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Afleet Again posts Marathon shocker
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| A dirt-caked Afleet Again drew off in the Marathon
(Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
Winless in his last 13 starts and overlooked as the longest shot on the tote
board at 41-1, Afleet Again rallied to post a big upset in the $454,500
Marathon, the first of nine Breeders' Cup races at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
The gray four-year-old hadn't visited the winner's circle since his 24-1 shocker
in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct 20 months ago.
Owned by Kasey K Racing Stable and trained by Robert Reid Jr, Afleet Again
was ridden by Cornelio Velasquez in the 1 3/4-mile race.
"He ran fabulously," Reid said. "It's so rare to get this kind of distance,
so we decided to take a shot. We always thought he could go this far. There's no
limit to how far he can run. When I saw a 48 (fraction) for the first half and
we were only seven or eight lengths out of it, I thought we were in pretty good
shape."
Considering the distance, the pace was legitimate, with Pleasant Prince
showing the way after the break in :23 2/5, :48, 1:12 3/5 and 1:38 4/5. Birdrun
contested the early going from the inside before dropping back a couple of lengths to
stalk the front runner, and Afleet Again was well-reserved in either eighth or
nine through the opening mile.
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Cease offered a bold run to take a clear lead off the far turn, but could not
sustain his momentum in the stretch. Birdrun re-rallied into the frame and
struck the front with less than a furlong remaining and Giant Oak was
threatening to offer a serious challenge with his late turn of foot, but Afleet
Again suddenly found his best stride in the final furlong and surged rapidly on
the far outside to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths.
"I rode this horse in the Travers (fourth in 2010), and he has one pace all
the way," Velasquez said of the colt's late-running style. "I stayed behind the
speed, and at the quarter-pole, put him in the clear. And I had a lot of horse.
I like this horse. He needs a strong ride. In the last five-sixteenths I had a
lot of horse. The jockey on the four (Joel Rosario on Pleasant Prince) sent his
horse at the quarter pole. At the three-eighths I pulled the trigger."
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| Afleet Again swept past his rivals in the Marathon
(Breeders' Cup Ltd.) |
Afleet Again, a son of multiple classic winner and 2005 champion
three-year-old Afleet Alex, paid $85.20, $35.80 and $13.80 after stopping the
teletimer in 3:00 1/5 on the drying-out fast track.
Birdrun edged Giant Oak by a head for second, and it was another 3 1/4
lengths back to Pleasant Prince in fourth.
"He ran well," trainer Bill Mott said of runner-up Birdrun. "He tried hard.
Funny enough, the horse that won it, we'd been beating him all year long, every
time. Hey, it was his turn today. I'm glad for those people; he's been chasing
us around there all year long."
Cease came next in fifth and was followed under the finish line by defending
Marathon champion Eldaafer, Baryshnikov, Brigantin and Harrison's Cave. Meeznah
was eased due to suspected fatigue. A.U. Miner, the 3-1 favorite, was pulled up
in distress and diagnosed with bilateral sesamoid fractures in the left front
fetlock joint. He was vanned off the track to undergo further tests.
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Bred in Kentucky by Roll Z Dice Racing Stable, Afleet Again is out of the
Grade 3-placed Wild Again mare Lucky Again, who has also produced the multiple
stakes-placed Luckifee and stakes-placed Oh So Bella.
Afleet Again placed in three stakes last year, including a runner-up in the
Grade 3 Pegasus, and was elevated one spot via disqualification to second in the
Greenwood Cup Stakes earlier this year. However, he had been well-beaten in
three straight prior to a runner-up effort in his previous start, an October 9
optional claiming event at Monmouth Park.
With the $270,000 payday, Afleet Again has now earned $686,470 from A
24-4-5-3 line.
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