Laurel Park 2005
| Saratoga
County Gets Up in Time As Maryland hailed the return of their favorite
son Gators N Bears, Mr. Prospector Handicap (G3) winner Saratoga
County almost went unnoticed, being sent off as the third choice
in a field of nine. But the four-year-old son of Valid Expectations
refused to be forgotten. |
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Saratoga County began to cut into his lead at the turn and as he reached the top of the stretch, had gotten within a half length of the flying Don Six.
The two battled down the stretch, with Saratoga County getting the head
bob at the wire. Maryland favorite Gators N Bears finished a close third
while Taste of Paradise, Unforgettable Max, Houston's Prayer, Bocca Al
Lupo, New York Hero, and Private Horde rounded out the field.
The son of the Grub mare Grub's Dancer, Saratoga County is now five for
sixteen lifetime with four seconds and one third and earnings of $446,590.
Coast Line Holds Off Offlee Wild
© Amanda Saunders 2005
'Coast Holds Off "Wild"
to Win
By Amanda Saunders
Coast Line, a four-year-old gelded son of Boston Harbor, held off multiple-graded
stakes winner Offlee Wild throughout the 1 1/8th-mile John B. Campbell
Breeders' Cup Handicap to win by a neck wire-to-wire. Ole Faunty, who
won the John B. Campbell Handicap last year, finished third, seven and
a quarter lengths behind the front runners.
At the break, Coast Line lead the field of eight by a length and a half
while Offlee Wild stalked in second, never losing sight of the Todd Pletcher
trainee. The two detached themselves from the rest of the field down the
backstretch and Ole Faunty settled back in third, but never got closer
then four lengths to the two leaders. The three crossed the line in that
order with Ouagadougou, Jim Thirds Bolero, Your Bluffing, and Little Matth
Man rounding out the field. Hydrogen had been scratched from the race.
Coast Line, who is the first stakes winner for his dam, the Mr. Prospector
mare Mission Pass, now has a total of $98,900 in earnings and is now five
for six lifetime starts with his only loss being a fourth-place finish
in his very first race. He hasn't lost since.
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Cativa Surprises With the focus on the 2004 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (GII) winner Bear Fan, no one seemed to notice the five-year-old daughter of Sir Cat, Cativa, in the gate stall right next to her. The dark bay New York-based mare had won nine of her seventeen starts so far with two seconds and a third but had never started in a stakes race, and had even been in a claiming race just three races prior. |
She was 5-1; Bear Fan was the even-money favorite, the bettor's idea of a sure thing. Who would have thought that the horse in front at the wire would be the little-known Cativa...and not the multiple stakes-winner Bear Fan.
Bear Fan broke on the lead with Cativa right behind as they traveled
five-wide to the five-eighths pole. At the half, Cativa took over the
lead and began to pull away, drifting in towards the rail to save ground
on the turn. Bear Fan looked to be biding her time in second, but when
jockey John Velazquez asked her to run, she came up empty and dropped
back, eventually finishing eighth. Cativa continued to draw away from
the field, winning as she pleased by two and a quarter lengths under a
hand ride by Edgar Prado in the seven-furlong $200,000 Grade II Barbara
Fritchie Handicap.
Sensibly Chic finished a game second with local Maryland champion Silmaril
finishing third. Rounding out the field was Josh's Madelyn, Wallop, Spectacular
Moon, Santa Croce, Bear Fan, Richetta, and Lavender Lass. With her first
stakes win, Cativa adds $120,000 to her earnings for a total of $363,710.
