Black Hornet ran down odds-on favorite Touch of Fire in deep stretch to win the $100,000 Black Gold Stakes by one-and-a-quarter lengths on the turf at Fair Grounds on Saturday, Feb. 28.
Trained by Brendan Walsh and owned by Calumet Farm, the Essential Quality colt covered 1 1/16 miles over a firm turf course in 1:44.03 under Declan Cannon. Exiting a maiden victory in his turf debut, Black Hornet improved his record to 2-2-0 in 6 starts with earnings of $101,200.
Breaking sharply from the starting gate, Black Hornet saved ground along the rail while tracking Touch of Fire, who set fractions of :24.06 and :49.74. At the top of the stretch, Black Hornet tipped out, split foes and ran down the leader to win comfortably. McCready finished third.
Black Hornet was bred in Kentucky by Barry and Judith Becker and is out of Brattata, a multiple Stakes-placed daughter of More Than Ready. Second dam is the Stakes winner Mama Nadine (A.P. Indy), making Brattata a half sister to multiple Stakes winner, Royal Son (Tiznow). Also in the female family is the multiple G1-winning champion, Countess Diana.
Two-time Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality was represented by 19 winners in his first crop, including three Stakes winners. In addition to Black Hornet, Essential Quality is the sire of 2026 Stakes winner My World, winner of the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.
Essential Quality is standing the 2026 breeding season at Jonabell Farm for a fee of $25,000, stands and nurses.
