Two Phil's

Two Phil’s, a Hard Spun colt, finished off the board in his debut June 23, 2022, at Churchill Downs but improved considerably for trainer Larry Rivelli when shipped to Colonial Downs for a six-furlong maiden race on July 18. He set a pressured pace before drawing off to win by 2 ½ lengths under Jareth Loveberry.

In his next start and stakes debut, Two Phil’s was even more impressive, sitting just off the early pace and then talking over at will in the six-furlong Shakopee Juvenile Stakes at Canterbury Park on Sept. 17. He won by 9 ¾ lengths under a hand ride from Loveberry.

Two Phil’s next took a giant leap in class, starting in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Oct. 8 at Keeneland. Sent off at odds of 69.40-1, he was brushed out to race four-wide in the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile race and stayed wide throughout, finishing seventh of 14.  

After the Breeders’ Futurity, Rivelli shipped Two Phil’s back to Churchill Downs for a start in the Grade 3, 1 1/6-mile Street Sense Stakes Oct. 30. He was once again jostled in the first turn but recovered to settle in a stalking spot before making a bid for the lead in the far turn. He separated from the field in early stretch, and despite racing on his wrong lead, was kept to task by Loveberry en route to a 5 ¼-length win.

Two Phil's began his 3-year-old campaign on Jan. 21, 2023 at the Fair Grounds in the Grade 3 $200,000 Lecomte Stakes, where he finished second, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by Instant Coffee. For his second-place finish, Two Phil's earned eight points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. In his subsequent start in the Grade 2 $400,000 Risen Star Stakes back at Fair Grounds on Feb. 18, Two Phil's hit the board again with a third-place finish.

For his next start, Two Phil's was sent to Turfway Park to run in the Grade 3 $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks. Switching to a synthetic surface for the first time, Two Phil's figured to handle Turfway Park's Tapeta surface and follow in the footsteps of his sire, Hard Spun, who was victorious in the same Derby prep over an artificial surface 16 years earlier. The race was a rousing success for Two Phil's, who sat off the pace and rallied past the field with ease to post a 5 1/2-length blowout atop a field of 10. The Jeff Ruby Steaks was a maximum points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, earning Two Phil's 100 qualifying points and securing a spot in the starting gate for the run for the roses.

Two Phil's entered the Kentucky Derby in his next start on May 6 at Churchill Downs and drew post 3 in what turned out to be an 18-horse field in the 1 1/4-mile first jewel of the Triple Crown. Sent off as the 9.87-1 fourth choice on the tote board, Two Phil's raced up close to the fast pace throughout the race and then was the only one of those front runners still around at the finish. He gamely battled on through the stretch and eventually settled for second in an admirable effort in defeat.

Two Phil's skipped the remaining races in the Triple Crown series and opted instead to pursue a summer campaign, which began with a start in the Grade 3 $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 24. Facing an eight-horse field and sent off as the heavy 3-5 favorite on the tote board in the Ohio Derby, Two Phil's showed speed but opted to sit just off a contested pace between rivals Bishops Bay and Henry Q. Two Phil's effortlessly made his move on the turn as Bishops Bay had established a short-lived lead and then blew by the front runner at the quarter pole and extended his margin through the home stretch en route to a 5 3/4-length win. He ran the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in a time of 1:49.60.

Two Phil’s was bred in Kentucky and is out of the stakes-winning and Grade 3-placed General Quarters mare Mia Torri. He is trained by Larry Rivelli for Patricia's Hope stable.