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Wanderin Boy handed Half Ours his first defeat
(Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
Arthur B. Hancock III's homebred WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold) took the
lead soon after the start of Friday's $112,300
Alysheba
S. (G3) at Churchill Downs and was never headed in the opening stakes
feature on Kentucky Oaks Day. With Corey Nakatani sitting chilly in the saddle,
the Nick Zito-trained six-year-old led the field through splits of :23 3/5, :48,
1:12 4/5 and 1:37, all the while tracked by Half Ours (Unbridled's Song).
Crossing under the wire 4 1/4 lengths the best, Wanderin Boy stopped the clock
in 1:43 2/5 for the 1 1/16-mile test over the sealed, sloppy dirt, paying out
$7.80, $4 and $3.40 as the near 3-1 second choice.
Half Ours suffered his first career loss here, stalking the winner throughout
while three or four wide as the 2-1 favorite. He finished 1 1/2 lengths in front
of third, worth $3.80 and $3.20 while ending the $23.40 exacta. Student Council
(Kingmambo) dueled with Summer Book (Notebook) in the early running, but put
that one away and was easily third best, giving back $3.60 at nearly 7-1 while
completing the $137.60 trifecta. It was another eight lengths back to Perfect
Drift (Dynaformer), who finished out the $302.80 superfecta (2-6-5-1), and next came
Brother Bobby (Out of Place), Smokeyjonessutton (You and I) and Summer Book.
Jonesboro (Sefapiano) was withdrawn.
Wanderin Boy earned his first stakes win in 2005, taking the Mineshaft H.
(G3), and added the Brooklyn Breeders' Cup H. (G2) and Ben Ali S. (G3) last
season. Running second to Horse of the Year Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes) in the
Pimlico Special H. (G1) and filling that same spot behind champion Bernardini in
the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) last year, the chestnut now boasts a 16-8-5-1 line
with $722,215 in lifetime earnings.
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