KD Turf Sprint (Grade 3) (BC)- $1,000.000 Purse
KD- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Turf
September 11, 2021
Without as much turf experience as others in the field, Scafati was overlooked by most bettors, or people in the Pick ‘em, as only 5.4% of participants felt that he was the one to beat. He was not one of our picks either, but did seem like an interesting longshot to potentially play. Scafati was not short of experience in big races as a former KYD and Travers runner, after all. In late April, the Engine Failure gelding ran ninth in the Grade 2 Alysheba, proving to be a blessing in disguise for the trainer, Fractious. He was moved to the grass and the results had improved, but nothing like this. Scafati was up to the task in the $1,000.000 KD Turf Sprint, winning in a very close photo at the wire with the horse we did pick, Kid Commander. It’s the first win in the race both for Fractious and rider Mario Gutierrez. Congratulations to them! The time of the race was 1:07.92, quickest of the three run at this distance, and of the two run at this distance on firm turf. Let’s take a look!
(¼ Mile- :22.57)- Bajan Mask leads the way for Spankys Barn out of the gate, but we don’t really see a horse looking to pull away from the field in the early going. There are four stalkers right behind him, with World In Changes, out of TwinTowersRacing, a head in front of the others. One Man Show runs in the fourth lane here for Maxmillion Farm, and to his inside, its Gleaming Spirit, the Mb Stables runner looking to threepeat. His stablemate, Elijah G runs on the rail with them. Four horses are tucked in very closely behind them, and one of them is our eventual winner, Scafati, from Fractious. He’s about three lengths from the lead. The one he will be seeing closely at the wire, Allinthegate’s Kid Commander, is also part of this group. Mystery (Fractious) and Koda (Mb Stables) run between them. 2018 winner The Grandmaster (John Henry) is a length behind him, and the trailers are Cold Weather Rider (Night Rider Stables), John Deere (T Boy Racing), Owl Cat (Rock Creek) and Indie Bread (Fractious).
(½ Mile- :45.00, Top Of Stretch, 2F To Go)- Bajan Mask is still the leader as we make our way along the long turn here at KD, and he does not have anyone challenging him for the moment. There is a pretty massive traffic jam right behind him and One Man Show starts to emerge from that as we enter the stretch. Elijah G and World In Changes continue to run together, and there is no choice for Scafati now other than to move down and move to the outside of those two. Fortunately for Fractious, there was room there for Scafati just as long as his other entry, Mystery, did not clog it up. Hopefully, they could work that out like teammates should. Gleaming Spirit was hanging with the group still, and Kid Commander moved down a lane. He has not made his push yet, but this would allow him to be clear of traffic. The Grandmaster had room to the inside to make a run.
(Finish- 1:07.92)- Bajan Mask tries to hold his lead in the stretch the best he can, but about midway through, it is apparent that others are gaining on him. Who would it be, though? Several seemed to have a chance, so which horse would emerge from this pack. With 0.7F to go, we could see who that would be as Scafati had a push from Gutierrez and slides on through to take the lead. Kid Commander, on the outside, was also having a steady run, Elijah G was trying to hang tough on the rail and One Man Show still seemed to be running well enough. In the final strides, Scafati and Kid Commander were the quickest, and it was anyone’s guess which one of them hit the wire first and got the headbob, just please not another dead heat. In the end, a winner could be determined, and it would Scafati by a nose over Kid Commander. Elijah G could be seen in that photo as well, taking the third spot and the final piece of the purse is divided up between Bajan Mask and The Grandmaster. One Man Show, World In Changes, and Mystery were all close by, too. There was a gap of a length to Koda and Gleaming Spirit. Rounding it out, its Cold Weather Rider, John Deere, Owl Cat, and Indie Bread.
About The Winner- Scafati, trained by Fractious and ridden to victory by Mario Gutierrez, is a four year old gelding by Engine Failure and is out of In Your Mind. He was bred in Louisiana by Smokey Stover as a first quarter two year old and acquired by Fractious, via LionKing Stables in a February 2020 private sale for $500.000. The win is his seventh in 21 starts, his fourth stake win and actually his first graded win. Congratulations to the connections! His career earnings are now $1,189.600.
Track: Firm
Time: :222 :45 :561 1:074
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 2 – 12 Paid 147.70
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 12 – 1 Paid 667.60
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
