Green Flash Handicap (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
DMR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Five Furlongs on the Turf
August 22, 2020

Perhaps the best part of writing recaps for these races is the opportunity to cover monumental wins for a stable. One such accomplishment is the first graded win, something that everyone will remember regardless of how good they become at this game. For Bears Stable, a trainer who opened their stable doors at the beginning of this year, that win would come in their 203rd career start with a horse in Cellmate that they claimed for just $4.000 back in February. Since that claim, Bears Stable has done everything right with the gelding, and is rewarded with the Grade 3 win here in the Green Flash Handicap. For Cellmate, it is also his fourth consecutive win. Aboard the winner was K J Desormeaux, who is a first time winner of this race. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of :56.24, the second quickest time in its history. Let’s take a look!

(¼ Mile- :22.17)- Jolly Be Native, out of John Henry, breaks the quickest out of the gate, and leads the field into the turn after running a quick opening quarter mile. He has company on each side as Tyrian, from Mo Mentum Farm is on his inside, and Zone One, from Night Rider Stables, is on his outside, each within a length, in the early going. Just A Reserve runs fourth for Spankys Barn, and is only a length back. Next up, in the middle of the field, is where we find our eventual winner, Cellmate, from Bears Stable. He runs to himself here, and is two and a half lengths from the lead. Behind him, Houseparty (Martyparty) and Ragin Cajun (John Henry) run side by side, then its General Ferro (Mb Stables), and Iskander (Mb Stables).

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Moving around the turn, Cellmate had not begun to make his move yet, but with the way the race had been run, he had a big opening to shoot through while on the inside when it was time. He had inched closer, and at the top of the stretch, he was a length and a half from the front. There were still four in front of him, with Jolly Be Native a neck in front of Just A Reserve and Tyrian, with Zone One also keeping pace. House Party, Ragin Cajun, and General Ferro were creeping closer, but did not have the same clear lane to work with that Cellmate did.

(Finish- :56.24)- Cellmate uses the lane that had been in front of him in a successful manner, gracefully moving forward and taking the lead midway into the stretch. This was useful, because there started to be a lot of shuffling going on to his outside. It would not matter to Cellmate, who wins by a length. In a wild four way photo for second, Just A Reserve and Zone One dead heat for second, just .01 ahead of House Party and General Ferro, who dead heat for fourth. Rounding out the order, its Tyrian and Jolly Be Native. Oh, and eventually Iskander.

About The Winner- Cellmate, trained by Bears Stable, and ridden to victory by K J Desormeaux, is a four year old gelding by A Fine Romance and is out of Valiant Crazy Girl. He was bred in Arizona by Dandy Dan Stables as a yearling, and acquired by Bears Stable, via Angelos Stable through a $4.000 claim this February. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his eighth in 22 starts, his fourth consecutive, and his first stake win of any sort. His career earnings are now $185.770.

Track: Firm
Time: :22   :44⁴  :56¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 4 Paid 32.90, 2 – 9 Paid 29.80
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 4 – 9 Paid 182.80, 2 – 9 – 4 Paid 81.80

Scratched: None

Winner Picked By NS

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES