SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Proven Innocent, trained by Jack Fisher, won the G1, 2 3/8 mile, $150,000 Beverly Steinman Hurdle Stakes with a determined stretch run.

Proven Innocent (left) outduels Evies Prince in the Steinman (Photo by Tod Marks)Owned by Bruton Street-U.S. and ridden by Freddie Procter, Proven Innocent ran last for the first two miles, advanced to third on the turn, closed on Awakened, who was just ahead of Evie's Prince, drew even with the pair  in the stretch and went on to win by 3/4 length'

Evie's Prince, trained by Neil Morris, passed Awakened to place second, and Awakened, also trained by Fisher, was third.

“I thought at the top of the stretch it was going to be Awakened, but when Awakened was done, it was 'Come on Proven! Come on Proven! Get up,” Fisher said. “He got up, so that was good.”

"It's good to have two horses,” Fisher said. “The more horses you've got, the more chances you have, I think, especially being picked one-two on the morning line."

"He was bred by Stuart Janney,"said Fisher. "We bought two off him, and we got rid of one that was no good. Graham Watters was supposed to ride him, but his wife had a baby this morning."

 

CARLOUN led by 15 lengths in the early going but fell at the fifth fence, forcing four of those following him to alter course.

 Procter rode Awakened for the first time.

"Looking at the race card, Carloun was always going to go out hard and it was always going to be a pretty brutal pace from the start, so I was more than happy to sit out the back, take a lead and just try to smuggle him into it,” Procter said. “The race changed completely when Carloun fell.

"We were a few lengths behind, so we had to dodge Paddy [O'Hanlon] and the horse trying to get back up and everyone got shuffled around," said Procter. "It broke everyone’s rhythm a little bit, so we had to get into a jumping rhythm again."

"Down the back, I sat there thinking ‘not too soon, not too soon,’ but they gave me a lovely lead into the stretch and when I pressed go, he dug deep,” said Procter.

Fisher said Proven Innocent will probably run next in the Grade 1, $150,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial on July 23 at Saratoga.

Proven Innocent, a half-brother to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaires Ironicus and On Leave, was a maiden winner on the flat in 2021, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey.

He broke his maiden over fences at Iroquois in May, 2022 and went on to win an allowance and then the William Entemann Novice Stakes in September.

He ran in a number of stakes over the next two years, placing third once.

Earlier this year Proven Innocent ran third in the Good Night Shirt Hurdle Stakes in April and fourth is the G1 Commonwealth Cup Stakes in May.