It has become apparent that the seven-year-old gelding Pool Play is at his best racing over dirt tracks. The veteran of 32 starts has only run twice over such surfaces, but those two runs brought about victories in the 2011 Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) and the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (gr. II) at Hawthorne this afternoon.
Ridden to victory by Miguel Mena, Pool Play did not show any early speed -- which is customary -- and settled back to be last of six for the first eight furlongs of the ten-furlong race. In the meantime, Alternation and Eldaafer were dueling for the early lead through fractions of :24.68, :49.40, and 1:13.97. During this time, they were anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 lengths clear of Fly Lexis Fly, who was racing along the inside in third. Mister Marti Gras, Cease, and Pool Play were the trailers.
Following a mile in 1:40.23, Eldaafer took command of the lead from Alternation and left that one behind, gamely leading the way into the homestretch. But Pool Play and Cease were both rallying strongly on the far outside, with Pool Play moving the stronger of the pair. In the end, it was a close finish, but Pool Play was game to the finish and proved best by a half-length while stopping the clock in 2:06.36 seconds over a tiring racetrack.
Cease defeated Eldaafer by 1 1/4 lengths for second, while Mister Marti Gras, Fly Lexis Fly, and Alternation completed the order of finish.
The winner is a son of Silver Deputy out of the Cox's Ridge mare Zuri Ridge. Trained by Mark Casse and owned by W.S. Farish Jr., the possibility exists that Pool Play could be sent to Santa Anita for the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) on November 3rd.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment