumph in G2 $3 million 1/ST BET Nashville Derby Invitational

A field of 12 has been assembled for Saturday’s Grade 2, $3 million 1/ST BET Nashville Derby Invitational, where Grade 1-winner Glacius will seek to give Great Britain their second straight victory in the 1 5/16-mile event for 3-year-olds.

The Nashville Derby is the second richest race for 3-year-olds in the country, only behind the Kentucky Derby, and is one of five Graded stakes carded for the first day of the U.S. Open of Turf Championships. Also scheduled for the blockbuster program are the Grade 2, $2 million Kentucky Turf Cup (a Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Turf), the Grade 2, $1.75 million Light and Wonder Turf Sprint (a Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint), the Grade 2, $1.5 million Ainsworth Music City, and the Grade 2, $1.5 million Resolute Racing Ladies Turf.

Last year, Great Britain’s Wimbledon Hawkeye narrowly defeated American-based Burnham Square in an exciting edition of the Nashville Derby. He was the first horse bred in Great Britain to win the Nashville Derby and continued the international success that began one earlier when Ireland’s Bellum Justum won in 2024 by 2 ¼ lengths. Both horses were piloted by international superstar jockey Frankie Dettori.

Glacius, owned and bred in Great Britain by V.I. Araci, enters the Nashville Derby from a gate-to-wire triumph in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course. The win was a first American Grade 1 victory for trainer Hugo Palmer, whose yard is based at Manor House Stables in Cheshire, England.

“We were very pleased with the effort,” Palmer said. “We were really excited about his chances in the Saratoga Derby, he got a lovely ride, and things went really well for him.”

Prior to the Saratoga Derby, Glacius made two starts this year both of which were third-place efforts going 1 ¼ miles. Following his seasonal debut in the Group 3 Hampton Court on June 18 at Royal Ascot, where he was beaten one length at 33-1 odds, he rounded out the trifecta once more in the Gala on July 3 at Sandown Park.

“We had a frustrating spring with the horse. There wasn’t anything wrong with him, but there wasn’t enough right with him,” Palmer said. “He couldn’t come to hand, and we just couldn’t get him to blossom. So, we had to bide our time and let him come to us, and he did but he was only just ready to start by the time he ran at Royal Ascot. We knew he would improve for his first couple of starts and that’s exactly what he did.”

Glacius kept good company during his 2-year-old year. After a debut victory going one mile last August at Newmarket, he finished fourth in the Ascendant at Haydock the following month, beaten four lengths by multiple Group 1-winner Bow Echo.

“This is a horse who’s run a career best every time he’s run, and his form looks pretty strong now,” Palmer commented. “When he was fourth in his second start, we were a bit disappointed, but he [Bow Echo] is a Group 1 winner. It was a good race he was in that day. He’s just kept surprising us, but I’m sure he won’t be 33-1 at Kentucky Downs.”

Glacius is by leading European fourth-crop sire Too Darn Hot, who was a Cartier Champion 2-Year-Old and multiple Group 1-winner as a 3-year-old. Too Darn Hot is by influential sire Dubawi, and out of the multiple Group 1-winning Singspiel mare Dar Re Mi.

“Too Darn Hot has been phenomenal in both Europe and Australia. He was an excellent racehorse himself, a champion 2-year-old and a very good 3-year-old,” Palmer said. “He was out of champion race mare himself. He had all the ingredients from the beginning to be a great stallion. He was a sprinter-miler.

Glacius’ dam Predawn is a full-sister to Group 1-winner Qualify who won the Epsom Oaks in 2015.

“Qualify has been an excellent broodmare and produced some fantastic middle-distance stock,” Palmer said. “It’s quite a stout family and Too Darn Hot has just injected some speed into it.”

Jockey Luis Saez piloted Glacius to his Saratoga Derby triumph, and will return to the irons from post 3.

