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After Market reels in Lava Man in Whittingham Pam and Martin Wygod's homebred AFTER MARKET (Storm Cat) stamped himself as a rising turf star by dethroning defending champion and 4-5 favorite Lava Man (Slew City Slew) in Saturday's $300,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1). The John Shirreffs charge sizzled 1 1/4 miles over Hollywood Park's firm turf in 1:58 3/5 to register his fourth stakes score and his first at the Grade 1 level. In the early going, After Market and Lava Man were both content to allow a pair of outsiders to sprint to the fore. The 13-1 Lang Field (Langfuhr) and 94-1 longshot Valiant Effort (Bertrando), who is also owned by the Wygods, engaged in their own private war through splits of :24 1/5, :46 2/5 and 1:10 1/5, opening up by as many as eight lengths on the field. Lava Man raced in the perfect spot in third, and After Market was also well placed by Alex Solis. Entering the far turn, the early duelists were exhausted, and Lava Man pounced with his trademark move. The popular gelding swiftly took command and briefly appeared on his way to victory beneath his 124-pound impost. After Market, however, had likewise launched his bid on the turn and stayed within striking range of Lava Man at the top of the stretch. Once straightening in the lane, After Market found another gear, and inside the final sixteenth, he overhauled Lava Man and drew 1 1/2 lengths clear at the wire. The winner furnished mutuels of $6.80, $3.20 and $2.60 as the nearly 5-2 second choice in the eight-horse field. Lava Man finished second by 2 3/4 lengths, paying $2.40 and $2.20. The 7-1 Obrigado (Fr) (Enrique) reported home in third to return $3. The $1 exotics were worth $7.20 (exacta), $30.50 (trifecta) and $221.80 (1-8-4-3 superfecta) with the 60-1 Fitz Flag (Arg) (Flag Down) another 1 3/4 lengths back in fourth. Porfido (Chi) (Mash One [Chi]), Lang Field, Red Fort (Ire) (Green Desert) and an eased Valiant Effort completed the order under the wire. After Market has bankrolled $463,685 from his 10-6-0-0 line. Originally conditioned by Bill Mott, he landed last year's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2) at Saratoga and the Lexington S. (G3) at Belmont Park. He failed to handle the soft turf at Delaware Park in the Kent Breeders' Cup S. (G3), trailing in last of 10, and was put away for the season. In his return in an allowance/optional claiming event at Gulfstream Park in January, he again checked in last in an eight-horse field. Switched to Shirreffs, After Market finished sixth in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) and was a troubled fifth in an allowance before rebounding to capture the Inglewood H. (G3) in his latest outing. Bred in Kentucky, After Market is the first registered foal out of the Grade 1 winning mare Tranquility Lake (Rahy), who amassed more than $1.6 million in earnings in the course of her four-year career. Among her nine stakes wins, she garnered the 1999 Gamely Breeders' Cup H. (G1) and 2000 Yellow Ribbon S. (G1). She has since produced four full brothers to After Market -- a well regarded sophomore named Jalil who recently broke his maiden in England for Godolphin, an unraced juvenile named Inflection Point, an unnamed yearling and a 2007 colt. Out of Grade 2-placed Winter's Love (Danzig), Tranquility Lake is herself a half-sister to three-time Grade 2 winner and successful sire Benchmark (Alydar). This is the family of 1983 Belmont S. (G1) hero Caveat.
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