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Poseidon's Warrior shocks Vanderbilt at 36-1
"That was a race we've been looking at for a long time. He was a notch below the top horses last year," asserted trainer Robert "Butch" Reid Jr. before admitting, "If we had known Shackleford was coming, we'd probably have made other plans. "I told the jock to ride him out of the gate if he wanted because sometimes in New York they'll give you the lead, but when he saw the others go out he did the right thing and laid back off them and let him settle. (Poseidon's Warrior had) earned the (right) to stay here the rest of the month." "This is my first Grade 1 win," Reid added. "I won a Breeders' Cup race last year (Afleet Again in the Breeders' Cup Marathon), but that was a Grade 2." Based on his lackluster performances in his prior two starts this season, Poseidon's Warrior was sent off the 36-1 second longest shot on the board to return $74.50, $25.60 and $8.10. The winner's share boosted his earnings to $634,337 and he is now 7-2-2 from 17 lifetime starts. "It's terrific. It's terrific!" enthused owner Tom McGrath of Swilcan Stables. "I've had the good fortune to be with Butch (Reid) and have him train my horses. I'm new to the game and he's brought a lot of luck to me. I've been in the game for about two years. I had partners, Chuck Zacney and Joe Lerro, who were actually the guys that introduced me to it. "I was just thinking, 'It's his day.' He ran a great race, and it was terrific to see it. I knew he was capable. I'm just thrilled. I knew he had it in him, but it was his to prove and he did it. I was concerned about (the wet track) a little bit when I saw it, but he's run on it before." While McGrath attributes Zachney and Lerro to getting him into horse racing, Poseidon's Warrior can thank the former for his name. "Chuck Zacney's son was doing a paper on Greek mythology and he loved the name, so he named the horse," explained McGrath, before going on to describe his stable's name. "It's a bridge at St. Andrew's Golf Course. When I was trying to come up with a name I couldn't think of one, and my attorney was like, 'I've got to get this done. I'm going on vacation.' I had a picture on the wall, and I pulled it out of thin air." Justin Phillip got the photo for second, a neck in front of Emcee, and it was another 1 1/4 lengths back to Hamazing Destiny. Rothko faded to fifth while Jersey Town, Sloane Ranger and 6-5 favorite Shackleford completed the order under the wire. "I didn't expect him to run like that, but he's 0-for-3 in the mud. That's the only excuse we can make for him," Shackleford's trainer, Dale Romans, said of his dual Grade 1-winning charge. "(Jockey) Johnny (Velazquez) said when he held him together he was moving along fine. Soon as he dropped his head, it was like he was spinning his wheels. "Getting beat a nose or getting beat a neck, you think you're going to have the best horse. Getting beat that far, something is wrong, and this time I'm just going to blame the racetrack. They had it in as good shape as they possibly can with that much rain today. "You never want to have the one hole. You're going to get a lot of dirt down there if you don't clear the field. It wasn't the best circumstances. Johnny said he felt good; he came back good. He's thrown a few clunkers at me before, and usually it's been surface related. He is kind of finicky about what he runs on, and it's been the only thing he's been finicky about. "I asked (Velazquez) if he wanted to ride him back, and he said, 'Keep me on. Just draw a line through the race. He never ran. We'll try 'em again in the (Grade 1) Forego (on September 1).' But I don't think I'll ever run him back on a sloppy racetrack, no matter the circumstances," Romans concluded. "The first two jumps, I knew right away," Velazquez added. "He jumped out of there, he didn't grab onto the bit. I put him into the race, and he did not want to go there. Finally I got a hold of him going to the half-mile pole. He felt comfortable, I was holding him, but as soon as I gave him his head again to try to put him into the race again, he let go right away. He was not comfortable. "Seeing the way he'd run on a wet (track previously), I was a little bit concerned...and he proved today, I guess, that he doesn't like it." Poseidon's Warrior earned the biggest win of his career in the Vanderbilt and now boasts five total black-type victories, including the East Hanover, New Castle and Le Bagoter Stakes from last year. The dark bay four-year-old was second in last season's Gallant Bob Stakes, and entered Sunday's race off a fifth-placing behind that race's winner, Royal Currier, in the Mr. Prospector Stakes. Bred in Maryland by Dark Hollow Farm and William P. Beatson, Poseidon's Warrior was a $90,000 Midlantic Two-Year-Old in Training purchase in 2010. The dark bay is out of the winning Smarten mare Poised to Pounce, whose first registered foal is dual stakes victress Quick 'n Smart, herself the dam of multiple Grade 3 scorer and track-record setter Smart Enough. Poised to Pounce also produced 2005 Maryland Million Classic victor Play Bingo, and is a half-sister to seven-time stakes queen Smart 'n Quick as well as stakes-placed winners So Brash, Rare Flight and Fly So High. This female line is also responsible for Grade 2 hero Saint's Honor and Grade 2-placed stakes conqueror Super Cholo. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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