Half Ours remains unbeaten in Richter Scale

Aaron and Marie Jones' HALF OURS (Unbridled's Song) took a short lead at the

head of the stretch and repelled a pair of challenges late to capture the

$225,000 Richter Scale Breeders' Cup H. (G2) at Gulfstream

Park on

Saturday. Sent off as the 9-5 favorite, the Todd Pletcher trainee finished off

the seven furlongs in 1:22 1/5 and returned $5.60, $4.60 and $3 under John

Velazquez.

Half Ours and Bright One (Dance Brightly) dueled for the early lead, with the

latter getting the opening half-mile in :43 3/5. Turning for home Half

Ours overtook the leader but had a fresh challenger in Diabolical (Artax), who

ranged up on the outside. Half Ours fought that one off and had

enough left to keep a furiously closing Park Avenue Ball (Citidancer) at bay

late by a half-length.

The runner-up paid $8.40 and $4.20 at 11-1 while Diabolical

kept third and paid $2.80 as the near 5-2 second choice. The winning exacta ($1) paid

$29.30, the trifecta ($1) came back $79.60 and the 7-8-2-3 superfecta ($1) was worth

$315.20 with Bright One securing fourth. Mach Ride (Pentelicus) was

next and trailed by Nar (Northern Afleet), Dark Cheetah (Storm Cat), Slam Bammy

(Grand Slam), Little Thunder (Sword Dance [Ire]) and Ecclesiastic (Pulpit).

Half Ours ran his unbeaten record to five in boosting his bankroll to

$294,670. The colt took the 2005 Three Chimneys Juvenile S. on the Kentucky

Derby undercard and posted an easy 4 1/4-length allowance/optional claiming

victory in his four-year-old bow prior to this one.

The winner was bred in the Bluegrass State by Brilliant Stables and purchased

for $6.1 million at the 2006 Keeneland November sale. He is the first registered

foal out of the

winning Zing (Storm Cat) and has an unraced three-year-old half-brother named

Hay Lake Phil (Pulpit), an unraced two-year-old full brother named Zong and an

unnamed yearling full brother.

"All the credit goes to the Jones's for their patience," Pletcher said. "They

love this horse. They bought the mare and a full brother, who is a two-year-old

this year.

"(Half Ours is) a really special horse, very talented," the

conditioner added. "I think he'll

stretch out, but he's in such good form right now, we ran him in here. We'll

probably look at the ($300,000) Carter H. ([G1] on April 7 at Aqueduct) as our next

start."