After a brief delay following the unseating of Calvin Borel and the scratch of his mount Vivo Per Lei at the gate, Kent Desormeaux and Aviate won the 26th Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on a firm Matt Winn Turf Course under the Twin Spires at Louisville's Churchill Downs today by one and one half lengths over Aruna with Ramon Dominguez aboard.
The four-year-old Bill Mott-trained entry ran the mile in 1:36.67.
"She had a good clean trip; she was always on the bridle, very aggressive, in fact," said Desormeaux, also suggesting the filly's light build was an advantage.
He added, "She was able to skip over the top, whereas the bigger, heavier horses had to sink a lot deeper. It is still soft, so she enjoyed the soft going."
Aviate paid $13.20, $6.40 and $5. Aruna returned $6.20 and $4.40 after necking out a rallying Fantasia and jockey Joel Rosario, who paid $4.60 to show.
