Finishing fourth was Takarian, who was followed by Bernstein, American Tourist, Irish Prize, Glick, and Jadada. (Chart, Equibase)
Pat Day urged Brahms by Vergennes in the final eighth of a mile to win the $180,450 River City Handicap (gr. IIIT) on Sunday at Churchill Downs. The half-length victory was the third straight for Brahms, a son of Danzig out of the Mr. Prospector mare Queena, 1991's champion older female.Brahms covered 1 1/8 miles on the firm turf in 1:48.09 and paid $6.80, $4.40 and $3. Vergennes, paid $7.60 and $5. Super Quercus, the 8-5 favorite in the race for 3-year-olds and up, finished another 1 3/4 lengths back and paid $2.80. The winning exacta combination paid $55.80.Brahms, trained by Elliott Walden, earned $111,879 for owner Thomas F. Van Meter II to increase his career bankroll to $294,554. Prior to the River City, Brahms defeated fellow 3-year-olds in the $75,000 Seattle Slew Stakes at Keeneland after defeating older horses in a Saratoga allowance race, his first race since a seventh-place finish in the 1999 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I). Brahms was bred in Kentucky by Emory A. Hamilton.