The Vosburgh (Grade 1) (BC)- $350.000 Purse
BEL- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
September 29, 2018

Residue looked to be one of the top horses in this field, although we felt that In Captivity might actually be competitive in this race. There was plenty of reason to like this three year old Charley Farley colt, especially since he was coming off a win in the Grade 1 Forego. He had fourteen points for the BC Sprint coming into the race, which likely will still be fine, but Residue has larger aspirations then just being a part of that field. His consistency has been impressive, and he also seems to be able to be successful with varying tactical styles. That is going to make him one of the favorites for the BC, but for now the trainer, Smokey Stover, will celebrate winning the Vosburgh for the first time in this career. The jockey, R Bejarano, gets his second Vosburgh trophy, having also won the race in 2012 with the late Tinas Flag. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:08.75, a middle of the road time when looking at this history of the race. There were some very impressive winning times back in days of Alpha Ultimo. For now, let’s take a look at what happened here!

(1/4 Mile- :22.33)- Bay Of Plenty, last year’s Vosburgh winner out of Team 7 Illusions, explodes out of the gate, and quickly opens up by a length over the rest of the field. This start allows him to get to the rail in plenty of time for the rounding of the turn. The lead would have been even greater if In Captivity, the post time favorite from Mb Stables was not also fast out of the gate. Sitting just off the lead, two and a half lengths back, we find our eventual winner, Residue running in the third spot for Smokey Stover, and matching his stride to the inside is Gold Sunset, for Maze Stables. Hold My Steel is in the middle of the field for John Henry, while Creepy Palace creeps closely to his inside for D J C Racing Stables. Derby Pip (RNP Stables) is three wide with that group. De Fuego (Defoe) and Captain Lg (Gdp Inc) are near the back, while Roger That, from Mb Stables, wanted no part of the early pace and dropped to the back as quickly as Bay Of Plenty moved forward.

(½ Mile- :45.02, Top Of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Bay Of Plenty continues to be up front, though his lead began to shrink shortly after the run into the turn began. In Captivity began to close in on him, and then midway through the turn, we began to see Residue pick it up a notch. He had been in an ideal lane, and had the ability to pull up to the outside of Bay Of Plenty without anything getting in his way. At the top of the stretch, he was even with In Captivity, and inching closer to the leader. Gold Sunset, who had been running with him, seemed to have a good lane on the inside here and was doing well in keeping pace. Creepy Palace and Derby Pip were maintaining their ground, and Roger That was hitting his best stride. The eventual runner up still had about five lengths to make up. Captain Lg, De Fuego, and Hold My Steel were bunched up tightly together, though Captain Lg seemed to have a nice lane staring at him if he could take it.

(Finish- 1:08.75)- As soon as they hit the frontstretch, Residue hits a stride that will be tough for anyone to beat. He quickly pulled away from Bay Of Plenty, and the rest of the field. Towards the back, Roger That was passing everyone else on the outside, but he was not gaining on Residue. In fact, as they got closer to the wire, you could even say that Residue had a better stride then did the closer. Much to like with how this one ran today, and Smokey Stover should be feeling very good about him. Roger That was sharp in a second place effort, finishing ahead of Bay Of Plenty, who held on for third. Both Creepy Palace and Derby Pip never made an assertive charge, but they remained steady and consistent, and with that they nearly dead heat for fourth, but Creepy Palace held a slight edge there. Captain Lg and De Fuego moved up a bit to be sixth and seventh while Gold Sunset lacked stretch response and finished 8th, beating Hold My Steel and In Captivity. So much for the post time favorite.

About The Winner: Residue, trained by Smokey Stover, and ridden to victory by R Bejarano, is a three year old colt by Charley Farley himself, and out of Shimoon Kruz. He was bred in California by Golden Stables as a first quarter two year old, and acquired by Smokey Stover when he was still unraced, in private sales for $125.000 in February 2017. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 12 starts, and is his second graded victory. His career earnings are now $819.120.

Track: Fast
Time: :22¹  :45   :56⁴  1:08³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 7 – 10 Paid 122.10
$1 Trifecta: 7 – 10 – 9 Paid 1,708.40

Scratched: Eureka

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES