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Old Forester scores in Cliff Hanger Live Oak Plantation's OLD FORESTER (Forestry) raced near the back in Friday evening's $150,000 Cliff Hanger S. (G3) on Meadowlands' opening day card, moved to challenge for the lead in the stretch and just prevailed by a nose at the wire. With Edgar Prado aboard, the Bill Mott-trained five-year-old was sent off the even-money favorite and rewarded his faithful backers with payouts of $4.20, $2.80 and $2.40. Tune of the Spirit (Concorde's Tune) was quickest from the gate when the doors opened and opened a clear lead down the backstretch, setting leisurely splits of :24 4/5, :49 3/5 1:13 3/5 and 1:36 3/5. All the while, Old Forester was slowly making his way up along the inside, eventually moving to the outside of Tune of the Spirit entering the stretch. Those two did battle down the line, with Old Forester just getting his nose down on the line, finishing 8 1/2 furlongs on the firm turf in 1:42 2/5. Tune of the Spirit gave back $21 and $7 as the 40-1 longshot in the eight-horse field, and it was another length back to Crown Point (Honor Grades), who rallied from last to take third by a neck over Night Chapter (GB) (Night Shift), returning $5 at 5-1. The exacta was worth $108 and the $1 trifecta (1-7-8) paid $299.50. Spring House (Chester House) finished another head back in fifth and was followed by Indy Wind (A.P. Indy), Etesaal (Danzig) and Senor Swinger (El Prado [Ire]). Old Forester, who earned his first graded stakes win here, captured last year's Canadian Turf H. and the 2004 Santa Claus S. The chestnut has also placed in four other black-type events, including the Miami Mile Breeders' Cup H. (G3) in April and 2005 Firecracker Breeders' Cup H. (G2). With this score, he pushed his earnings to $450,432 to go along with a 21-6-10-2 career mark. Bred in Kentucky by Robert Benjamin Berger, Old Forester is out of the multiple stakes-winning Halo River (Irish River [Fr]), who has also produced an unraced juvenile filly named Homeward (Giant's Causeway), an unnamed yearling filly by Belong to Me and a 2006 Forest Camp colt. The Cliff Hanger winner sold to his current connections for $310,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.
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