By Ray Cotolo, for The Red Mile
LEXINGTON,
KY—Entering from several off-the-board finishes, Brian Brown trainee Workin Ona
Mystery catapulted off cover to pace the quickest mile of the three divisions
of the $267,400 Captaintreacherous Bluegrass Stakes—sponsored by the
Captaintreacherous Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms—on Sunday, Sept. 29 at The
Red Mile.
Semi
Tough took command from Dancin Lou entering the first turn and led the field to
a :27.1 opening quarter while 4-5 favorite Captain Crunch sat fourth with
Workin Ona Mystery on his back. The favorite then tipped from the pylons
passing a :54.4 half and ranged towards the pacesetter while supplying cover to
Workin Ona Mystery heading to three-quarters in 1:21.4. Captain Crunch took
command from Semi Tough through the stretch but could not withstand Workin Ona
Mystery as he darted past to a two-length victory in 1:48.1. Dancin Lou, off a
pocket trip, finished third.
“It’s
been a two-month struggle,” Brian Brown said after the race. “It’s like every
time you turned around, there was something else wrong blood related—some
infection; the white count was out of whack and then it’d knock his red count,
his hemoglobin, out of whack. Just something all the time with him—and he’s
finally getting healthy again. Tim [Tetrick]’s helped with getting him rigged
up. He’s behaving much better; he’s more relaxed. Hats off to his groom, his
trainer—they’ve helped me get this horse back going.”
Bred
by White Birch Farm and owned by Diamond Creek Racing, Stambaugh Leeman Stable,
Alan Keith and Wingfield Brothers LLC, Workin Ona Mystery won his ninth race
from 17 starts, earning $430,341. Tim Tetrick drove the Captaintreacherous colt
who paid $4.60 to win.
American
Mercury motored off a pocket trip to a 1:49.3 victory in the second division of
the Captaintreacherous.
Driver
Tyler Buter pushed for the front with American Mercury heading to the first
turn but yielded command to Can’t Beach That after a :27 first quarter.
American Mercury stayed in the pocket through a :55 half and three-quarters in
1:23.3 while Can’t Beach That endured far-turn pressure from De Los Cielos Deo.
But De Los Cielos Deo faltered into the stretch, leaving room for American
Mercury to slingshot from the pocket and to the lead through the stretch. He
hit the finish two lengths better than Fabrice Hanover, who tracked De Los
Cielos Deo’s cover for second, with Can’t Beach That finishing third.
Winning
his 10th race from 20 starts, American Mercury—sired by American
Ideal—has earned $631,443 for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Northfork Racing
Stable, Chuck Pompey and Scott Bice. Chris Oakes trains the $3.40 winner bred
by Steve Stewart, Julie Nash and Charles Nash.
Bettor’s
Wish brushed past tiring horses circling the final turn to take the final
Captaintreacherous split.
The
Chris Ryder trainee raced fourth while Air Force Hanover took control before a
:26.4 first quarter. Pyro then pulled wide from third and surged to the lead
nearing a :53.4 half but soon decelerated heading to the final turn. Driver
Dexter Dunn angled Bettor’s Wish from fourth and blitzed the pacesetter as he
slowed to three-quarters in 1:22, then opened a four-length margin on the field
through the lane. Air Force Hanover gave pursuit from second while Shake That
House closed from third over to finish third in a 1:48.3 mile.
“He
impressed me even this week,” Ryder said after the race. “I was saying to
myself [that] he feels fresh; he doesn’t feel tired. I had a little bit of
trouble with him in the stall—he keeps spinning around; he’s just got so much
energy the last two or three weeks. He wanted to go race; he didn’t want to be
locked up. That’s just the way he is.”
Accruing
$1,426,000 in earnings for owners Chris Ryder, Bella Racing, Fair Island Farm
and Bettors Wish Partners, Bettor’s Wish—a son of Bettor’s Delight bred by
Brittany Farms—collected his 15th victory from 26 starts. He paid
$2.20 to win.
“This
horse he has such a great personality; he’s what I look for in a yearling,”
said Art Zubrod, co-owner through Fair Island Farm, after the race. “Every time
you put him in the paddock with somebody he was the same… he just can’t wait to
get to the racetrack.
“Last
year I thought he was a top colt,” Zubrod also said, “and Chris [Ryder] called
me this winter, he said ‘We’ve been offered quite a bit of money, what do you
think?’ And I said ‘Man, I’m going to be honest with you: I know this horse is
top three. Paul MacDonell last year took such good care of this horse—had a
couple of races that he could’ve won if he went to the stick but he didn’t go
to the stick and I think it’s really helped us this year.”
Grand
Circuit action resumes at The Red Mile Thursday, Oct. 3 with the $350,000
(est.) International Stallion Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts and
geldings. Racing gets underway with first-race post at 1:00 p.m. (EDT).
