The Carter Handicap (Grade 1)- $400.000 Purse
AQU- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
April 7, 2018
It was a close exciting finish at the 14th running of the Grade 1 Carter Handicap. Five of them seemed to hit the line together, leading for a photo for the stewards to examine that would encompass over half of the field. Eventually, it would all get sorted out, and Scripted would be posted as the winner, for Mb Stables. This marks the third consecutive year that Mb has won the race, having done so with Spring Lover and Visa Vice the last two years. The winning time of 1:21.54 would have meant a dead heat with Visa Vice, who recorded the same exact winning time in 2017. Aboard the winner was J Alvarado, the first time the jockey has won the stake, and Mb Stables has had a different winning jockey for each of his three wins. Congratulations to them! Here’s a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :22.69)- At the start of the race, there is no one in the field who seems to be aggressively put out to the lead, but the two who started from the two posts to the outside become the frontrunners after two furlongs. Vegas Host, the high weight in the field, from Nakamura Stables takes a length lead over Defoe’s De Fuego, and Axeman’s Highest Esteem ends up pulling even with him midway through the backstretch for the second position. It’s another length back to Tekkers, from Maxmillion, who is on the rail, with John Henry’s Petrochemical just to his outside. In the three wide position here is Lucky Star (Smokey Stover). Vino Bambino (Chili King Stables) is another length back, while our eventual winner, Scripted, trails the field for Mb Stables, and is five and a half lengths from the lead.
(½ Mile- :45.64)- There is little change at this point in the race. Vegas Host continues to lead and hold a length advantage over both De Fuego and Highest Esteem. The main mover at this point was Tekkers, who handles the rail well in the turn, to make it three wide for second. Vino Bambino is looking for room to run and should have it in the fourth lane. Scripted was preparing for an outside move, but still had five lengths to make up. Petrochemical was potentially running into traffic trouble as Lucky Star was looking to stay ahead of Scripted.
(Top Of Stretch- 1.7F To Go)- As they move around the turn, we are set up for a fascinating stretch battle with two lengths separating the front from the back. In a way, it may have looked like one of those two furlong dashes for two year olds that are popular this month. Vegas Host was doing his best to hold on, though it would be De Fuego trying to get the advantage at this point. On the outside, both Scripted and Lucky Star were closing with a high rate of speed, and Vino Bambino looked to stay even with them. Tekkers and Highest Esteem had desirable lanes. Petrochemical moved to the rail to make his move.
(Finish- 1:21.54)- In the dying moments of the race, there was no telling who was about to win. Scripted, while running in the outside lane, seemed to have the strongest head of steam initially, but the others, such as Lucky Star and Vino Bambino were fighting back and not conceding anything. De Fuego gave everything he could, and Tekkers fought hard. In the end, these five hit the wire together, and after a review of the photo, it is Scripted getting the headbob over Lucky Star, Vino Bambino, De Fuego and Tekkers. All five of them were good enough to win today. Petrochemical was a length back in 6th. Vegas Host and Highest Esteem round it out.
About The Winner: Scripted, trained by Mb Stables, and ridden by J Alvarado, is a four year old gelding by Commanding, and is out of No Prayers. He was bred in Florida by Mb Stables as a third quarter two year old, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourth in 11 starts, his third stake win, and second graded win. His career earnings are now $484.330.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | |||
|
Scripted | Mb Stables | Alvarado J | 6.50 | 1no | 1:21.54 | ||||
|
Lucky Star | Smokey Stover | Lopez P | 2.70 | 2no | 1:21.56 | ||||
|
Vino Bambino | Chili King Stables | Castellano J J | 7.00 | 3hd | 1:21.57 | ||||
|
De Fuego | Defoe | Smith M E | 4.50 | 4hd | 1:21.60 | ||||
|
Tekkers | Maxmillion Farm | Saez L | 3.75 | 53/4 | 1:21.63 | ||||
|
Petrochemical | John Henry | Lanerie C J | 34.10 | 63/4 | 1:21.80 | ||||
|
Vegas Host | Nakamura Stables | Rosario J | 3.50 | 71 | 1:22.00 | ||||
|
Highest Esteem | Axeman | Valdivia J Jr | 97.65 | 8 | 1:22.20 |
Track: Fast
Time: :223 :453 1:091 1:212
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 6 – Scripted | 15.00 | 5.90 | 4.20 |
| 4 – Lucky Star | 3.90 | 3.00 | |
| 3 – Vino Bambino | 4.30 |
$1 Exacta: 6 – 4 Paid 20.80
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 4 – 3 Paid 92.50
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
