Maryland-breds delivered a powerful one-two punch this weekend at Churchill Downs, with Mindframe capturing the Grade 1 Stephen Foster and Romeo storming to a record-setting victory in the Listed Bashford Manor Stakes.

Mindframe, bred by the late R. Larry Johnson, proved he belongs among the nation’s top older horses by turning back Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone in the $1 million Stephen Foster. Tracking just off the pace under Irad Ortiz Jr., the 4-year-old son of Constitution surged to the front at the top of the stretch and held firm to win by a length in 1:47.48—fourth-fastest in race history.

“He had to come running,” Ortiz said. “This was a really good field today, and I’m really proud of the way he finished to hold off some of the best horses in the country right now.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher added, “We’re just incredibly proud of him for how he was able to stretch out his natural speed today. Sierra Leone came with a huge run around the turn, and he had to hold off some top-class horses and was able to do so.”

The win was Mindframe’s third stakes triumph of 2025 and earned him a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this fall at Del Mar. He now sports earnings of more than $1.84 million for owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable.

On Sunday, 2-year-old Romeo, bred by John C. Davidson, announced himself as a rising star with a front-running, stakes-record performance in the $194,500 Bashford Manor. Trained by Jerry Robb for owner Joseph Lloyd and ridden by Xavier Perez, Romeo led at every call and drew off to win by 3 ¾ lengths in 1:08.61, smashing the previous mark of 1:09.15.

“This is my first time at Churchill Downs and it was great to get a stakes win with this horse,” Perez said. “He broke sharp and went right to the front. Around the turn I asked him to go, and he took off.”

Romeo’s victory was his second in three starts and boosted his bankroll to $156,760. The son of Honor A.P. rebounded impressively from a third-place finish in the Tremont at Saratoga.

Mindframe, out of the Street Sense mare Walk of Stars, is the latest and best in a family that Johnson built for decades.

Romeo, out of the Not for Love mare Fancy Love, was third in his class at the 2024 Maryland Horse Breeders Association annual yearling show. This year’s yearling show took place Sunday – the same day that one of its graduates was notching the biggest win of his career.