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Top Commander wires Count Fleet Courtlandt Farms' TOP COMMANDER (Kingmambo) grabbed the lead from the start of Thursday's $150,000 Count Fleet Sprint H. (G3) at Oaklawn Park and never looked back en route to a 1 1/2-length score under jockey Carlos Gonzalez. Trained by Cole Norman, the bay five-year-old set quick splits of :21 4/5, :44 2/5 and :56 2/5 before finishing six furlongs on the fast track in 1:08 3/5. Sent off the 5-2 second choice in the eight-horse field, Top Commander paid out $7.40, $4.80 and $3.40 to his faithful supporters. Forest Grove (Forestry) was no match for the winner, but held second by a half-length over That Tat (Faltaat), returning $8.40 and $6.20 at 6-1. Show gave back $3.80 at 7-1, and the exotics totaled $76 (exacta) and $288.20 (trifecta). Two Down Automatic (Smoke Glacken) came in another length back in fourth and was followed by 5-2 favorite Ole Rebel (Carson City), Level Playingfield (Level Sands), Engineered (Langfuhr) and Rodeo's Castle (Rodeo). Bred in Kentucky by Tac Holdings Inc., Top Commander improved his record to 14-6-2-0 to go along with $172,560 in lifetime earnings. This was the bay gelding's first stakes win and his second straight victory following a front-running 7 3/4-length allowance win in his seasonal bow last month. He is out of the Grade 2-placed Mackenzie Slew (Seattle Slew) and has an yearling half-sister named Bernhardt (Out of Place) as well as an unnamed 2005 half-sister by Quiet American.
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