The Toboggan (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
AQU- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
January 28, 2023
Heading into the running of the Toboggan, it seemed as though Crypto would be one of the top horses in the field. He had won three of five coming into this, with those wins being in a similar class of a race as this one. Crypto even ran well in the BC Sprint, placing fifth, and was second in the Grade 1 Malibu coming into this. As our pick and the post time favorite for the race, Crypto would not let us down as he gets by the upset-minded Dancing Rattler late in the stretch. Crypto is trained by Maxmillion Farm, and he it is the second time that he has won this race. It had been a while, though, as you have to go back to 2013 and the late Barring Tor for that other win. T D Houghton is the winning jockey and does so for the first time. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:21.51, the second quickest of the editions of the race run at seven furlongs. Let’s take a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :22.97)- Three horses battle for the early lead, and after a quarter mile, Martyparty’s Dancing Rattler has a slight advantage by a neck over two running to this inside. Well Done Charley is right next to him for Night Rider Stables, and on the rail, it is Gdp Inc’s On The Turning Away. Right behind them, in a stalking position, is Maxmillion Farm’s Crypto. For now, he is positioned to be able to move up to the outside of Dancing Rattler is he so desired. In fifth, and also right behind the leaders is Axeman’s First Down Dash. Our two Roads, Croton (Invicta Group Llc) and Lokoya (Establo Pichon) are in the middle of the back, with Wifi Connection (M.a.r Racing) right behind them. Then, it’s Hard To Forgive (D J C Racing Stables), Queens Commander (Angelos Stable), and Crimson Dragon (TwinTowersRacing).
(1/2 Mile- :46.11, Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Before reaching the end of the backstretch, Dancing Rattler has been able to clear the Well Done Charley and On The Turning Away, and is able to get to the rail prior to entering the turn. Once there, he maintains his pace and starts to open up on those two by almost two lengths. Towards the middle of the turn, Crypto would get his push from T D Houghton and he began to make progress on the leader while also pulling away from Well Done Charley and On The Turning Away. Further back, horses in the middle of the field would shift over a lane or to two in order to look for their best running spot in the stretch. There was no major push from any of them quite yet.
(Finish- 1:21.51)- With a furlong to go, Crypto pulls up alongside Dancing Rattler, and while that one tries to put up a fight for a while, Crypto was going to be just a little too much for him. It’s a win for the post-time favorite, with a valiant Dancing Rattler only beaten by a length. At the top of the stretch, First Down Dash was looking like he could be a bigger threat to the top two but could not get any closer than two lengths out. That’s enough for third, with On The Turning Away running good enough to the end to be fourth, ahead of Croton Road. Rounding it out, it’s Crimson Dragon, Lokoya Road, Well Done Charley, Queens Commander, Hard To Forgive, and Wifi Connection.
About The Winner- Crypto, trained by Maxmillion Farm and ridden to victory by T D Houghton, is a four-year-old gelding by Tax Reform and is out of Deep Blue Ocean. He was bred by Woogaloo as a yearling in California and acquired by Maxmillion for $175.000 in a May 2022 private sale. The win is his sixth in 13 starts, and his fourth stake win, all of which are graded. His career earnings are now $789.960.
Track: Fast
Time: :224 :46 1:093 1:212
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 7 – 6 Paid 45.70
$1 Trifecta: 7 – 6 – 2 Paid 250.50
Scratched: Tormented(L)
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
