Our Athletes three year old chestnut colt got back to the shorter distances once again, and also back to the winner’s circle as he closed brilliantly to find the wire in a final time of 1:21.61 and take home his second Grade II victory of his career.

• The OBrien- Grade II ([BC] Purse $ 200.000
• Del Mar Racetrack- For Three Years old and Up
• Seven furlongs- Main Track

A writer once wrote about Red Cup and said, ”  He failed in both the Derby and the Belmont and is winless in six starts this season. Will be another tough pill to swallow.” What an idiot I was making that statement!

Looking at his career record, his three victories have all come in shorter events, even his Gr. II Best Pal Stakes victory came at six furlongs. While yes he has been struggling at finding a victory against longer races and bigger purses, as I have learned, this colt has some serious talent and can show up to make a different at the wire. With his victory here he has not only punched his ticket into this year’s BC Dirt Mile, but he has raised his career earnings to slightly better then $811.000 with having a successful juvenile campaign. While most trainers like to look for those mile and an eighth or longer champions, Red Cup seems to have a feel for this type of an event. He is now 4th on his trainers top active horses, and that’s an accomplishment in itself.

Breaking once again from an extreme 12 hole out of the gate, it looks like Fractious’ Creepy City says ” bring it on baby” as nothing seems to deter this bay four year old from showing up for the party. Has just two starts for this trainer, but with his previous owner ( Dogwood Farms ) he went 8 ( 6-1-1 ) in sprint events and is definitely a master of the six panel distance. Probably was the best dollar that trainer spent. In his fifteen career starts he has been in the money 14 times, post time favorite 11 times, and that says respect with a capital R. Sing it Ella! Wont be long before Fractious will be smiling from the winners enclosure with this guy.

Completing the trifecta would be D J C Racing Stables Cardinal Direction who managed to just get a nose whisker ahead of John Henry’s Black Scorpion. While Cardinal Direction has been accumulating BC Points in a few categories and has a punched ticket for this years BC Sprint, he seems to lack the support at the mutual windows that a runner of his talent should be getting. He will be a name many will talk about come seasons end and beyond.

As earlier mentioned, Black Scorpion was looking to ” sting” his competition today by getting to the top early, but unlike his efforts in the Hutcheson Stakes, the extra furlong left him open to some talented closers. Definitely a champion sprinter on the track, and not a bad effort in his first try for this trainer. His stablemate Commanding Bee would take home the fifth spot as he was pressing the issue to keep his entry mate honest. May very well see these two hook up once again in a shorter affair.

Sixth and seventh were separated in a photo between Sharp And Ready ( Winning Link Stables ) and Estero Farms Lucky Star. Behind these two there was a dead heat for eighth place between Controlled Lion ( Our Athletes ) and Saving Private Ryan ( Fractious ). The final runners would consist of De Fuego ( Defoe ), Bring The Pain ( Mb Stables ) and Brief And Wonderous ( John Henry ).

Side Note: Now into his fifth full season here at HRP, Wayne from Our Athletes is a prime example of how a trainer can make placement really work for himself. While granted he has yet to capture a TC or BC title, his numbers over the years are impressive. In his first season he was already breaking ground winning at 17.1 percent and finishing in the money just slightly under fifty percent. Over the seasons his earnings per race have risen from 5.26, to firing at 8.72 this year, just slightly under his 2017 numbers. His top active horse is Shake It Off, a six year old mare who though she has only one win this season, its a major one taking home the Gr. I Humana Distaff in the slop, a surface she definitely prefers. His breeding barn is shaping up nicely and he is definitely a trainer with heart and love for the game, and a friendly voice here at HRP. Keep up the great work Wayne, see you at the Breeders.

Duffer

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES