Mindframe Earns First G1 Victory in Churchill Downs Stakes

Constitution's son kept his forward momentum, outfinishing Banishing and a resurgent Nysos, who returned in style after more than a year on the sidelines

Mindframe has continued to live up to the promise he showed last year with a strong campaign in 2025 / CHURCHILL DOWNS

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- Mindframe (Constitution) continues to affirm all the promise he showed last season, and on Saturday, he delivered the biggest performance of his career to date, capturing the 90th running of the G1 Churchill Downs S. in a thrilling finish over a sloppy track.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, the powerful chestnut surged down the center of the track to edge out a resurgent Nysos (Nyquist) by a neck, with the gritty Banishing (Ghostzapper) a close third after threading through traffic.

With Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons, Mindframe stopped the clock in 1:22.64 for seven furlongs, notching his first Grade I win and confirming his status as a horse of tremendous class and versatility.

The pace was lively from the outset, with Giant Mischief (Into Mischief) showing the way ahead of Hoist the Gold(Mineshaft), Here Mi Song (Cross Traffic) and Mullikin (Violence). As the field hit the turn, Mullikin advanced four wide to take over, while Nysos—making his much-anticipated return after nearly 13 months—began his rally from the rear.

Book’em Danno (Bucchero) loomed boldly along the rail, Banishing found a seam between horses, and Mindframe, eight paths wide, launched a menacing bid down the crown of the track.

In the final strides, Book’em Danno appeared poised for an upset, but he was quickly reeled in by both Nysos and Banishing—only for Mindframe to sweep past them all late and prevail right on the wire.

“He was all heart today,” said Ortiz. “There were horses all around him, but he just kept on fighting. The more I asked, the more he gave. He didn’t want to lose.”

For Pletcher, the victory marked his third in this prestigious event, following wins with Speightstown in 2004 and Aikenite in 2011. “I told Irad to ride him with confidence, and that’s exactly what he did,” Pletcher said. “Mindframe is a special horse. He was just shy of winning the Belmont last year, and now he takes a G1 going seven furlongs. His quality is undeniable.”

Bred in Maryland, Mindframe is out of Walk of Stars (Street Sense) and now boasts 4 wins from 6 career starts. He kicked off his 2025 campaign with a strong win in the G2 Gulfstream Park Mile, and his latest triumph cements him as one of the year’s rising stars.