Giocoso Sits The Trip To Score $500,000 Grade 2 Secretariat
Posted on August 9th, 2025
NEW KENT, Va. (Aug. 9, 2025) – Rocker O Ranch’s Giocoso sat the perfect rail trip, cut the corner and powered home to win the $500,000 Grade 2 Secretariat by a length over Simulate on Festival of Racing Day at Colonial Downs.
With jockey Ben Curtis in the irons, the Keith Desormeaux trainee covered one mile over a firm turf course in 1:35.36.
“The mile was always going to suit him,” Curtis said. “A couple went forward and I got a beautiful sit. He relaxed beautifully on the back. When the seam came, I had so much horse, I knew he was going to take it. We know he stays, so I had all the boxes ticked.”
Asked to establish forward position behind the leaders into the first turn, Giocoso found himself tucked on the rail in third with Antisocial to his outside in second and Maui Strong leading the way through opening calls of :23.78 and :48.30. Giocoso saved ground through the far turn as Curtis remained patient behind horses. When he saw daylight at the top of the stretch, Curtis asked and Giocoso punched up the rail gamely to take the lead by the sixteenth pole and hold safe through the wire. Simulate flew late to win the photo for second over Antisocial.
At odds of 9-2, Giocoso returned $11.40, $5.00, and $3.60. With a career record of 10-3-1-1, the Not This time colt bred in Kentucky has amassed $524,271 in lifetime earnings.
Additional Quotes
Junior Alvarado, jockey of place-finisher Simulate: ““Class wise, he belongs. Distance wise, we’re not for sure. I think he needs more distance. But he did prove today that he has enough kick going one mile. He ran great. We know where we are with him.”
Javier Castellano, jockey of beaten favorite Dream On: “I’m a little disappointed. It was a beautiful trip. I had him in a good stalking position and when I let him move to the front I thought it was a cinch. He moved beautifully to the 1/8th pole but after that didn’t show that same kick. Maybe because the pace was a little bit slow, maybe he didn’t love the very hard course.”
About Colonial Downs
Colonial Downs Racetrack, in New Kent, Virginia, hosts live thoroughbred racing on two nationally renowned surfaces – the Secretariat Turf Course, the widest turf course in North America at 180 feet wide and on a 1 1/4-mile dirt track. The Colonial Downs Group, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums® throughout the commonwealth, which offer innovative historic horseracing (HHR) gaming and full card simulcasting as well as Rosie’s Game Room in Collinsville, and The Rose Gaming Resort® in Dumfries which offers 1,650 HHR gaming terminals, full-card simulcasting, eight bars and restaurants and more than 100 hotel rooms.
