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Far From Over Wins Withers With Closing Rush
By Claire Novak,
Far From Over recovered from a bad start to upset 1-2 favorite El Kabeir Feb. 7 in the $250,000 Withers Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack, closing much ground en route to his first graded score for owner Steven Marshall's Black Rock Thoroughbreds (VIDEO).
Stumbling at the break from post 2, the 3-year-old son of Blame spotted five other 3-year-olds 7 1/2 lengths at the first call and 10 1/2 lengths after half a mile while Classy Class set the pace in :24.40 and :47.95. El Kabeir was engaged with that rival neck and neck as three quarters went in 1:12.01, and Far From Over still had a large distance to make up when the field turned for home.
Taking the rail trip, jockey Manuel Franco set the eventual winner down for the stretch drive and his mount found another gear. The duo shifted to the three path and swept past the battling pair of Classy Class and El Kabeir in a 1:37.56 mile, drawing ahead inside the final sixteenth to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
"He had a bad step coming out of the gate and the game plan changed after that," said Franco, who with the Withers victory secured his first graded stakes score. "I just let him go however he wanted to go comfortable. At the three-eighths pole I picked it up and went for the lead. I thought I would be able to get there (and win)."
Far From Over was making just his second lifetime start after breaking his maiden by a game nose Dec. 12 at Aqueduct. The Withers, a prep race for the Twinspires.com Wood Memorial (gr. I), is worth 10 points to the winner on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Bred by Alexander, Groves, and Matz out of the A.P. Indy mare Alchemist, Far From Over was a $550,000 purchase by bloodstock agents Sallusto and Albina from the Gainesway consignment at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale.
"I thought we were in trouble when, coming out of the gate, he stumbled," said Byron Hughes, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. "But Manny did a great job relaxing on him and making his move at the right time. It was one big move at the end, and it was perfect.
"Ideally we were trying to sit right off the pace, hopefully, right there on the rail, but that didn't happen. I saw they were going :48 and I thought that wasn't fast enough. He had an awesome turn of foot and got up in time. In his first race he was on the lead, so we didn't know, but Todd was saying he was training great in Florida."
Far From Over completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.93 on a fast track to earn his second victory in as many starts for earnings of $186,000.
He returned $14.40, $4.20, and $2.60 at odds of 6-1, followed home by El Kabeir ($2.50, $2.10) and Classy Class ($2.40). Tencendur, March, and General Bellamy completed the order of finish. Unrivaled scratched.
John Terranova, trainer of Zayat Stables' El Kabeir, said the two-time graded stakes winner had little excuse for his loss at first blush. With the Jerome Stakes (gr. III) and Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) under his girth, El Kabeir still tops the leaderboard on the road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) having picked up another five points via the runner-up Withers finish. He now has 26 points.
"It looks like he pulled up fine. It's hard to say just yet. It looked like he had a great trip; sat in a perfect spot. He just got beat today," Terranova remarked. "The winner is one of those young 3-year-olds coming up with one start; he's bred to be any kind. It's hard to say what the difference was, whether he ran his race or this horse outran him.
"Looking ahead, we'll see how he comes out of this, talk it over with the Zayat family."
Salutos Amigos Rallies to Toboggan Score
By Jerry Bossert
David Jacobson and Southern Equine Stables' Salutos Amigos wouldn't be denied Feb. 7, rallying through the stretch to take the $147,000 Toboggan Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct Racetrack by 1 3/4 lengths over Dads Caps (VIDEO).
Sent off as the 3-4 favorite in the field of five competing over a fast inner track, Salutos Amigos overcame a four-length deficit in the stretch to reel in 9-5 second-choice Dads Caps. With Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Salutos Amigos won his third straight stakes race and fourth stakes in the past five starts.
"He's just getting better and better," said Jacobson, who also trains the 5-year-old Salute the Sarge gelding. "(Dads Caps) is a tough horse to run down and beat."
Dads Caps, wearing blinkers, went right to the front and set the pace under Jose Ortiz, covering the half mile in fractions of :23.08 and :45.30 while Salutos Amigos raced fourth, over six lengths behind the speedy front-runner.
Turning for home, Dads Caps was in the clear clear, while Salutos Amigos was angled out to the four path by Ortiz and began to lengthen his stride. He collared Dads Caps inside the final 70 yards to post his eighth win from 26 starts while upping his earnings to $777,406. The final time for the six furlongs was 1:09.53.
"My horse always comes on in the end," Ortiz said of Salutos Amigos. "I just had to hold him together, and he came flying. I thought I might not catch (Dads Caps), but when I asked (Salutos Amigos) he took off."
Dads Caps finished 7 1/2 lengths clear in second. Crafty Dreamer, the longest shot on the board at 42-1, got up by a head to be a distant third, and was followed out by Doubledown Again and Mewannarose. Green Gratto was an early scratch from the race.
"I just told Irad to pay attention and keep an eye on Dads Caps, that he doesn't get away and steal the race, which he almost did," Jacobson said. "It was pretty obvious, putting blinkers on a speed horse, he's not looking to take him back."
Salutos Amigos returned $3.50 to win, $2.40 to place, and $2.10 to show. Dads Caps paid $2.90 to place and $2.50 to show, while Crafty Dreamer returned $3.70 to show. The top two finishers shared the co-highweight assignments of 123 pounds.
On Oct. 25, Salutos Amigos won the Bold Ruler Handicap (gr. III) at Belmont Park, before wheeling back in a week to finish seventh, beaten three lengths, in the $1.5 million Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park Nov 1.
He then took the Fall Highweight (gr. III) at Aqueduct Nov. 27 while carrying top weight of 133 pounds, and the Gravesend at Aqueduct Dec. 26.
Salutos Amigos was bred in Kentucky by Joan Hadley Thoroughbreds out of the Luhuk mare Sarasota.
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90021/salutos-amigos-rallies-to-toboggan-score#ixzz3R7u79H31
