River Seven flows past Frac Daddy for Commonwealth Turf win

"It's an historic place here," he added about running, and winning,

under the Twin Spires for the first time. "Just coming here as a race fan, as I did

the past couple of Breeders' Cups (at Churchill Downs) was an awesome experience

for me. If I could find the right words for saying how I feel right now with a

victory in a stakes race here as a trainer, I'd probably have to lie to you or

make up some crazy word. It's wild."

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan allowed River Seven to settle in a stalking position

just behind the pacesetting Ruler of Love, who was flanked on the outside by

Frac Daddy, through splits of :23 4/5, :49 1/5 and 1:14. Ruler of Love faded

entering the lane, but Frac Daddy maintained his momentum to take over in 1:37

4/5 for the mile. It wasn't enough to stop River Seven from cruising on by,

though, as Kaigun just held third by a half-length over the closing Moro Tap on

the line.

"Nick (Gonzalez) brought him here in great shape and he was tactical enough for

me to place him wherever I wanted," Bridgmohan said. "He left there running. I thought he'd be

second, but I looked outside and there were a couple of more speed horses than I

anticipated, so I took a hold of him. I was just biding my time with him and when

we came around the turn in just kind of unfolded in front of us. The horse in

front of me kicked on a little bit and made some room and he just finished

really well."

"He ran a great race," trainer Kenny McPeek praised his pupil Frac Daddy.

"That's a really nice horse that beat him. He was one of the ones I was worried

about. He kind of had it his own way; the fractions were fair. He's a nice horse

and when things kind of fall his way, he's tough. He's going to improve with

age."

"I think the post position (No. 12) killed me because I had to use him a

little out of the gate to get him in position around the first turn," added the

runner-up's jockey, Alan Garcia. "We didn't want to be too

wide. But he ran his race. The winner was a little better tonight."

Winning Cause followed the top four under the wire while Dorsett, Braveman,

Golden Sabre, Ruler of Love, O'Prado Ole, Layton Register and Formidable Heart

completed the order of finish. Central Banker was scratched.

Gonzalez thought so highly of River Seven that he saddled

the bay to placings in both the Clarendon and Vandal in his initial two career

starts as a juvenile. It was only after failing to reach the winner's circle in

those stakes that River Seven tried maiden company. He finished a half-length

second but finally broke through with a first victory when taking the Grey by

three parts of a length in his two-year-old finale.

River Seven didn't make his three-year-old bow until seven months later, when

he ran fourth in the Queenston. He suffered the only off-the-board efforts of

his career thus far when eighth in the Plate Trial and 10th in the Queen's

Plate, but rebounded to be second in both the Prince of Wales and Breeders' to

complete his run in Canada's Triple Crown.

An allowance second followed the Breeders' in late September, leading up to

River Seven's tour de force in the Labeeb last out. He now boasts $561,926 in

career earnings to go along with his 12-3-5-1 scorecard.

Bred in Ontario by William D. Graham, River Seven is the first registered

foal out of the stakes-winning Chester House mare Sans Souci Island. His third

dam is the unraced Roan Rocket mare Negligence, who produced English champion

Negligent and is the grandam of this year's One Thousand Guineas winner Sky

Lantern.

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