Bodemeister, sent off as the 2-1 favorite, ran to his odds in the $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby (gr. I) this afternoon at Oaklawn Park, drawing away powerfully in the stretch to win by nine lengths.
Ridden to victory by Mike Smith, Bodemeister broke outward at the start, but quickly recovered and was sent straight to the lead. Stat was right behind him in second, followed closely by Bodemeister's stablemate Secret Circle. Jake Mo was next, followed by Isn't He Clever, Raconteur, and Optimizer. Cozzetti, Sabercat, Atigun, and Najjaar were the early trailers.
Through quick fractions of :23.02 and :46.55, Bodemeister continued to lead the way easily. Rounding the far turn, Secret Circle and Stat both made their bids to challenge for the lead, but Bodemeister turned them back with ease and began to draw away. From there, the race was his, as the colt extended his advantage under a strong hand ride to win by all of nine lengths, stopping the clock for nine furlongs in a quick 1:48.71. But what was most amazing was the fact that he ran his final furlong in an unbelievable :11.97.
Secret Circle held on to second over the late-running Sabercat, while Cozzetti completed the superfecta. The winner is owned by Zayat Stable and trained by Bob Baffert.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment