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Commanding win in the Schaefer Just when he looked done, Aaron & Marie Jones' MASTER COMMAND (A.P. Indy) found something in reserve to come back to score a 2 3/4-length victory over Andromeda's Hero (Fusaichi Pegasus) in Saturday's $100,000 William Donald Schaefer H. (G3) at Pimlico. Sent to the early lead under Garrett Gomez, Master Command clocked fractions of :23 4/5, :47 3/5 and 1:12 1/5 before Andromeda's Hero took over the advantage nearing the three-eighths pole. Master Command rallied back to duel with that one and eventually re-obtained the lead en route to stopping the clock in the 1 1/8-mile affair in 1:49 2/5 over a track labeled fast. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite, Master Command returned $4.60, $2.80 and $2.20 while leading exotics of $15.60 (exacta), $30 (trifecta) and $35.50 for the 1-5-7-3 superfecta ($1). Andromeda's Hero paid $3.40 and $2.20 at 7-2 with Funny Cide (Distorted Humor) coming home another 4 3/4 lengths farther back in third to return $2.20 at 3-2. Play Bingo (Polish Numbers), Summer Book (Notebook) and Water Cannon (Waquoit) rounded out the order of finish. Reckless Ways (Level Sands) was scratched. Bred in Pennsylvania by Brushwood Stable, the four-year-old Master Command is out of the winning mare Lady Lochinvar (Lord at War [Arg]), whose most recent foals are a two-year-old filly named X Star and a 2006 filly, both by Pulpit. This was the Todd Pletcher-trained Master Command's first stakes win and he improves his record to 8-4-2-1 with earnings of $178,920. The chestnut was purchased for $650,000 at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale.
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