DED Jackpot (Grade 3) (KYD)- $1,000.000 Purse
DED- For Two Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the dirt
November 19, 2016

It is always exciting to cover some of the biggest races in virtual horse racing, and over that period of time, I have been lucky to report on some of the greatest horses we have, and big wins for all kind of trainers, big or small.   This time, it is a horse of my own in the spotlight and I couldn’t be any more happy as this is the biggest win of my HRP career.  Night Terra was among many purchases I made in February from various sellers as I began to rebuild my stable at the time and I want to give a shout out to Night Mare Racing, who sold me this incredible horse.  He has always shown me he had the talent, but he has continued to improve over the course of this year, and completely impressed me with the way he broke his maiden last month.  After a strong work last week, I felt good about his chances, but in being surrounded by talented competition, I knew he was in for a big test.   The feeling of jubilation watching him cross the finish line first was amazing, and fortunately no one else was home at the time, so I could cheer as loud as I wanted!  Joining me as a first time winner of the stake was jockey J J Castellano, and the time of victory was 1:41.37, the second quickest DED Jackpot in its history, a tenth slower then Champagne Supernova last year.   Let’s take a deeper look at everyone’s race!  Normally, I congratulate the winner at this point, but this time, I want to congratulate everyone else on their fantastic entries, especially Downwind Stables (Lord High Admiral) and Mb Stables (They All Laughed) who made sure I would sweat this out to the wire!

1st- 6- Night Terra (11/1)- Our eventual winner, from Nynl Stables, broke well out of the gate, running with the lead group from the start before ultimately settling in to a stalking position behind the pacesetting Lord High Admiral.  As they moved into the turn, he would be just a length back, a position in which he would hold up until the backstretch.  Midway through this portion, he pulled up beside the leader, but Lord High Admiral was not going to surrender this without a fight.  J J Castellano asked his gelding for a little more as they moved into the final turn, and this is when he would begin to complete the pass and ultimately pull ahead by a length. By the time they hit the top of the stretch, Night Terra looked to be in good shape but the trainer was not going to start getting excited until they hit the wire.  They All Laughed was making a furious run while along the outside and Lord High Admiral was still close enough behind and making Night Terra earn his stripes.   Night Terra would not disappoint in the stretch, continuing his graceful stride all the wire to pick up the biggest win the trainer has ever had!  Night Terra is a two year old gelding by El Gran Gayley (El Gran Broomstick) and out of Terra Rising (Charley Farley).  He was bred in New York by Night Mare Racing as a yearling, and was sold unraced to Nynl Stables in private sales on February 17th for $22.500.  Congratulations to the other connections who may share in this victory!

2nd- 14- Lord High Admiral (11/1)- The runner up from Downwind Stables did not let his outside post bother him in the slightest way.  He shot out to the lead, and was able to get all the way to the rail before they even hit the finish line the first time.  This would done while setting the opening quarter in a time of :23.14.  He would show the way around the opening turn with Night Terra stalking him from behind, running the half in :46.74.   In the backstretch, even though he was passed for the lead, he continued to run well and held about a two length lead on third as they moved into the turn.  Maintained a valiant stride in the stretch, not letting Night Terra get too far ahead, and this would be important as They All Laughed was making a major bid.  While Lord High Admiral does not get the win, it was a game performance to hold second.

3rd- 11- They All Laughed (9/1)- Not surprisingly, the closer from Mb Stables was happy with letting the rest of the field run ahead of him right from the gate.  The first time they hit the start/finish line, he would run 11th, and be six lengths from the lead while running along the outside.  Stayed in this position until midway through the backstretch when F Pennington told him that it was time to go!  Some chain reaction movement to his inside meant that this move would have to be about seven wide while in the turn.  In the stretch, he ran in an all out drive, causing some panic to the winning trainer momentarily.  It was an impressive run that gets a third place finish, and who knows how much more he could have done with a better trip.

4th- 3- King Death Row (6/1)- After winning the DED Princess in the prior race, Aer Stables was looking for another big score here. King Death Row broke modestly out of the gate, and would run with Bioluminescent, about four and a half lengths off the leading as they approached the opening turn.  That rival would eventually come down on him hard entering the turn, forcing King Death Row into the lane behind Sleet, which would not be advantageous.   Eventually, he would be able to cut in between Sleet and Withdrawn, and showed powerful stride once he had room to run.  By then, it was too late, but it does earn a check for the trainer.

5th- 1- Bioluminescent (29/1)- The longshot from Eastern Equine broke slowly out of the gate and found himself running near the back of the field on the front stretch.  Maintained this position around the turn and early in the backstretch, but about midway through that portion, Bioluminescent looked to creep closer while along the rail.   I Ortiz Jr seemed indecisive as to what to do with him when in the turn, but once he settled on his lane, Bioluminescent responded with run too little too late.

6th- 8- Darth Andedudu (13/1)- Having no interest in the early pace was the Diablo Diablo entry, finding himself ahead of only Bold Lion in the early moments.  As they moved into the turn, there would be no one behind him, and the gap to the leader would become about eight lengths.  Hung there for the backstretch, and had no choice but to swing out to the outermost lane in the final turn.  Once complete covering the extra ground in the turn, he showed the closing kick the trainer was hoping for, but the trip would do him in from any serious contention.

7th- 2- Perspective (5/2)- The post time favorite, as well as our pick to win started well out of the gate for Mb Stables.  He would stay in close proximity to the pace setting Lord High Admiral, and would run about a length behind Night Terra as they moved around the opening turn.     Cruised along during the backstretch, standing his ground, but at the same time not showing a push forward as some others behind him were beginning to do.  In the stretch, he could only watch as a handful went on by to his outside.

8th- 4- Withdrawn (6/1)- The entry from John Henry got off to a decent start, finding himself in the middle of the field as they hit the finish line for the first time, trailing by four lengths.  Held his ground during the backstretch, and showed an interest in advancing at about the same time as several near him also did, as they moved into the turn.  Progressed slightly in the turn, but did not respond with more run in the stretch; keeping level with those near him.

9th- 7- General Geek (14/1)- Running for Serenity Stables, General Geek did not start all the well, and was near the back early on, about six lengths from the front as they moved into the opening turn.  Maintained his position the backstretch, and seemed to want to push forward in the final turn, but so did many who were near him, and he found himself with little room to run.  Had difficulty finding a lane, and just when he did, he looked ready to explode with run, but it was already time to hit the finish line.

10th- 12- Forestry (15/1)-   The D J C Racing Stables entry got off to a good start, and was one of the leaders down the frontstretch and into the turn.  Ran with Night Terra heading into the backstretch, but as that portion progressed, he would gradually lose touch with the frontrunners. This would be the story of his race until the end, as while he never packed it in, the distance just slowly increased as the race moved along.

11th- 5- Sleet (31/1)- Got off to a decent start out of the gate for Harrell Racing, and would settle in to a position just off the lead, about three lengths out, into the opening turn.  Maintained his distance during the backstretch, but as others began to move forward to his outside, Sleet could not keep up and did not show much to the wire.

12th- 10- Komodo Freestyle (16/1)– Taking on the boys did not go according to trainer Australia Wide’s plans, and she found herself near the back early on.  Ran about five wide around the opening turn, and could never really good a good position on the track.  Seemed full of run heading into the final turn, but was still about five to six lengths over.  Passed by a few in the dying moments.

13th- 9- Bold Lion (22/1)- It was tough from the start for the Mains Boys entry who found himself at the back and an almost eight lengths off the lead entry.  Stayed at the back of the field in the backstretch and into the turn.  Maintained his ground without much of a push in the stretch.

Track: Fast
Time: :23   :46³  1:10¹  1:41¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 14 Paid 145.50
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 14 – 11 Paid 592.00

Scratched: Snow Peak

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES