Boyd, who was sold for $1.05 million at auction this spring, overcame a difficult beginning to outpace three competitors in the final stretch on Saturday. He took an early lead and secured a decisive two-and-a-half-length victory in the $225,000 two-year-old Ed Brown race at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, Zedan Racing’s stallion Violence increased his speed and finished 5 3/4 lengths ahead after winning his debut at Del Mar on September 7th.
Boyd, the favorite, paid $3.48 after completing the race in 1:15.18, marking a flawless second career outing.
Big Dom made a strong late surge to overtake Stradale for second place. Gallivant, who performed well previously at Keeneland’s Bowman Mill, led briefly in the first quarter but faded in the upper stretch to finish fourth.
Regarding Father Addo, Pratt noted, “He performed well throughout the race. He took a slow breath towards the end but finished strongly. Coming off a five-and-a-half furlong race, I wasn’t sure if he could handle six-and-a-half, but he managed it.”
Boyd, a son of Violence, was bought by Donat Rani for Amr Zedan at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Old Training Sale in May as the highest-priced stallion. The horse is named after Boyd T. Browning Jr., the president and CEO of Fasig-Tipton.
With this victory, Boyd added $138,500 to his earnings, which now total $186,500.
Raised in Kentucky by Nasser Omihira, Boyd’s dam is Ataste of Red, a Street Boss mare who is a half-sister to the dams of several winners including G2 winner Billionaire Tower of Texas, graded stakes winner Street Sounds, stakes winner Silver Highlight, and G2 winner First Piece.
Fan Take: Boyd’s impressive early success highlights the promising future of young thoroughbreds bred and trained with top expertise, offering hope for thrilling competition ahead. For horse racing enthusiasts, this victory signals the potential rise of a new star that could shape the sport’s landscape in coming seasons.
