Ignacio Correas Shines with Utah Beach in Keeneland’s GII Elkhorn Stakes
- Turf Diario
- Apr 20
- 3 min read
Argentine Trainer Ignacio Correas Adds Another Graded Win as English Channel Stayer Impresses
LEXINGTON, KY—On a sunny Saturday afternoon at Keeneland, Utah Beach earned the first stakes victory of his career in the GII VisitLEX Elkhorn S., a $400,000 turf marathon over 12 furlongs for older horses. The gray son of English Channel, racing for Jeffrey Amling and Merriebelle Stable, outdueled Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy) in a thrilling stretch battle to prevail by a half-length under a perfectly timed ride from Vincent Cheminaud.
Trained by Argentine conditioner Ignacio Correas IV, Utah Beach stopped the clock in 2:29.78 over firm ground and improved his record to 4 wins, 5 seconds and 1 third from 14 starts, with earnings of $536,265.
The early lead belonged to Idratherbeblessed (Unified), who carved out fractions of :24.25 and :50.90 before yielding the front to Limited Liability, who made a bold move under Frankie Dettori midway through the backstretch. Meanwhile, Cheminaud kept Utah Beach tucked along the rail, saving ground and biding time.
Turning for home, Utah Beach shifted out and surged into contention, engaging Limited Liability at the eighth pole and edging away in the final strides to seal a hard-fought and well-deserved graded victory.
Bred in Kentucky by his owners, Utah Beach is out of My Own Story (Lasting Approval), and was making his second start of the season, following a fourth-place finish in the GIII Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park on March 22.
“He really likes Keeneland,” Correas said. “His best races, his best numbers, all of it have come here. We followed the same pattern as last year—one prep race to get him ready—and this time, it worked even better. That’s the way it goes sometimes: some days it comes together, some days it doesn’t.”
Correas added, “He’s by English Channel, a champion turf horse, so I truly believe he’ll only get better with age. That’s how these horses are, so yes, I think the best is still ahead.”
Cheminaud, who delivered a masterful ride, said: “To be honest, I wasn’t too confident early on because the pace was slow, and I didn’t feel comfortable around the first turn. But once the favorite drifted out, things opened up and I was able to let my horse go. He had worked very well last week—he’s a quality horse.”
Tennessee Lamb Battles Back to Win GIII Ben Ali
Just moments after the Elkhorn, Calumet Farm celebrated again as Tennessee Lamb captured the GIII Ben Ali S., a $350,000 test over 1 3/16 miles on the Keeneland main track. Making his stakes debut, the gray son of Tonalist showed grit and class to reclaim the lead on the rail and defeat San Siro (Classic Empire) by 1 1/2 lengths under José Ortiz.
Trained by Rusty Arnold, who tied Bill Mott for the most wins in Keeneland history with 307, Tennessee Lamb completed the trip in 1:59.00 over a fast track. It was the second stakes win in as many days for the Ortiz-Calumet duo, following a 38-1 upset with Gin Gin (Hightail) in Friday’s GIII Doubledogdare S.
The early pace was set by Prince of Power (Runhappy), tracked closely by Tennessee Lamb. Though passed by Uno Mas Bourbon (Macho Uno) entering the stretch, the Calumet homebred fought back gamely along the inside and kicked clear late.
Out of Tennessee Whiskey (Smart Strike), Tennessee Lamb now owns 3 wins from 11 career starts.
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