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Bim Bam comes again to upset Interactif in Hallandale Beach When 4-5 favorite Interactif (Broken Vow) put his head in front of the pacesetter BIM BAM (Deputy Wild Cat) in the stretch of Sunday's $125,000 Hallandale Beach S., the fans' choice appeared ready to edge away to a popular victory. That snapshot view failed to take into account the unflagging resolve of J D Farms' homebred Bim Bam, however. Stubbornly fighting back along the rail, the David Brownlee sophomore came again to deny Interactif by a nose at the wire. Under a canny ride by Eibar Coa, Bim Bam went to the early lead and posted leisurely fractions of :24 3/5, :49 4/5 and 1:14. Interactif, who broke widest of all from post 8, moved up to prompt the leader while breathing down his neck along the backstretch. Bim Bam clung to a narrow lead on the far turn, but looked as if he would be put away by the heavy favorite once straightening for home. Although Interactif struck the front, he could not shrug off the persistent presence of Bim Bam to his inside, and the two slugged it out down the lane. Bim Bam clawed his way back to even terms, then thrust his nose down in the nick of time. The winner blitzed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 on Gulfstream Park's firm turf and paid $10.60, $3.60 and $3 as the 4-1 third choice. "My plan was to sit right behind the speed," Coa explained, "but when they let me go, I was able to make the lead and then go that slow. And I know my horse is a fighter, and he doesn't like to let horses go by. I knew if they challenged him he was going to fight back. When the other horse (Interactif) went by, I knew my horse was going to try, so I kept riding and digging because I knew he could come back, and he did." "It didn't look like there was much speed in the race," Brownlee observed, "so our plan going in was to go to the lead and hope to slow it down, which is the way it went. From there it was up to Eibar. He knows the horse very well. We know he'll fight back like he did the last time (beaten a neck in the Dania Beach S.) and they went 1:08 (for six furlongs) in that race. We're going to stick to turf with him and he'll come back in the Palm Beach (G3) here (March 6)." Interactif returned $2.40 and $2.40 for finishing two lengths clear in second. Jockey Kent Desormeaux reflected on the narrow loss. "Was it the trip I wanted? Yes," Desormeaux said. "It went very well. But I'm shocked. I didn't think I could get beat from the quarter-pole." Asphalt (War Chant), the 7-2 second choice, grabbed third by a nose from Dean's Kitten (Kitten's Joy). Show was good for $3.20, and the exotics totaled $27.60 (exacta), $77 (trifecta) and $429.20 (6-8-1-3 superfecta). Our Champion (Value Plus) checked in fifth, Lucas Brady (Trippi) and Cat Park (Tale of the Cat) dead-heated for sixth, and Thunder Brew (Milwaukee Brew) reported home last of the octet. Bim Bam had a recency edge over Interactif. While Interactif had not raced since his third in the November 7 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G2), and was embarking upon a possible road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) in this spot, Bim Bam was coming off a near-miss runner-up effort in the January 16 Dania Beach. The Hallandale Beach may shed light on the Triple Crown trail in another respect. Bim Bam had chased Jackson Bend (Hear No Evil) unsuccessfully three times last season, finishing third to that highly-regarded colt in the Dr. Fager, Affirmed and In Reality divisions of the Florida Stallion S. When not facing Jackson Bend, Bim Bam captured the Foolish Pleasure S. and Arthur I. Appleton Juvenile Turf S. The bay colt's scorecard now stands at 9-4-1-4, $296,295. The Florida-bred was produced by the multiple stakes-placed Laurel Light (Colony Light), whose latest offspring is a newborn filly by Xchanger.
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