|
A real hot Rod in the Generous
 | |
Mr. Rod's rivals could not reel him in
(Benoit Photo) |
Saturday's $109,300
Generous
S. (G3) was billed as the spot for Bittel Road (Stormy Atlantic) to bounce
back from his disappointing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Cecil N.
Peacock's MR. ROD (Scrimshaw) did not read the script, however, for he scampered
to the front through fast fractions and never looked back. The Dan Hendricks
juvenile negotiated Hollywood Park's firm-turf mile in 1:35 to become the first
stakes winner for freshman sire Scrimshaw.
With Chantal Sutherland in the irons, Mr. Rod clicked off splits of :23 1/5,
:46 3/5 and 1:10 4/5. Mensa Heat (Unusual Heat) tracked in second, with Hype
(More Than Ready) and Bourbon Bay (Sligo Bay [Ire]) next and even-money choice
Bittel Road rating in fifth. Leaving the far turn, Mr. Rod gave his pursuers the
slip and widened his margin to 3 1/2 lengths through seven furlongs in 1:22 3/5.
Bittel Road rallied in the stretch, but he could get no closer than 1 1/2
lengths at the line. Mr. Rod, the fourth choice at nearly 7-1, furnished mutuels
of $15.60, $5.40 and $3.
Bittel Road paid $2.80 and $2.10 for his runner-up effort and produced an
$18.30 exacta ($1). Another 2 1/4 lengths adrift came the dead-heating pair of
Hype and Bourbon Bay. Each returned $2.10 to show. The $1 exotics with the 4-1
Bourbon Bay in third totaled $44.20 (trifecta) and $114.30 (2-1-7-3 superfecta).
The $1 exotics with the nearly 5-1 Hype in third were worth $32.70 (trifecta)
and $109.10 (2-1-3-7 superfecta). Insurgence (Pulpit), Mensa Heat, Battle of
Hastings (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]) and Liturgical (Songandaprayer) rounded out
the order of finish.
|
Mr. Rod was undistinguished in his first three outings on the synthetic,
including two third-place efforts in high-priced maiden claiming company at Del
Mar. The dark bay put forth a more encouraging effort when second in the
Barretts Juvenile S. on the dirt at Fairplex. Trying the turf in a six-furlong
maiden special weight at Hollywood last time out, Mr. Rod rolled to an
impressive 4 3/4-length victory.
The winner, who was bred by Gil Masters in Kentucky, is no stranger to the
sales ring. He RNA'd for $6,700 as a yearling at Keeneland January, was sold for
$10,000 at Keeneland September, and was purchased by his current connections for
$45,000 as a two-year-old in training at Barretts in May.
Out of the multiple stakes-placed Call Her Clever (Caller I. D.), Mr. Rod has
an unnamed yearling half-brother by Grand Reward. This is the family of Grade 2
scorers Rich Soil (Verbatim), New Colony (French Colonial) and Zignew (Danzig).
Send this article to a friend
| 
