RP Springboard Mile (KYD) – $400.000 Purse
RP- For Two Year Olds
One Mile on the Dirt
December 15, 2019

The RP Springboard Mile did get run on Sunday, and after the smoke cleared concerning the lead up to getting the race to run, one of the biggest stories was the return of Brittle to the race track. The BC Juvenile winner was looking to do what Beach Dandy last year, win the both of the races to close out the year, albeit Aer Stables would have also hosted to win the race outright. However, we can’t expect Mb Stables to not make some sort of statement in a race like this with his own two year old crop. The Springboard Mile would be his day, as Sweet Sweat, the third place finisher from the BC Juvenile would turn the tables on him and pick up the win in the race. It is the third win now in the race for Mb Stables, having also won in 2015 and 2016. The winning jockey is J Talamo, his first win in the race. Congratulations to them! The time of the race was 1:34.75, a new stake record! Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :23.23)- Several horses on the outside are eager to get to the front, and after an initial battle, it would be Brittle, the star from Aer Stables taking the early advantage. This meant that he was never able to move over for the opening turn, forcing him to run at least five wide for most of it. Strong Kommand, from Maxmillion Farm, was second, a length and a half off the pace. Two others were initial challengers that made it hard for Brittle early, those being Rules Of War, from D J C Racing Stables, and Bannister from John Henry. However, each of them would go under a restrain into the turn, so they did not end up being near the front once we reached a quarter mile. Just off the lead, there was a group of three that were content with a patient start early on. That included Silent Commander on the rail from Serenity Stables, Better Party, from Estero Farms in the middle, and John Henry’s Guy Lafleur on the outside. Our eventual winner, Sweet Sweat, from Mb Stables, was tucked in behind Guy Lafleur and running about four lengths from the lead. Rules Of War and Bannister retreated to run to his outside. Useless Debate (Gdp Inc) was next, and the post time favorite who was initially 50/1 in the morning line, Threshold’s El Gran Commander was two more lengths back. Someone sure dropped a lot on him.

(½ Mile- :46.33)- In the backstretch, Brittle is finally able to move over to the rail, and he runs the second quarter with some company, as Strong Kommand is running on his outside. They have a two length advantage over the rest of the field. Silent Command still has a good trip going early on, running in the third position, and Guy Lafleur is still fourth to his outside. Bettre Party dropped off slightly here, but remains fifth. On the outside, Bannister starts coming back forward, and is just ahead of Sweet Sweat. As for Sweet Sweat, he seems unbothered by what is going on around him and is content to hold his position, still about four lengths from the front. Useless Debate and Rules Of War are next, and then further back to El Gran Commander, who has the best seat in the house to watch the action.

(Top OF Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Brittle and Strong Kommand are still at the front, and neither of them can pull away from the other. As the field makes their way around the turn, the two length lead they had on everyone else was disappearing, and pretty quickly. Sweet Sweat made the biggest move, and this began at the top of the turn as jockey J Talamo let him know that it was time to go. Sweet Sweat would respond well, quickly doing away with the horses that he had been running with before, and as he reached the exit of the turn, he had pulled up alongside Guy Lafleur, make quick work of him, and was already looking to make his pass for the lead at the top of the stretch. Silent Command was still running well, making it all the more impressive how fast Sweet Sweat got to him. Room on the rail seemed to be there for Silent Command to make a move of his own. Guy Lafleur and Better Party were falling back a little, and Bannister stopped advancing. Useless Debate looked to have a run coming on the inside. Rules Of War was lacking response, and whoever bet the house on El Gran Commander was shaking their head in disgust.

(Finish- 1:34.75)- In the stretch, Sweet Sweat takes the lead pretty quickly, and then that is where the statement began. He didn’t only just win this race, he won it in very convincing fashion, pulling away from everyone with every stride that he made. He would go on to win by three, which in this game is a rout. Silent Commander snuck through on the inside and took the second position. This is a horse to watch as he is just beginning to run at this level now, so in the spring, we’ll certainly being seeing much more from him. Brittle prevails over Strong Kommand for third. Useless Debate is the best of the rest in fifth, and will probably be more of a factor in this type of race with more distance. The rest of the field were non-factors, with the final running order reading Guy Lafleur, Better Party, Rules of War, and Bannister. Then, eventually, El Gran Commander.

About The Winner- Sweet Sweat, trained by Mb Stables, and ridden to victory by J Talamo, is a two year old colt by Cherokee Sunset, and is out of Enticing (by Commanding). He was bred by Team 7 Illusions as a first quarter two year old, and acquired by Mb Stables, still unraced, in private sales for $150.000 in January 2019. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 8 starts, and his third stake win. His career earnings are now $994.800.

Track: Fast
Time: :23¹  :46¹  1:09⁴  1:34³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 1 Paid 53.20
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 1 – 9 Paid 46.40

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded