A maiden win over dirt at Evangeline Downs on March 15 gave Chin High the needed preparation to make a heated run from off the pace to capture the first stakes win of his career in the $150,000 Transylvania Stakes (G3) for three-year-olds at Keeneland Race Course on Friday.

The Smart Strike colt, making his turf debut, galloped along in ninth in the field of ten rivals while In a Flash (Ire) ran a quick opening quarter in :22.31 and the half-mile in :46.12. To Sender (GB), the 4-to-5 favorite, and Dawn of War cruised along in pursuit from second and third, respectively.

Chin High, with Shaun Bridgmohan in the irons, was undeterred by a brief bumping match at the three-sixteenths pole, and angled out with a closing charge down the stretch to accelerate past runner-up Le Plaix (Fr) and Wherethewestbegins.

"He broke sharp enough, which [trainer Neil Pessin] told me he would, and he dropped back and I gave him a chance," Bridgmohan said. "Midway down the backside, I nudged him a little and thought I'd give him encouragement and he picked it up pretty good. It was just a matter if I could have found any room for him because he had a little momentum and I didn't want to get him stopped."

Le Plaix, unplaced in the Hallandale Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park on February 12, battled gamely in the stretch but was unable to hold off Chin High as he stretched his margin to one length at the wire. Wherethewestbegins finished third, a half-length behind Le Plaix. To Sender, a bit rank early, faded to last.

Chin High covered the mile in 1:37.87 over a firm turf course.

The win was the second consecutive victory for Chin High, owned by Ike Thrash and trained by Pessin. The $93,000 of the winner's cache elevated his earnings to $118,190. Pessin said he would point High Chin toward the Crown Royal American Turf Stakes (G3) on May 2 at Churchill Downs, with an eye on the Mid-American Triple series of turf races at Arlington Park this summer.

Bred in Kentucky by Sun Valley Farm, the dam of Chin High is Damie's Sis, by Sunny Clime.

For an Equibase chart, click here.