from Maryland Jockey Club – the scene in the ‘circle’
STILL GOING!
RAPID REDUX 19 STRAIGHT AND TIES RECORD
Zenyatta is in a world of her own and boy, do we miss her. But the accomplishment of winning 19 consecutive races is something that cannot be overstated.
I have watched RAPID REDUX (Pleasantly Perfect out of a Storm Cat mare) many times this year as he gallops along through his wins in starter allowance races. Yes, he has a stranglehold on that level (it expires at the end of this year) but hey, he has been to 7 different racetracks/surfaces, in mud, slop and fast and at distances from 5 furlongs up to 1 1/8 miles.
Yesterday he turned back from 9 furlongs to just 7 to keep the streak alive. And on more than one occasion, he has looked like he was vulnerable in the stretch run.
It is hard to imagine a horse winning that many races in succession at so many tracks and distances. Not once did he lose by a head.
Yesterday, he looked to be in big trouble after he was sent hard from the gate, pulled his rider to the far turn and then started to get weary in the stretch. But he did it.
A 5yo gelding who was claimed for $6,250 on Oct 13 last year by Robert Cole, Rapid Redux has truly done something that is simply very difficult to do. Certainly one of the biggest stories of the year.
from Laurel:
LAUREL, MD. 10-27-11—Robert L. Cole, Jr.’s Rapid Redux joins Zenyatta and Peppers Pride as the only horses in North American thoroughbred history to win 19 consecutive races in a row after he out stepped four starter allowance runners this afternoon at Laurel Park.
“I’m kind of freaked out,” said Cole. “It was a little tougher than I was expecting. We got it done and I’m very thankful. This track has such a long stretch and a long run to the turn, I was worried. It wasn’t a desperate performance but we got it done.”
Rapid Redux in Winners Circle
J.D. Acosta sent the 5-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect straight to the lead in the seven furlong test over the muddy main track. Rapid Redux led throughout and covered the distance in 1:24.07 to win 2-3/4 lengths by over the speedy sprinter Rich Hero. Shordawatyadrink finished third.
“I didn’t want to make any mistakes,” Acosta said. “It was really in intense moment. You don’t want to do anything wrong. You want to be a part of history.”
The winner paid $2.40 and topped a $6.80 exacta and $11.60 trifecta.
“I was really nervous at the eighth pole, it was scary,” said trainer David Wells. “When Jamie Ness’s horse (Rich Hero) came at him I thought he was going to go by him but I give all the credit to the horse.”
Rapid Redux was claimed by Cole, a Baltimore County native, at Penn National for $6,250 on October 13, 2010. Since then, the gelding has won 20 of 21 races with earnings of $237,009. The win-streak began on December 2, 2010 at Penn National. Cole and trainer David Wells have sent their star to seven different tracks, including three previous victories at Laurel Park, at different distances from five-furlongs to 1 1/8 miles.
“I think I’ve owned more than a thousand horses in my day and kind of hope they all improve tremendously and get some kind of joy like this,” added Cole. “You dream about it but typically these dreams don’t come true.”
Acosta is one of seven jockeys to ride Rapid Redux during the streak. It was his fifth victory (fourth in a row) and the 30-year-old is proud to be part of history.
“I’m really excited,” added Acosta. “There are only a few people that feel what I feel.”
Rapid Redux is a perfect 17-of-17 this year. The record for most victories in a year is 19 by Citation in 1948, the year he won the Triple Crown.
“The horse has a tremendous amount of heart,” Wells said. “He feels and sees the horses or he hears them coming and he does not want to be passed. You saw that again today. He heard that horse coming he just dug back in.”
Racing offices in the Mid-Atlantic will be writing races in condition books to entice Cole to attempt to break the record at their tracks. The Maryland Jockey Club racing office has starter allowance races on November 10 (1 mile on the turf), November 11 (5 ½ furlongs on the turf), November 15 (1 mile on the main track) and November 17 (five-furlongs on the main track) in its current condition book. Another condition book will be available for the final month of racing in 2011.
“There seems to be a lot of spots in the next couple of weeks,” Cole said. “I’m not sure where we go. We really got to space out three to four weeks, something along those lines, and see how he comes out of the race.”
“I’d love to break the record and have the Kentucky Horse Park invite him there to retire,” Wells said.
A replay of the race is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7umPUeYVQA.
RR’s LIFETIME PP’S FROM DAILY RACING FORM
http://static.drf.com/PPs/2011/10/RapidRedux102711.pdf
THOROUGHBLOG CHEERS FOR JAKE MO!!
Thoroughblog’s ace handicapper JAKE (Morrison, a.k.a JAKE MO) is excited about the prospects of the 2yo colt JAKE MO in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint on Friday Nov. 4.
JAKE MO has his own FACEBOOK PAGE and he is a son of Giacomo….
Jake Mo – photo stolen from his Facebook page!
WOODBINE THURSDAY – AND WEEKEND PREVIEW
Brrr, it’s c-c-c-cold at night these days, frost on the card windshields, yuck.
Woodbine ambles along after all the huge races are done but there are many important events still to come and let’s hope we can have some grass racing this weekend.
Yesterday, the Polytrack seemed to be quite fast, but it was certainly a fair surface as horses won on the lead or came from way back:
RUN IN ARUBA won an Ontario sired 2yo allowance race with a 62 Beyer Figure for 1 mile and 70 yards in 1:43 3/5. The Philanthropist – Boonze;s Breeze by Boone’s Mill gelding was bred by Sherry McLean and is owned by Donna Blake.
ROYAL EGBERT won his maiden in 1:09 3/5 in an Ontario sired race and earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure. He is yet another winner by Canada’s leading living sire, OLD FORESTER and he is out of Royal Babe, by Tejano Run, a mare who never won a race.
Owner and trainer Paul Buttigieg continues to unleash one good homebred after another (but does anyone find those ‘Egbert’ names kinda icky?).
Buttigieg came right back to win the 7th race with Kentucky bred WHY SO SOON (Whywhywhy) in a maiden $10,000 claiming event.
Tomorrow’s PRINCESS ELIZABETH – RIVER MEMORIES STAKES combo card begins at 12:30, early because BREEDERS’ CROWN night begins at 6:30 p.m.
The Princess Elizabeth, for Canadian foaled 2yo fillies, could be a big race for Sovereign Award voting as BLUE HEART aims to remain unbeaten with a win in the 1 1/16 mile race. The steel grey Exchange Rate filly, owned by Americans Mr. and Mrs. Amerman, is going to be a big favorite against Rose and Shine and others.
Blue Heart is up against Tu Endie Wei and Northern Passion for the champion 2yo filly Sovereign.
Sunday at Woodbine is the Labeeb Stakes – Ontario Fashion and Kennedy Road prep card – 11 races and a super set of races.
