Drill pulled off a mild upset this afternoon in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes (gr. II), gamely defeating American Act by a nose to win the seven-furlong sprint in 1:21.28.
Ridden to victory by Martin Garcia, the colt was sent off as the 7-2 third choice behind heavily favored Creative Cause in the field of four. At the start, he broke just a step slowly before recovering to race second early on as American Act set a moderate pace of :22.78 and :45.83. Let's Get Crackin was racing in third toward the rail, followed by Creative Cause. Only three lengths separated first from last.
Rounding the turn, Drill began to moved up to challenge American Act for the lead, and the duo arrived at the top of the stretch with little between them. Creative Cause had been guided to the far outside by Joel Rosario, and while he was not losing ground, he was not gaining it very quickly. A thrilling stretch run thus ensued, with Drill and American Act battling gamely for the lead while Creative Cause closed in on the outside. In the end, it was Drill who hit the wire first, denying American Act by a tiny margin. Creative Cause was about one length further back in third, followed by Let's Get Crackin.
The victory was Drill's first since taking the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) last September. The son of Lawyer Ron was bringing a five-race winning streak into the San Vicente, which included four off-the-board finishes. However, trainer Bob Baffert was able to get Drill back to his best form today, signaling that the colt may be a force in sprint races throughout the year.
-Keelerman
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