The PRK (Grade 1)- $1,500.000 Purse
PIM- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and Three Sixteenths on the Dirt
May 20, 2023
The second leg of the TC is in the books, and it will be remembered for the dominant stretch performance of Gorogue Laga, who would end up scoring a three-length victory. In our world, that is considered a rout, and for Gorogue Laga it serves as an impressive reminder of why he was considered the top horse heading into the KYD. He was made the post time favorite for that race but would only muster up a fifth-place finish. In the PRK, he would be well bet, though was not quite the favorite, and he would reward those who still believed in him. This was our pick to win in the preview, as well! Gorogue Laga is trained by Arindel, giving the first TC victory to one of the game’s top trainers. Congratulations to him on achieving what will go down as one of the biggest wins of his career thus far! The winning jockey is L Saez, and it is his first PRK win. He’s been the regular rider for Gorogue Laga, so congratulations to him as well! The time of the victory was 1:54.38, which ties the stake record with Ned Isakoff from 2016. Let’s take a look at how the race was won!
(1/2 Mile- :47.08)- Several horses get off to a good start out of the gate, and as they run down the frontstretch for the first time, it will be Timeless, the D J C Racing Stables entry, being the one out front and it’s about a length and a half cushion around the opening turn and into the backstretch after running half a mile. Right behind him is the slight post time favorite, Wahpekute Sioux, out of Mb Stables, who was hoping to use the fact that he was a fresher horse after not running in the KYD, to his advantage. To his inside, and within a length is a horse that not only was in the KYD but took home the top prize. That of course, is Allinthegate’s Quiet Return. Cross Examination is in the third lane for Mo Mentum Farm and about two lengths from the front, and Spirit Believer is also part of this group, as the Nakamura Stables entry runs in the second lane. Running four wide, and a half-length or so behind him is Terabyte, for Arkansas Elite. Next in line is where we find our eventual winner, Arindel’s Gorogue Laga. For now, he is positioned behind Cross Examination with some room to maneuver if he wanted to make a move. He’s scored four lengths back at this point. Jacks Courage is in the fourth lane for Mb Stables, and trying to keep close to this lead group and similar can be said for Angelos Stable’s Times Ticking who’s closer to the rail. They become more spread out as we go further back in the field, with Fear Me Not (Mb Stables) ahead of the rest. Apache Rise Again (Apache Warrior), Illegal Fiesta Party (The Freakshow), State Of Fury (Alydar Stables) and Keep Me Apprised (Alydar Stables) rounding it out.
(3/4 Mile- 1:11.41)- Running down the backstretch, Timeless continues to be the leader, and he appears to be comfortable on the front end. He is going to get some company, as Terabyte advances his position in the running order to move away from stalking and now running within a length of the pacesetter. He was the only one to make a push at this point of the race. Wahpekute Sioux still looks perfectly fine as he maintained his position right off the lead, and Quiet Return is still within a length and a half while on the rail. Cross Examination moves to the fourth lane for the turn, a hand that may have been forced upon him due to the move of Terabyte. Gorogue Lag is in the sixth position right now, but the way things were setting up in front of him, he had an opening right in front of him, which, if nothing else, would mean that he would not be blocked in the turn if he wanted to make his move then. Spirit Believer is right beside him, on the rail, and Jacks Courage continues to hang on to the top group. That’s not really true for Times Ticking, who loses a little ground, and those behind him look for their own bit of running room for any potential closing bid.
(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- To no one’s surprise, the action picks up in the turn as jockey’s look for the perfect stretch position with hopes that their horse will have a big run coming. Now in front, it’s Wahpekute Sioux, and there has not been anything wrong with his trip thus far. With the lead, it’s now time to utilize the fact that he didn’t run two weeks ago to his advantage. Coming through between that one, and Timeless, who was trying to hang on, it would be there Return. Would our KYD winner now be on the verge of having a winning performance in the stretch to take home the coveted second leg of the Triple Crown? Things also looked very nice for Gorogue Laga, who ran very well in the turn, pulling up right behind Wahpekute Sioux and had options for the stretch. He could swing to the fourth lane, as there was plenty of racing room in that lane, or he could probably attempt to come on between Quiet Return and Wahpekute Sioux. Either way, he was in a great spot here. Behind them, Terabyte began to weaken, and Cross Examination could only maintain his spot on the track and not move forward. That story was also true for Spirit Believer. Jacks Courage swung to the outside to try and make a move, and from the back of the pack, State Of Fury had no other choice but to move to the center of the racetrack to make his bid. Times Ticking was lacking response at this point, and Apache Rise Again was becoming unable to rise again. Keep Me Apprised had a lot of work to do, and it wasn’t looking like party time for Illegal Fiesta Party.
(Finish- 1:54.38)- At the top of the stretch, Wahpekute Sioux helped Gorogue Laga make his decision pretty easily as to what lane he would choose since the moved over a lane. Now, there would not need to be an outside move for Gorogue Laga, and he could just hold his line and come on between Quiet Return and Wahpekute Sioux. And boy, did he ever do that! In a race like this within our game, you don’t often see one horse have another gear that the rest of the field, that had been near the front all day, would not have. In the stretch, the race was all his, powering by Wahpekute Sioux and the others to take the lead and there was no reason for L Saez to look back at that point. He would be on his way to scoring a win in the PRK and did so in convincing fashion. The final margin of victory for Gorogue Laga will be three lengths, and if he keeps this up, there will be many more victories in his future. We’ll likely see him in the BEL, and it will be hard to bet against him. We ended up having a dead heat for second between Quiet Return and the late running from centerfield, State Of Fury. Allinthegate’s dream of winning the TC may have come up short, but he can’t be disappointed with the effort of his horse here. And for State Of Fury, keep in mind the extra racetrack that he had to cover here when considering him in your picks the next time he races. It should not be an afterthought in this race, as it was a strong effort. Wahpekute Sioux can only be fourth as he just needed a little bit more in the stretch. His stablemate Jacks Courage is fifth and was another who covered a lot of extra three-year-old today. Cross Examination is similar for sixth, and he edges out Timeless for that position. The second half of the field will go down as Fear Me Not, Keep Me Apprised, Apache Rise Again, Spirit Believer, Times Ticking, Terabyte, and Illegal Fiesta Party.
About The Winner- Gorogue Laga, trained by Arindel and ridden to victory by L Saez, is a three-year-old gelding by Rogue Lawyer (who is by Ferro) and is out of the otherwise unheralded Bella Laga. He was bred as a yearling by Lagastable in Ontario and was acquired by Arindel when he was still unraced for $150.000 in private sales in March 2022. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his sixth in 10 starts, his fifth stake win and his fourth graded win. His career earnings are now $2,398.920.
Track: Fast
Time: :47 1:112 1:361 1:541
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 5 – 1 Paid 10.30, 5 – 6 Paid 1,464.00
$1 Trifecta: 5 – 1 – 6 Paid 787.20, 5 – 6 – 1 Paid 787.20
Scratched: High In Hollywood, Hurly Road, Ocala Secret
— NS
Categories: TC 2021-2023
