Heavily favored Crop Report overcome a slow start to win the $75,000 Team Valor Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park with an explosive late rally, establishing himself in the process as a potential candidate for the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) on June 8th.
Ridden to victory by Joel Rosario, Crop Report bumped with Bet a Bundle at the start of the race and quickly dropped back to trail the field, racing nine lengths behind pace-setting Divine Ambition through an opening quarter mile of :23.76 seconds. Bet a Bundle and Takin the Sloroad were tracking the pace in second and third, followed by J. J. Got Even, Red Wings, and Crop Report.
Divine Ambition continued to lead the way through slow fractions of :47.97 and 1:13.14, and entered the homestretch with a commanding advantage. However, Crop Report was gearing up with a big run on the outside, and caught the leader with ease at the sixteenth pole to win going away by 1 3/4 lengths. The final time for a mile and a sixteenth was 1:45.66 seconds.
Divine Ambition held second by three lengths over Red Wings, who loomed a challenger at the top of the stretch before flattening out. Takin the Sloroad, J. J. Got Even, and Bet a Bundle trailed the field.
The winner is owned by Team Valor International and is trained by Graham Motion. A son of Medaglia d'Oro out of the Crafty Prospector mare Amarillo, Crop Report may be pointed toward a start in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park next time out, according to a report from DRF.com: http://www.drf.com/news/kentucky-derby-next-stop-spiral-winner-black-onyx
The Peter Pan is a prominent prep for the Belmont Stakes.
-Keelerman
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