Internationally acclaimed Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien will ship Causeway by way of Ballydoyle Training Center. Owned by Coolmore partners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, the Irish-bred son of Wootton Bassett will look to redeem himself after an uncharacteristic seventh in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris in June at Longchamp. He entered that race a perfect 4-for-4 this year, capturing the Group 3 Gallinule going 1 ¼ miles at The Curragh before a victory going 1 ½ miles at Royal Ascot in the Group 2 King Edward VII.

Irish champion jockey Ryan Moore will retain the mount from post 6.

O’Brien will be facing off against his son and fellow Irish-based trainer Joseph O’Brien, who sends out Nil Bua Gan Dua [post 11, Ben Curtis]. The son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was a narrow winner of the last-out Marble City on July 25 at Gowran Park, three starts after his first career win going 1 ¼ miles at Roscommon in May.

Germany will be represented by Darius Racing and Michael Motschmann’s Gostam [post 9, Antonio Fresu] who seeks a return to winning form. Trained by Andreas Wohler, the son of Saxon Warrior was a distant tenth in the Group 1 German Derby in July last out, which was won by his stablemate Dardanos, following an eighth-place finish in the Group 1 French Derby on May 31 at Chantilly.

Gostam won his first four starts, including a pair of Group 3 conquests going seven furlongs and a mile, before winning his 3-year-old debut in the Group 2 Bavarian Classic going 1 ¼ miles at Munich.

The American-campaigned horses in this year’s Nashville Derby include Raroma Stable homebred Fancy Sailor, who captured his stakes debut in the Water Tower at Ellis Park last out. The son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify defeated returning rivals Royal Causeway [post 1, Cristian Torres] and stakes-winner Blackmail [post 12, Javier Castellano] in that event, which was his third career trip to the winner’s circle. Fancy Sailor is trained by Brian Lynch, who won the 2023 Nashville Derby with Anglophile.

FMQ Stables’ Royal Guard [post 2, Florent Geroux] will seek his third straight victory for multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. The son of second-crop sire and Cox alumnus Essential Quality has displayed winning form since stretching out in distance. Following a maiden win at fourth asking going 1 ½ miles on June 17 at Churchill Downs, he won a 1 ¼-mile first level allowance one month later at Ellis Park.

Two-time winner Versailles Road [post 5, John Velazquez] also saw a turnaround in form when stretching out in distance for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The son of Quality Road broke his maiden on his seventh attempt when stretching out to 1 ⅜ miles at Aqueduct, and defeated winners on August 8 at Saratoga going the same distance. He is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, and Robert V. LaPenta.

Madaket Stables and Steven Bouchey’s Caroline St. Beat [post 4, Tyler Gaffalione] will make his first start outside of New York for trainer Miguel Clement off short rest, defeating winners at Saratoga on August 29. A debut winner last August going 1 1/16 miles at Saratoga, the son of Tiz the Law then finished second in the Notebook last November at Aqueduct. He did not make his next start until July 26, when a late-closing second in the Rick Violette at Saratoga.

Completing the field are BBN Racing’s Fuzzbuster [post 7, Mario Gutierrez], who finished fourth beaten two lengths in the Grade 2 Secretariat at Colonial Downs last out; and David Staudacher’s two-time winner Go Grey [post 10, Jose Ortiz], who makes his debut for Kentucky Downs’ all-time leading trainer Mike Maker.

The 1/ST BET Nashville Derby will go off as Race 8 on Saturday with a scheduled post time of 4:36 PM CT. First post for the 12-race program is 12:25 PM CT.

The 1/ST BET Kentucky Downs Meet will be broadcast live each day of the seven-day meet on Peacock, FanDuelTV, as well as Kentucky Downs’ YouTube channel @kydownsracing. NBC Sports also will provide live coverage of Opening Day from 3:00-5:00 PM CT, while NBC will air Kentucky Downs on Saturday, September 5 during the same time slot.

Contact: Ryan Martin

(502) 523-4935