Lucky 13 Falls in Fractious’ Lap with Amsterdam Victory

By McDuffy on July 30, 2019 • ( 1 )

Adding Graded company victories to one’s resume is a dream of most trainers here at HRP, and Kill Command added not only his first victory to that collection, but has now gone four in a row with visits to the winners circle.

Amsterdam- Gr. II – Purse $200.000
Saratoga Race Course- For Three Years old
Six and one half furlongs – Main track

Since his first attempt in the Gr. I Starlet with Untamed Talent back in 2016, till his first Graded win with Tekkers at the beginning of last year in the Gr. III Skip Away, Fractious has slowly and strategically been building a stable of winners. We are just a month pass the midway point of this season, and he has amassed one and a half times more career earnings over last seasons total! He is definitely well on his way to more then doubling, possibly tripling last seasons numbers. While he has been hitting at 75% on the free side events, he has only eight starts this season going that route, so it is obvious this is the year of change. Congratulations on Graded win number 13!!!

As for Kill Command, for a horse that was 3-5 and 1-5 in his two most recent events, it was surprising that he drew 6-1 odds come post time, at least to his non backers. This bay gelding has been making a name for himself when it comes to these six and six and a half sprint races, and he has also been one hundred percent in the money in his career with a record of 9 ( 5-2-2 ). Never really worried with this event as he was in no hurry to dominate at the onset of the race, he is proving that he is definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. He earned a 100 HRP speed figure for this event, and his rider Ortiz I Jr. has now won back to back Amsterdams.

Placing second is not always the ideal finish as you would prefer to win, but for Blowberg ( Estero Farms ) who finished out of the money in his three most recent Graded tries, this placing could not have been sweeter. Owning the lead at the sixteenth pole prior to the wire, it just came down to who could outrun who to the line, and his was a brilliant effort to say the least. Hopefully this marks a turning point in his future.

The show purse would go to the efforts of Nynl Stables‘ Socotra Island who has a record of 7 ( 2-0-3 ) in Graded tries since the start of the season. While he has yet to go beyond a mile in any of these Graded events, it would be interesting given the right instructions to hold off till late to see how he performs.

Rounding out the affair would be John Henry’s Di Bug grabbing the minor share with his late charge missing by a length. He has finished a length back in his last three events and he needs to step up sooner an capture some wins. There was a three way dead heat for fifth between Sharis Stables Aggravating, Fractious‘ other entry Shadowsilver and Mb Stables Final Verse. Mb Stables other entry of Fear The Dragon was in the photo, but he would miss by three one hundredth of a second to this trio and settle for eighth. Finally John Henry’s other entry of Table Rock would complete the order of finish being the only runner to place outside the 1:15 time level with an flat 1:16 time at the wire.