Factor This

Factor This needed seven starts to earn his first career victory Dec. 17, 2017, at Aqueduct. He finished fifth in the Jerome Stakes in his 3-year-old bow before winning a starter-allowance race in February 2018.

After three straight losses in allowance-optional claiming races, Factor This got back on track with a 3 ¼-length win in a claiming race May 31, 2018, at Belmont Park. After running fourth in the Manila Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in July, he was claimed for $62,500 out of a 1/18-mile turf claiming race at the Spa.

During his 4-year-old season in 2019, Factor This put together a three-race winning streak that included his first career stakes victory in the Kentucky Downs Preview Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes at Ellis Park. He subsequently ran fourth in the Grade 3 Kentucky Turf Cup. Factor This was winless in his final three races of 2019.

The bay gelding by The Factor ran third in his 2020 debut in the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds. He next earned a breakthrough graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes, in which he led from start to finish and held off a tenacious late charge from Synchrony to prevail. He followed with another determined front-running victory by three lengths March 21 in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Sent to Churchill Downs for the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes on June 20, Factor This maintained his winning form, taking his third consecutive graded stakes with a gritty, pacesetting win over English Bee. Trainer Brad Cox then shipped him to Ellis Park for the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup on Aug. 2, and he extended his winning streak to four with a half-length score in the listed event. Factor This did not go to Kentucky Downs and instead shipped back to Churchill for a start in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve undercard. He assumed his customary front-running position but could not hold the lead in deep stretch, finishing a game second to Digital Age.

Factor This then got back on the winning track at Pimlico Race Course on Oct. 3, taking the early lead in the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes and rebuffing a challenge from Somelikeithotbrown in the stretch to score by 2 ¾ lengths. That marked his fourth graded stakes win of 2020, and fifth stakes win overall.