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Semaphore Man flashes winning signal in Count Fleet Sprint After emerging from a wicked four-way speed duel, Double Bogey Stable's SEMAPHORE MAN (Formal Gold) had enough left to hurl back a surging Junior College (Ide) and claim a hard-fought score in Thursday's $150,000 Count Fleet Sprint H. (G3). The Kelly Von Hemel charge reeled off six furlongs on Oaklawn Park's wet-fast, sealed track in 1:09 3/5 to earn his third career stakes victory, and his first at the graded level. It was a case of the third time being the charm, for the dark bay gelding had placed third in the 2006 Count Fleet Sprint and was runner-up last year. Semaphore Man broke sharply beneath Tim Doocy and was one of a quartet of speedsters vying through a torrid opening quarter in :21 3/5. By the time the foursome reached the half-mile mark in :44 4/5, Sempahore Man had put his head in front of Saalb (Unbridled) and Piratesonthelake (Lake Austin), and 9-5 favorite Vicarino (Vicar) was the first to crack. Meanwhile, Junior College had been stalking in fifth, made a sudden move to challenge on the far turn, and appeared to have all the momentum as he collared the leader. Semaphore Man was not done yet, however. Tenaciously digging in through the stretch, Semaphore Man inched 1 1/4 lengths clear to take top honors. The 9-5 second choice paid $5.60, $2.80 and $2.40 while keying the $14.20 exacta and $43.60 trifecta ($1) (3-5-7). Junior College salvaged second by a neck from a closing Lovango (Capote), who had been caught in traffic earlier. The nearly 3-1 runner-up returned $3.60 and $2.60, and Lovango yielded $2.80 at 7-1. Evening Reward (Chief's Reward) also found himself waiting for room before getting up for fourth. Early pace factors Vicarino, Piratesonthelake and Saalb completed the order under the wire. Semaphore Man now sports a mark of 21-7-5-5, $397,100. All seven wins have come at Oaklawn, where he has never finished out of the top three from 11 starts. A two-time hero of the King Cotton S., the six-year-old has placed in a total of eight stakes, including the Maryland Sprint H. (G3) and the Duncan F. Kenner S. last time out. Bred in Kentucky by Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murphy, Semaphore Man was purchased by his current connections for $52,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. He is out of the multiple stakes-winning Lost Code mare Semaphore Ms., who has produced an unraced juvenile filly named Not Phorme to Say (Dream Run). Appropriately, Semaphore Man's extended pedigree features several crosses of Count Fleet, the 1943 Triple Crown hero whose memory Oaklawn honors in this event.
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