Hit Show

Hit Show was an immediate smash hit on the racetrack, winning his 2-year-old career debut by 5 1/4 lengths in a Keeneland seven-furlong maiden race on Oct. 9, 2022. He lost his second start but then rebounded in his third career start to win a non-winners of two allowance race by 3 1/2 lengths in a two-turn mile race at Oaklawn Park on Dec. 17 to round out his juvenile campaign.

Hit Show made his stakes debut in his first outing as a 3-year-old in the $250,000 Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 11, 2023. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite on the tote board in a field of seven, Hit Show sat off a live pace in mid-pack and then rolled past the leaders to a big 5 1/2-length victory. His winning time for the 1 1/8-mile distance was 1:54.71.  The Withers was a points race on the Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby, and with his win, Hit Show earned 20 qualifying points.

Hit Show made his next start in the Grade 2 $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct. Hit Show drew the far outside post 12 in a 12-horse field in the Wood Memorial but was sent off as the 1.70-1 favorite and ran a game effort in defeat when he came-up a nose short to 59-1 longshot Lord Miles in a three-horse photo along with Dreamlike. The Wood Memorial was a maximum points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, and Hit Show earned 40 more points for his runner-up finish, giving him 60 points in total and clinching himself a spot in the starting gate for the run for the roses.

Some would say that Hit Show was unlucky to have lost such a tight photo finish in the Wood Memorial, and his run of bad luck continued at the post position draw for his next start in the Kentucky Derby. Hit Show drew the disadvantageous post No. 1 in an 18-horse field in the Kentucky Derby, and at post time he was sent off as a 24-1 longshot. Considering the draw, Hit Show went on to run an admirable race to finish fifth in the run for the roses, beaten a total of 6 1/4 lengths. After making a menacing move into contention on the far turn, he flattened out in the stretch. 

After the Kentucky Derby, Hit Show ran well to finish in a dead heat for fourth in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, and then closed out his 3-year-old season with fifth- and sixth-place finishes in the Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by DK Horse and the Oklahoma Derby, respectively.

Returning for a 4-year-old campaign in 2024, Hit Show started off strong with a 2 ¼-length win in a 1 1/8-mile allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs in May but then disappointed when finishing seventh of 10 as the 9-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap in July. He was sent off as the 7-5 second favorite in his next start, the Grade 3 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes Aug. 4 at Mountaineer Racetrack and Casino, and benefited from a skilled ride from jockey Florent Geroux to prevail by a half-length after angling to the inside and rallying late.

Hit Show added another 2024 victory to his ledger when able to come out on top in the Grade 2 $500,000 Lukas Classic Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on a sloppy main track at Churchill Downs on Sept. 28. Hit Show stalked the pace and prevailed by a neck after a stretch battle to get ahead and stay ahead of runner up Cooke Creek. He then won again in his next start which came at the 2024 Keeneland fall meet in the Grade 2 $350,000 Hagyard Fayette Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on Oct. 26. Hit Show rallied from a stalking position and wore down an eight-horse field by a winning margin of three-quarters of a length as the 3-5 favorite.

Hit Show capped off his 4-year-old campaign with a somewhat subpar third-place finish in the Grade 2 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29. He quickly rebounded, however, in his next start, which came in his first outing as a 5-year-old on Jan. 18. 2025 in the Grade 3 $175,000 Louisiana Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on a sloppy track at Fair Grounds. Hit Show made a last-to-first rally to top an eight-horse field by a 1 1/2-length margin in the Louisiana Stakes as the post time 1.30-1 favorite.

In his second start of 2025, Hit Show finished a distant third in the Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, 12 lengths behind dominant winner Locked. Based on that result, he was ignored in U.S. betting pools at odds of over 41-1 when entered in the $12 million, 1 ¼-mile Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline April 5 at Meydan Racecourse. With Florent Geroux riding, Hit Show settled in midpack among 11 starters and started a sustained rally when the field turned into Meydan’s long homestretch. Under vigorous handling by Geroux, he made up a considerable amount of ground to outfinish fellow U.S.-based longshot Mixto and win the lucrative Dubai World Cup by a half-length, with race favorite Forever Young finishing third.

Coming off the biggest win in his career in Dubai, Hit Show returned stateside for his next start and finished fifth in a loaded field in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 28. His next start came on Aug. 3 at Mountaineer Park where he got back in the win column with a victory in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes. Hit Show followed that win up with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Lukas Classic Stakes Sept. 27 at Churchill Downs.

Hit Show was back at his best in time for his next start in the Grade 3 $350,000 Hagyard Fayette Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on the main track at Keeneland on Oct. 25. Sent off as the 3.57-1 third choice on the tote board in a field of 11 in the Fayette, Hit Show rallied from a mid-pack stalking position to get up and win by a length over runner-up Rattle N Roll and third-place Gosger.

Hit Show is trained by Brad Cox. He was bred in Kentucky by the sire Candy Ride out of the mare Actress by Tapit.