BloodHorse

10/11/24

By: Nicole Stafford

Jim and Susan Hill's Highway Robber was just a half length short of graded stakes glory Sept. 7 in the Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs. But his relentless late rally would not be denied Oct. 11, as the Hard Spun gelding just got up at the wire to nose out Godolphin's defending race winner Bold Act and land his first graded win in the $289,500 Sycamore Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.

Sent off as the favorite at $2.59-1, Highway Robber raced in ninth early under rider Tyler Gaffalione, with second choice Bold Act just ahead of him in seventh. Front-runner Cathkin Peak set strong early fractions of :23.16, :46.51, and 1:11.02 in the 1 1/2-mile turf race before fading after a mile in 1:36.66.

Coming out of the final turn, Bold Act got the jump on Highway Robber, who was stuck behind a wall of horses. Swung outside by Gaffalione in the stretch, Highway Robber bore down on the Godolphin runner, and the two battled to the wire in a head-bobbing finish. Highway Robber prevailed by a nose in a track-record time of 2:26.08 on the firm course.

"It was very much a tactical jockeys' race, wasn't it?" trainer Brian Lynch said. "That turns everything around, when you get them going so quick in front like that ... we just had to pray the traffic opened up and he could get through when he got through."

Bred in Kentucky by Foxpointe Thoroughbreds, Highway Robber was purchased by the Hills for $30,000 at the 2022 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. The 4-year-old now holds a 5-2-1 record in 11 starts with earnings of $1,001,063.

"He's still only a very lightly raced horse," Lynch added. "We really look forward to him next year as a 5-year-old."