Capitol Hill gets elusive stakes win in $175K Casa Creed

 

Under a perfectly timed ride from jockey Junior Alvarado, fresh off guiding Sovereignty to victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland, Tranquility Lake Farms' homebred Capitol Hill weaved through traffic in the stretch to reel in favored Fond Farewell and edge clear by three-quarters of a length in the inaugural $175,000 Casa Creed on Sunday at Belmont Park.

 

The Casa Creed for 3-year-olds and up sprinting seven furlongs on the Widener turf course was the last of five stakes worth $925,000 in total purses on an 11-race program co-headlined by the Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler and Grade 3, $200,000 Forty Niner.

 

Placed in four previous stakes attempts, including two in Grade 3 company, Capitol Hill completed the distance in 1:20.66 over firm going for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who campaigned Sovereignty to the 2025 Horse of the Year title. Sent off at 7-1, Capitol Hill returned $16.88 for a $2 win bet.

 

“I thought we were in a lot of trouble, but he found his way through,” Mott’s assistant trainer, Leana Willaford, said. “He’s a super-cool horse. It’s important [as a homebred] for the bloodlines to get a stakes win.”

 

It was 68-1 longshot Bonus Move, breaking from the rail, that took the early initiative and led 13 pursuers through an opening quarter-mile in 23.03 seconds over the firm footing. Fond Farewell, riding a two-race win streak into his stakes debut, pressed the pace racing in the two path and followed by longshots Piper’s Factor, Runnin’ Rocket and Chasing Liberty.

 

Bonus Move was still in front after a half-mile in 46.07 with Fond Farewell on his heels, while Chasing Liberty made a bold move on the far outside under jockey Kendrick Carmouche to get into contention in third. Alvarado, who was content to rate and save ground well into the far turn while racing near the back of the pack, remained patient while awaiting room to commence their rally.

 

Fond Farewell wrested the lead away from Bonus Move once straightened for home and Alvarado still found himself behind a wall of challengers before managing to tip off the rail approaching the eighth pole. From there, Alvarado steered Capitol Hill to the center of the track for a clear run, where they powered past Giocoso, who had moved into second, and Fond Farewell, and drew clear.

 

“Beautiful effort,” Alvarado said. “I knew he'd be able to handle the distance. Today, I was just worried about the other 13 horses in the race because he is a horse that likes to come from off the pace. He had to get through traffic, but he was so good today that every move I was making, he was there for me. It made my job easier than I was planning for.”

 

Giocoso finished one length behind Fond Farewell in third, and it was another two lengths back to Runnin’ Rocket in fourth. Silius, Chasing Liberty, Gas Me Up, Piper’s Factor, We’re in Trouble, Intellect, Alogon, Spiced Up, Bonus Move and Rose Ruler completed the order of finish. Also-eligible entrants Stars and Strides and Mission Improbable were scratched.

 

“I thought I had a good trip,” Fond Farewell’s jockey, Flavien Prat, said. “He was comfortable where he was. He gave me a good run turning for home. Just got run down, but a good effort. He naturally showed speed, a good pace, I was comfortable where I was.”

 

Bred in Kentucky by the late Marty Wygod and his wife, Pam, Capitol Hill races for the the Wygods’ daughter, Emily Bushnell, who created Tranquility Lake Farms to honor the racing and breeding legacy of her parents. The farm is named for the beloved mare who provided a foundation for the farm’s success, producing lucrative foals both commercially and on the racetrack. As a racehorse, Tranquility Lake won seven graded-stakes including two Grade 1s.

 

Capitol Hill was racing shorter than one mile for the first time in his 16th career start, entering the Casa Creed off a 1 1/4-length third in the Listed Artie Schiller on October 2 in his Belmont debut. Among his prior stakes races he was second three times including a nose defeat in the Grade 3 Poker June 7 at Saratoga Race Course and a 1 1/4-length decision in last fall’s Gio Ponti at Aqueduct Racetrack.

 

Since launching his career in February 2025 at Gulfstream Park, Capitol Hill has put together a record 5-3-1 record with $528,282 in purse earnings. The win capped an emotional weekend for Alvarado, his regular rider, who was also aboard for 12 of Casa Creed’s 36 career starts including the Grade 1 Jaipur in 2021, one of four Grade 1 victories for the nine-time winner of nearly $2.7 million in purses.

 

“This was the first running of the Casa Creed, to win it for the first time with a Bill Mott horse, it means more for us than people would probably think,” Alvarado said. “It's pretty special.”

 

The now-retired Sovereignty gave Alvarado his fifth career Breeders’ Cup win and first in the Classic. He was aboard for 12 of the 4-year-old’s 13 starts and all eight of his wins, among them prior Grade 1 scores in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, DraftKings Travers and 2026 Whitney.

 

“That was a top-three performance, to me, from Sovereignty. I think yesterday, he was as good as in the Belmont or Travers,” Alvarado said. “He was beautiful on the bridle, and at the five-eighths pole, I couldn't wait to get closer to the wire to let him release his power. I hit the three-eighths pole, tipped him outside and at that point, everybody else was in trouble.”

 

Live racing resumes Thursday with an eight-race card at Belmont Park. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern. 

 

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