Five Star General wears down Clovisconnection for Longacres Mile repeat win

Five Star General and Clovisconnection put on an exciting stretch battle in Sunday’s $150,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs. Defending champion Five Star General got the best of Clovisconnection, closing in the final strides to win by a head.

The pair were sent away quickly from the gate by their respective riders, with Clovisconnection drifting a bit from his inside post, starting a chain reaction of bumping involving many of the runners lined up near the lead. 

Jockey Joe Bravo, aboard the eventual winner, may have saved the day by gunning Five Star General from post 8 at the sound of the bell. As a result, Five Star General was just enough ahead of those who’d surrounded him in the gate to avoid the brunt of the accordion-like reaction set off by Clovisconnection.

Clovisconnection, with William Antongeorgi III aboard, initially gained a clear advantage before stalkers approached by the five-furlong marker. He then opened up again and led comfortably by three lengths at the quarter pole. Soon after they straightened for home, Five Star General sprang into top gear and got up in the final steps to net the $82,500 payday for owner Ken Alhadeff in the race which his grandfather created 89 years earlier. In the post-race ceremony, Alhadeff was rather effusive, perhaps inspiring local onlookers to think back to long-ago renewals of the Longacres Mile which shaped their love for all things horse racing.

Clovisconnection finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of fast-closing Slew’s Tiz Whiz.

Five Star General covered the mile over a fast track in 1:34.98 and returned $4.22 as the popular public choice. The 2024 Longacres Mile was the fifth consecutive renewal of the race in which Five Star General was a participant. He had four different trainers during that stretch with Grant Forster having been the only one to saddle Five Star General twice in the race. The win on Sunday was Forster’s third in the Mile, some 19 years after he won with No Giveaway.

A Kentucky-bred 8-year-old by Distorted Humor, Five Star General has amassed winnings of $902,202 from 13 wins in 39 starts. After the race, Alhadeff hinted that Five Star General would most likely be retired.