Same horse. Same track. Longer race. But same result. Stretching out to the one and one-eighth mile distance of the Manitoba Derby didn’t stop a repeat performance as Bernardini's Hammers Bullet powered his way past all rivals for a hard-fought win.
Breaking alertly, the three-year-old son of the champion and classic winner set just off the pace and then eventually wore down the pacesetter to get up on the final strides to win his second consecutive stakes north of the border.
Hammers Bullet was bred by Stonerside Stable and is out of Country Melody, by Gone West. He is a half-brother to the Stakes-placed runner Bequia Beauty. His dam is a half-sister to G1 winner Bob and John as well as Stakes-winning Connie Belle.
Bernardini is the only first-season sire to ever have G1 winners on both dirt and turf with A Z Warrior and Biondetti in 2010. His six career Group or Graded winners include Stay Thirsty who won the Jim Dandy Stakes on July 30 and will vie for favoritism in the G1 Travers Stakes later in August. Bernardini is currently North America’s leading second-crop sire.
