Yellow Card Surges Late to Win Twin Spires Turf Sprint

Yellow Card dug deep late to prevail in a four-horse photo in the $594,600 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T) May 2 at Churchill Downs. The 5-year-old horse by Lost Treasure (IRE) picked up his first graded win for owner James Daniell. Joe Shiesty broke sharply out of the gate under Fernando De La Cruz to set the pace with fractions of :22.39 and :44.69, with Yellow Card, Litigation, and Full Disclosure all putting pressure on the 5-year-old gelding. When the field came into the stretch, Joe Shiesty started to draw away, but Yellow Card was putting in a late bid under Flavien Prat between horses and got up by a neck in the final stages. Joe Shiesty held on for second, finishing a head in front of favored Litigation in third. My Boy Prince was a nose behind Litigation in fourth. The final time was 1:02.20 on the firm turf course. "He broke well, and we got into a good spot. He really showed a lot of courage," Prat said. "The whole race was a battle, and he fought to get to the wire first." Yellow Card came into the race off a troubled second-place finish behind My Boy Prince in the Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. The Michael McCarthy trainee was pinched in between horses, forcing him to steady and then swing eight wide into the stretch to get up for the place. "Last time at Keeneland he got banged around at the half-mile pole, and it wasn't his day," McCarthy said. "I'm so proud of him and the effort he was able to put in today. I'm so glad Flavien (Prat) decided to stick with him. (Owner) Jim Daniell needed this one, I needed this one." McCarthy also trains Kentucky Oaks (G1) runner-up Meaning, who put in a great effort May 1 to finish 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner Always a Runner. De La Cruz was happy with Joe Shiesty's effort. "We were able to get to the lead, and he was traveling well," he said. "He tried hard, he just got caught in the last couple jumps." Yellow Card was bred in Kentucky by Tiffiney Veloudis out of the Pulpit mare Paris Girl. He was purchased by West Bloodstock for $87,000 at the 2023 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He paid $7.80 to win. He brought his career earnings to $1,099,245 and improved his record to 5-4-1 from 14 career starts. The winner of the Twin Spires Turf Sprint earned an automatic wild card entry into the King Charles III Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot. When asked if that could be in the future for Yellow Card, McCarthy responded, "We'll see how he comes out of this. Something like that would be fun and worthwhile to see how he would stack up against some of the best."