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Futurity dead-heat caps thrilling stakes races at Arlington Two races after an exhilarating and incredibly close finish in the Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Lassie S. (G3), the males did that race one better with a dead-heat in the $200,000 Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Futurity S. (G3) on Sunday. The strong closing OFFICER ROCKET (GB) (Officer) and the resilient GOT THE LAST LAUGH (Distorted Humor) matched strides in the latter stages and nothing could separate them at the wire, thus adding a Grade 3 win to both of their resumes. This represented the second dead-heat in the long history of the Futurity, with the first dead-heat coming in 1937. Irish Dreamer (Sahm) took the early lead and led the field through the opening half-mile in :46 3/5, before throwing in the towel. As the group turned for home, Got the Last Laugh and Street Sense (Street Cry [Ire]) moved in tandem to the lead, but the 4-5 Officer Rocket was beginning to hit his best stride for trainer Bob Holthus. Late in the stretch, the Holthus pupil appeared to be getting away but the 5-1 Got the Last Laugh came again and provided the scintillating finish to the race. Street Sense held on for third, 1 3/4 lengths farther back, as the 3-1 second choice and was trailed by Dominican (El Corredor), Lightning Larry (Yankee Victor), Speedway (Forest Wildcat), Morada Key (Carson City), Trick N Skip (Skip Away), Irish Dreamer and Tillman's Legend (Orientate). Shermanesque (Fusaichi Pegasus) was withdrawn. Officer Rocket, number 9 on the program and ridden by Mark Guidry, paid $2.40, $2.40 and $2.40. The Bill Mott-conditioned Got the Last Laugh, number 11 on the program, gave back $4.20, $4.40 and $3.60 under Rene Douglas. The 9-11 exacta paid $8.80, while the 11-9 exacta was worth $12.80. The 11-9-10 trifecta rewarded backers with $41.60, while the 9-11-10 paid $21. The superfectas paid $453.20 (11-9-10-1) and $189.40 (9-11-10-1). Zayat Stables LLC's Got the Last Laugh remained unbeaten after an impressive win in his debut, and boosted his earnings to $108,200 with his portion of the winners' share. The freshman colt was bred in the Bluegrass State by Fred Hertrich, et al., and registered a bid of $190,000 at the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Produced from the Grade 3-winning Theresa's Tizzy (Cee's Tizzy), the colt has an unnamed yearling half-brother by Cherokee Run. Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc.'s Officer Rocket was coming off a 13-length romp in the Spectacular Bid S. most recently, and upped his mark to 4-3-0-1 with a bankroll that stands at $127,050. The chestnut fetched a bid of $190,000 at this year's OBS March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, and is out of the multiple Grade 1-placed Ocean View (Gone West). He was bred in Great Britain by J. Chaplin.
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