Crosby Stakes (Grade 1) (BC)- $300.000 Purse
DMR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
July 28, 2018

Across the board, this was a fascinating weekend, and the buildup for the BC Sprint was part of that excitement. The Crosby is a race with major implications of course, and due to that fact it attracted a great field. Z One Chance was our pick for the race by virtue of having gone three for four so far this year, with plenty of success before that on his resume as well. Getting 7/1 odds on him was a surprise. He even showed he could shine on the grass in his last start, winning the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile. Despite that, he was sold off by trainer Serenity Stables, for $500.000. That price tag might make it seem like Serenity got a good deal, but it might be new trainer John Henry getting a bargain in the long run. Making his debut in his new silks in the Crosby, Z One Chance picked up right where he left off, and got almost half of that purchase price bag in his first start. Based on this performance, more earnings figure to be on the way. Congratulations to John Henry on the victory, as well as to K J Desormeaux, who has become his regular rider. It’s John Henry’s first win in the stake, and the second for Desormeaux, who also won in 2009 with some horse named Alpha Ultimo that you may have heard about. The time of the win was 1:08.90, a middle of the road time overall when compared to previous editions and very much in line with the last two races. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :22.30)- From the outside post, Lost In Truth emerges with the early lead after holding off an early challenge from both Gold Sunset, out of Maze Stables, and Insect, from Mb Stables. Gold Sunset does not give in easily and remains in good stride to the inside of the early leader. Insect does drop off a bit after the initial challenge and ends up running with the next group of horses. He’ll be on the inside now of a foursome that had the eventual winner, Z One Chance, also part of it for his trainer John Henry. Z One Chance ran in the fourth lane, situated well to the outside of Lost In Truth when he was ready to make a run. In the middle of this group were a pair of Mb Stables runners, Sonar and In Captivity. It was another length to Creepy Palace (D J C Racing Stables), while Socraties (T Boy Racing), and post-time favorite Jesse The Bandit (Spankys Barn) were at the back.

(Top Of Stretch, ½ Mile- :44.89)- As they moved into the turn, both Lost In Truth and Gold Sunset continued to lead the way. They would each move over a lane, which proved to be key for In Captivity, who had potentially been boxed in here. Z One Chance remained in his lane, so midway through the turn, when Z One Chance was ready to make his move, In Captivity also had a clear lane in front of them, and each of them made up ground in the turn to put us in a four wide battle for the lead at the top of the stretch. Gold Sunset, who was on the rail, still looked as though he had plenty of left and was up for this challenge, though Lost In Truth appeared to need to find a second wind here. Further back, there was not much else going on. Sonar was left behind by the two he had been running with, and Creepy Palace moved up a bit. Insect was getting leg weary and going the wrong way. Socraties was starting to move into position for a potential run but still had some work to do, while Jesse The Bandit was still not living up to being the favorite.

(Finish- 1:08.90)- Despite drifting to the outside far more then he seemed to need to, Z One Chance was still in great stride for the stretch and showed his class as he picks up the win. The result is closer then it probably should have been due to the drifting, while the second place In Captivity maintained his lane. The margin was half a length. Running third with a steady run throughout the race was Gold Sunset, for Maze Stables. He seemed to be well bet after going from 30/1 in the morning line down to his 13/1, and its safe to say now that the trainer has a real good one here. Behind these three, no one else really threatened for the win, but we did have a tight photo for the final check to be awarded. Creepy Palace holds off the charging Socraties and Jesse The Bandit, with Sonar in between them. Lost In Truth could not hold off anyone in the stretch, and only beats Insect, who packed it in earlier.

About The Winner- Z One Chance, trained by John Henry and ridden by K J Desormeaux, is a four year old colt by Z Jinxed One, and is out of Serine de la Chanson. He was bred in New York as a second quarter two year old, and acquired by John Henry, via Serenity Stables, in private sales in late June for $500.000. This was his first race for John Henry. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourth in five starts in 2018, and seventh of 14 overall. It’s his fifth stake win, fourth graded win, and third Grade 1 win. Look out BC Sprint competitors! His career earnings are now $995.540.

Track: Fast
Time: :22¹  :44⁴  :56³  1:08⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 5 Paid 33.80
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 5 – 9 Paid 2,020.60

Scratched: Saturday Khartoum, Vino Bambino

Winner picked by NS

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES