Winn (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
CD- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
June 18, 2016

Before this race it was announced that Missing In Action would not be in action for the Winn.  He was announced as a late scratch, so the Gotham’s winner will still be looking to make his debut for new trainer John Henry.  While that news was a bit deflating, this race still was packed with plenty of talent and we still ended up with quite a good race.  First across the wire would be Overspender, a late bloomer from Mb Stables with J R Velazquez aboard.  Prior to this race, Overspender was last seen finishing second to Black Mojo in the Grade 2 Peter Pan.  Black Mojo, of course, was the runner up last week in the BEL.   It is the first win in the stake for both the trainer and jockey, and the race winning time of 1:41.45 is the fastest in the history of the stake when it has been run at this exact distance.   Congratulations!  Here’s a look at it.

1st- 5- Overspender (5/2)- Today’s winner from Mb Stables was not one of the quickest ones out of the gate, and as they moved into the first turn he was ahead of only Mystery Boy.   Moved up to run with Admirals Aces and The Star of Jones in the backstretch, still while almost seven lengths from the lead.   Remained steady with the field at this time, and as they approached the final turn.  His outside lane allowed him to have a good position for the turn, and he would begin to inch closer on the leaders at this stage of the race.   Overspender was particularly good towards the exit of the turn, and at the top of the stretch he had pulled even with Coup de Lyon for third and was ready to explode with run.   It likely did not take much for jockey J R Velazquez to get him to be at his best at this point.  Stride for stride, he would reel in Viking Rasta, and the pass would be complete with half a furlong to go.  From there, it was clear sailing to the win, in a time of 1:41.45.   Overspender is a three year old colt by Credit (by Charley Farley) and out of Red Double (by Red Rioja).  He was bred in California as a third quarter two year old by Mb Stables, and they have been together throughout! Congratulations again to the connections!

2nd- 8- Viking Rasta (7/2)- Making his graded debut, the Delta Farms entry was quite impressive. He would be excellent out of the gate, and had the field cleared by a length as they moved into the opening turn.  He’d have no problem getting to the rail in the process.  Maintained a steady stride during the turn and into the backstretch, setting the opening quarter in :23.28.  The backstretch proved to be a great portion of the race for Viking Rasta, as he pulled out to an approximate three lengths advantage while not over-extending himself.  The half was run in :46.80, and 3/4 in 1:10.23.   He began to lose some ground by the time they hit the top of the stretch, but still made a valiant effort to hold on.  With a couple looking to make moves from behind, J J Castellano dug in and kept Viking Rasta running gamely to the wire with only Overspender being able to get by.

3rd- 4- Coup de Lyon (3/1)- Our pick in this race, from Nakamura Stables was decent out of the gate, and would sit just off the lead by about three lengths as the field moved around the opening turn and into the backstretch.  While in the backstretch, he would lose a little more ground, and was almost five lengths out as they moved into the final turn.  He was strong in the turn, almost as if Overspender’s move to his outside served as a wakeup call.  With his stride rediscovered, he tried to keep pace with Overspender, and while he couldn’t do that, this clear lane kept him out of trouble and let him pass a couple of others and ultimately close out the trifecta.

4th- 1- Admirals Aces (8/1)- The entry from Grimley did not start all that well, and therefore never was really able to use his rail position to his advantage.  Around the opening turn, he raced with The Star of Jones near the back of the field.  As he moved into the turn, it was evident that there was plenty of run left in him, and he began moving closer to the front. On exit of the turn, he had to move to the outside of Awkward Seven, and that seemed to take a little bit of a life out of him, and his run stalled out.  He would get by that one, but it seemed as though he was going to make more progress then just that.

5th- 2- Awkward Seven (33/1)- The Mcl Stables entry got off to a pretty good start, and would run with Coup de Lyon around the opening turn and into the backstretch about three lengths from the lead. Midway into the backstretch, J Talamo made a push forward with his gelding, and by the top of the final turn, he had moved into second and seemed to be closing on Viking Rasta, just for this little bit of time.  By the top of the stretch, the run died off, and with half a furlong to go, he seemed to give up, and fell out of a check-earning position.

6th- 6- Sir Amos (56/1)- The longest shot on the board from Blushing Meadows was in good shape early on, breaking alertly out of the gate and stalk the pacesetting Viking Rasta around the opening turn.  Over the course of the backstretch, he would lose touch and allowed Viking Rasta to begin to pull away while he fell into clutches of Awkward Seven.  He’d lose more ground in the turn and would not be a factor.

7th- 3- The Star Of Jones (31/1)- The Oval Express Farms entry didn’t start all that well and would be near the back of the pack early on.  During the back stretch, he did not show much, and started to fall behind a couple he had been running with. I Ortiz Jr looked for a lane to pounce on at the top of the stretch, and The Star Of Jones would be able to keep with the pack, just not pass anyone.

8th- 10- Mystery Boy (4/1)- The Heavens Own gelding was lethargic out of the starting gate and even though he has been a deep closer in the past, this had to be further back then the trainer wanted.  By the time they hit the far turn, the gap increased to ten lengths.  Showed nothing at any point in the stretch.

Track: Fast
Time: :23¹  :46⁴  1:10²  1:41²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 5 – 8 Paid 11.70
$1 Trifecta: 5 – 8 – 4 Paid 20.70

Scratched: Quadplex, Missing In Action(L)

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES