The Seek Again ($100.000 Purse)
BEL- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
May 22, 2021
You have to go back to 2019 to find the last time that Burning Approval won a stake. He won that PA Derby that day, the final win of what was an outstanding stretch that saw him win three top races in a row. After that, he ran second in the BC Dirt Mile, and you would have thought that there was more to come. It didn’t work out for him like that, though, and his only wins then were open allowances. The Seek Again, a stake appearing on our schedule for the first time, does not have a high profile, but if trainer Mb Stables seeks to again have that level of success with Burning Approval, you have to start the road back somewhere. Congratulations to him, as well as winning jockey D Davis, as the inaugural edition of the stakes goes in a time of 1:34.78. Let’s take a look at it!
(¼ Mile- :23.47)- Saturday Khartoum shoots out to the early lead for Rousee, and he has some company at the front as Paradise Stable’s Rhythm Priest, the 0-for-14 maiden, is initially to his inside, but eventual Saturday Khartoum leads that one by a length. After the maiden, our eventual top two finishers take stalking positions, first with Buffalo G running in the third lane for Nakamura Stables, and then Burning Approval running to his inside for Mb Stables. Creeping forward on the rail, it’s Rampage Stable trained Bell Boy to join them. It’s another length to Downward Roll (Big Jd Racing) and Plenty Supercharged (Yates Racing), and another length to Unfold (Angelos Stable) and Strat (Gdp Inc). Trailing are Ice Wall (RNP Stables) and Wrangler (High Voltage).
(½ Mile- :46.88)- Saturday Khartoum runs the second quarter of the race in a nearly identical time as he did the first, and while he does this, he opens up a lead of about two lengths. Perhaps it was going to come true again that my covering one of his starts would pay off for him. They are four wide behind him, but in that, Rhythm Priest is a horse losing ground. Due to that, Bell Boy had to come off the rail, and that affected his momentum a bit. In the outer lanes, both Buffalo G and Burning Approval are able to stay away from any trouble as we start to move around the turn. Plenty Supercharged and Strat were side by side another length back, then Unfold and Downward Roll are in close proximity. Ice Wall and Wrangler still trail.
(Top Of Stretch, 2F To Go)- For the first half of the final turn, Saturday Khartoum still seemed to be in extra shape, so it was a surprise that by the time they hit the top of the stretch that Burning Approval had caught up to him. Towards the exit of the turn, D Davis would urge his mount forward, and the response that Burning Approval gave was impressive. In doing this, he gained a very valuable length on Buffalo G, who had been running beside him for most of the race up to this point. Bell Boy was fourth, but trailing by two lengths. Rhythm Priest is hanging around on the rail, and a little further back, Downward Roll looks to regain some ground he conceded earlier, and Ice Wall looks like he has interest in getting involved in the stretch.
(Finish- 1:34.78)- In the stretch, Burning Approval takes control of the race, putting away Saturday Khartoum with so much ease that it left that one demoralized for the rest of the race. Buffalo G would run steady to the wire, but would not have anything for the winner. What he did have to worry about were the frantic late bids of both Downward Roll and Ice Wall. They made it interesting, and Buffalo G hangs on in the headbob to complete the exacta, ahead of Downward Roll, with Ice Wall appearing in that photo as well. Bell Boy was unable to get involved any further, and finishes the day in fifth, one better than Saturday Khartoum. Rounding it out, it’s Unfold. Plenty Supercharged, Wrangler, Rhythm Priest, and Strat.
About The Winner- Burning Approval trained by Mb Stables, and ridden to victory by D Davis, is a five year old gelding by Niner Forty Niner, and is out of Some Temper. He was bred in Ontario by Mb Stables as a third quarter two year old, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his eighth in 23 starts, and his fourth stake win. His career earnings are now $2,437.480.
Track: Fast
Time: :232 :464 1:102 1:343
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 3 – 6 Paid 24.90
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 6 – 11 Paid 513.80
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
