Gallant Bob Stakes (Grade 2)- $400.000 Purse
PRX- For Three Year Olds
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
September 23, 2023
The BC Sprint is in six weeks, and it is safe to say that we have our favorite for the race. That would be Retaliate, who came into the Gallant Bob Stakes off of wins in both the Grade 1 Crosby and the Grade 1 Jerkens Memorial Stakes, which would be enough to make him one of the favorites on that basis. Now, we can add the Gallant Bob Stakes to the list, only strengthening his case as the one to beat in the BC. It doesn’t matter what the track condition is, or if he is at the front or needing to come from behind, he gets it done regardless. Retaliate is proudly owned by Fractious, who claimed him for a mere $20.000 in January. It’s the second straight win in the Gallant Bob for Fractious, but it’s almost a certainty that Retaliate will do better in the BC Sprint than Iron Mine did. M Franco is the winning rider for the first time in this race. Congratulations to them! The winning time on the track listed as good was 1:09.96. Let’s take a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :22.29)- It looked like the Mb Stables- trained Prince George would be our early leader, but Spankys Barn’s Green Flag would poke a head in front just time for top billing at this point. King Noah runs right there with them while in the third lane for Arindel, and within a length while four wide is Shark Cage, for Pan Farms. Stalking these four front runners are Semi Auto and Peace Pipe, respectively trained by Threshold and Arindel. In the middle of the field, by himself, it’s Loko Moko for South Shore Stables. After another length, it’s our eventual winner as well as our pick to win, who for some strange reason was allowed to go off at odds of 7/1, that being Retaliate, for Fractious. Maybe the bettors didn’t like his post, I don’t know, but how he was not the favorite here, I cannot understand. Grammands Commands (TwinTowersRacing) was nearby on the rail, and trailing are Deep State (Sccj Stables) and Eastern Alliance (Threshold).
(1/2 Mile- :45.54, Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Midway through the turn, King Noah would move into the lead, getting the upper hand over the three that he had been running with previously. Those three, Green Flag, Shark Cage, and Prince George are all side by side by side for second, and still hanging on well at this point. Semi Auto had a good lane to follow King Noah while Peace Pipe had a little more traffic to contend with. All eyes should have been on Retaliate, who makes a wide move in the turn as he begins to close in on the leaders. He had about three lengths to make up, and enough time to do that in. The four that were behind him now needed to get moving soon, or else the best they could do would be second.
(Finish- 1:09.96)- At first his progress was gradual, but in the final moments of the race, Retaliate showed that kind of desire that anyone wants to have in their horse to win a BC race. It’s been successful for him right now, as he wins his fourth in a row, asserting himself as the top male sprinter in the game right now. He would go on to win this one by a length, with Shark Cage holding off Semi Auto, as well as King Noah for second. Prince George narrowly edges out Deep State and Peace Pipe, then it’s Grammands Commands, Eastern Alliance, Loko Moko, and Green Flag.
About The Winner- Retaliate, trained by Fractious and ridden to victory by M Franco, is a three-year-old gelding by Just Missed and is out of Vandella. He was bred in Florida by Second Chance Farms as a third quarter two-year-old and was acquired by Fractious with a $20.000 claim in January. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his sixth in 11 starts, his fourth stake win, and hthird graded win. His career earnings are now $949.380.
Track: Good
Time: :221 :452 :573 1:094
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 10 – 11 Paid 62.50
$1 Trifecta: 10 – 11 – 5 Paid 1,240.10
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
