Heavily favored Cash Rules had to dig deeper than expected in the $100,000 Spend a Buck Handicap (gr. III) on Saturday afternoon at Calder Race Course, but the gelding did get the job done, holding off a late bid from Ducduc to win the 1 1/16th miles race by three-quarters of a length.
With Luis Saez aboard, Cash Rules received a virtually perfect trip, rating four lengths off the pace in third as Decisive Moment and Two Is to Many dueled through fractions of :23.42 and :46.87 seconds. Cash Rules was, in turn, four lengths clear of Fair Whit, while Ducduc and Flatter This were the early trailers.
Following three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.28 seconds, Cash Rules made a powerful run to take command of the lead, leaving Decisive Moment and Two Is to Many far behind. But he was quickly joined by Ducduc, who rallied past horses on the turn before shifting to the inside and presenting a challenge to Cash Rules. The two runners put on quite a show down the homestretch, with Cash Rules eventually proving best while stopping the clock in 1:46.99 seconds over a track labeled good.
Ducduc finished eleven lengths clear of third-place finisher Flatter This, while Fair Whit, Two Is to Many, and Decisive Moment rounded out the order of finish.
The winner is trained by David Fawkes and owned by Larry Fugate. A son of Peace Rules out of the Silver Buck mare Cindys Sonnet, Cash Rules has now won three straight races, all of them stakes, to bring his total record to 7-3-2 from 14 starts, with earnings of $274,641.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment