The Peter Pan- Grade III
1 1/8 Miles Dirt Graded Stake Purse $200.00 Three-Year-Olds. At AQU

1st     Decima Tech                 The Sidley Stud        13-1 (HRP) 8-1 (SRF)

This was Decima Tech’s eighth start, and in all eight starts the gelding has to some degree closed ground coming home. Let’s face it, this is very unusual for a closer, especially one that usually is a deep closer. In all of his KYD qualifier races, he got too far back and failed to make up all the ground he needed. Here in The Peter Pan, he was more of a stalker than deep closer, and he never needed to make up more than three lengths, so that he had the lead by the time they entered the stretch and it was just a matter of cruising home to win in hand. In my preamble, I mentioned he was my longshot tabbed in the top four and a nifty 13-1 longshot he was.

2nd      Excavate                 Acber Farms            7-1 (HRP) 10-1 (SRF)

Excavate gave up interest in the KYD after running a deep closing fourth in the SA Derby and decided to work his way up to The Peter Pan highlighted by a 1:36 4/5 mile track work at KEE. Come race time, he showed the work paid off with a deep close from last to second beaten three quarters of a length at the wire.

3rd      Private Money          Winning Link Stables          8-1 (HRP) *3-1 (SRF)

Another stalker, Private Money was my choice to win this race what with having missed the Derby by only a nose and repeatedly reeling off 1:37 flat mile works coming up to this race. He laid fourth through the early going and was just making his move when Decima Tech lunged into the lead, dragging deep closing Excavate along with him.

4th      Liberty Street                D J C Racing Stables       8-1 (HRP) 20-1 (SRF)

Lightly raced, Liberty Street has been accustomed to running on the pace and in the three competitive races where he had the lead coming home, only once had he been overtaken, but in his short racing career he had never encountered three monstrous closers like these and was just overwhelmed back into fourth.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES