Darren Rogers
Senior Director,
Communications & Media Services
Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Amerman Racing Stables’ Demarcation tracked the early pacesetters, circled three-wide at the top of the stretch and grinded his way to a 1¼-length victory over fast closing Prom Shoes in Sunday’s $57,034 featured allowance race at Churchill Downs.
 
Demarcation, ridden by leading jockey Calvin Borel and trained by Paul McGee, ran one mile in 1:36.49 over a main track rated “sloppy” due to rainfall throughout 10-race program.
 
Mad Flatter left the gate fastest of all and cut out fractions of :23.33, :46.48 and 1:10.93 with Agastache positioned in second and Demarcation third. Demarcation settled back midway through the turn, worked his way to the outside nearing the top of the stretch and took the lead from Mad Flatter inside the three-sixteenths pole under steady urging from Borel. Prom Shoes, who was last in the field of five older horses in the early stages of the race, rallied late in the stretch but could not catch the winner.
 
Demarcation, a Kentucky-bred son of Gulch out of the Boundary mare Divine Line, collected his first victory since capturing last November’s Grade III Ack Ack Handicap beneath the Twin Spires. Overall, it was the 6-year-old gelding’s eighth win in 31 starts. The $35,280 winner’s share of the purse boosted his career earnings to $407,482.
 
Demarcation paid $5.80, $3.40 and $2.40 as the 9-5 favorite. Prom Shoes, ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, returned $4.20 and $2.40. Agastache, with Julien Leparoux up, was another 4 ¼ lengths behind the runner-up and paid $2.60. Mad Flatter and George Ray completed the order of finish. Consul Romano-CHI was scratched.
 
Borel won three races on the card Sunday to take a 22-13 lead over Leparoux in the Churchill Downs jockey standings through 14 days of the 42-day Spring Meet. McGee also won the nightcap to bring his meet total to six, which was good for a five-way tie for second in the leading trainer standings behind Steve Asmussen’s 10 trips to the winner’s circle.
 
Live racing at Churchill Downs resumes Thursday with a nine-race program scheduled to commence at 12:45 p.m. EDT.