Poseidon's Warrior pulled off a tremendous upset this afternoon in the $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga, rallying past Emcee to win at odds of 36-1 while favored Shackleford finished last.
Ridden to victory by Irad Ortiz Jr., Poseidon's Warrior was the quickest horse out of the starting gate, but soon settled back into the third position as Emcee and Rothko led the way through quick fractions of :21.99 and :44.61. Shackleford, coming off of a victory in the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I), was down along the rail in fourth while being urged to stay in contention, with Justin Phillip, Sloane Ranger, Jersey Town, and Hamazing Destiny behind him.
Rounding the turn, Emcee and Rothko continued to race well on the front end, but Shackleford soon found nothing left in the tank and began to retreat. Entering the homestretch, Emcee put away Rothko and briefly opened up a clear advantage, but Poseidon's Warrior was staying on strongly while drifting out a bit, and Justin Phillip was still in contention even farther outside. Inside the final sixteenth, any one of those three could have won, but Poseidon's Warrior proved to have the most left for the finish, rallying past Emcee and holding off a bid from Justin Phillip to win the prestigious six-furlong sprint by a neck. The final time over a muddy track was a quick 1:09.40.
Justin Phillip edged out Emcee for second, while Hamazing Destiny, Rothko, Jersey Town, Sloane Ranger, and Shackleford completed the order of finish. The winner is owned by Swilcan Stable and trained by Robert E. Reid Jr.
-Keelerman
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