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Albertus Maximus rallies for Dirt Mile win
"Garrett had him in a perfect position on the first turn," said Cerin, who took over training duties on Albertus Maximus just two races before this one. "I was a little concerned when he went inside, but the Red Sea parted. It was a superlative performance by a superlative athlete. It feels great; unbelievable to win my first Breeders' Cup." Rebellion closed from last to take second at 18-1, giving back $16 and $11.20. Two Step Salsa was a half-length back in third, while just holding that spot by a head over My Pal Charlie (Indian Charlie). The pacesetter returned $12.80 at 22-1. The $1 exotics were worth $109.30 (exacta), $1,636 (trifecta) and $19,804.30 (7-10-5-11 superfecta). Mast Track (Mizzen Mast) followed another 1 1/4 lengths back in fifth, and next came Pyro (Pulpit), Lewis Michael, Lord Admiral (El Prado [Ire]), 6-5 favorite Well Armed (Tiznow), Slew's Tiznow (Tiznow), Slew's Tizzy and Surf Cat. "He needed a clear trip and he didn't get it," Aaron Gryder said of Well Armed's run. "Going into that first turn, the horse outside me (Slew's Tiznow) leaned on me and put me in tight and that set the tone. I couldn't get clear with him. I had a little bit of opening on the backstretch, but that was it. The big advantage with this horse is his long stride. That's what you want to use; you want to sit back and let him reach out. He needed a clear trip today and I didn't give it to him." Albertus Maximus has now run his Santa Anita line to 2-1-2 from five races, including a close third in the Goodwood S. (G1) prior to this one. The bay colt just earned his first stakes score at Del Mar two back, taking the Windy Sands H. by 2 1/4 lengths while setting a new track record of 1:35 1/5 for that mile test. He placed in the Swaps S. (G2) and Affirmed H. (G3) as a sophomore and, with this one added to his record, now shows a line of 15-5-3-2 having accumulated $908,230 in earnings. The Kentucky-bred Albertus Maximus is out of the winning Forty Niner mare Chasethewildwind. The 14-year-old mare's first foal, Chasethegold, ran second in the 2005 Senator Ken Maddy H. (G3), and she's also produced an unnamed yearling colt by Rock Hard Ten and a weanling colt by Malibu Moon. Chasethewildwind is herself a daughter of 1993 Santa Margarita H. (G1) winner Race the Wild Wind (Sunny's Halo) and counts as half-siblings French highweight King Charlemagne (Nureyev) and Group 3 hero Meshaheer (Nureyev).
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