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Twilight Meteor (outside) overtook
Sedgefield late to win the Hallandale Beach
(Eleanor Gustafson/Horsephotos.com) |
Peachtree Stable's TWILIGHT METEOR (Smart Strike) saved ground on the inside
before coming out into the stretch, and passed a clear Sedgefield (Smart Strike)
in taking the $77,250
Hallandale Beach S. at Gulfstream
Park by a half-length on Saturday. The Todd
Pletcher trainee, who was unraced since a stakes score in October, clocked the 1
1/16 miles in a brisk 1:40 3/5 under Edgar Prado. The 6-1 shot rewarded backers
with mutuels of $15, $6.40 and $5.60, while keying the $1 exotics: $39.60
exacta, $479.60 trifecta and $1,387.60 superfecta (8-11-13-7).
Sedgefield was prominent early, took the lead reaching six furlongs in 1:10
3/5, opened a 1 1/2-length edge in the stretch but could not hold off the winner
late. The runner-up was 1 1/4 lengths clear of his nearest pursuer and paid
$4.80 and $3.80 as the 3-1 second choice. Le Dauphin (Tale of the Cat) rallied
from well off the pace to be a good third, good for $8.20 at 16-1. Soldier's Dancer
(Lost Soldier), the 2-1 choice, concluded the superfecta and was trailed by One
of the Best (West Acre), Pleasant Strike (Smart Strike), Passport (Pulpit),
Dippi Trippi (Trippi), Fernando Po (Johannesburg), Pickapocket (Mecke), Pop Goes
the Tiger (Tiger Ridge) and Ace Up My Sleeve (Outflanker). Brainy Benny (Ire) (Barathea
[Ire]), Moudez (Ire) (Xaar), Rahystrada (Rahy) and Rutledge Cat (Tale of the
Cat) were withdrawn.
Twilight Meteor upped his career mark to 5-3-1-0, $163,775. The
three-year-old captured the Bourbon S. on the Polytrack at Keeneland in his 2006 finale.
In his stakes debut, he was a troubled-trip fourth in the With Anticipation S.
at Saratoga.
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