Written By Eric Wing, December 5, 2017
Of the 128 entries that left the starting gate for last Saturday’s $78,729 cash game at HorseTourneys, Tanya Taylor, in hindsight, had to be among the least likely winners—at least as of the start of the day.
That is no knock on the Little Rock, Arkansas, resident’s handicapping acumen—which is considerable—but rather a function of her decision earlier that day to only play in the game if she won a $695 entry for it in that morning’s Early-Bird, $78 feeder.
“I don’t consider myself a big gambler,” admitted the 54-year-old physical therapist, who will be playing in her third straight NHC next February, and has qualified for the BCBC a couple of times and The BIG One once, but hasn’t really played in many high-stakes cash games.
Still, with it being opening day at Gulfstream and Cigar Mile Day at Aqueduct, Taylor knew it could be her kind of day.
“I like to play on days when horses I like are running,” she said. “I keep a watch list and on big days like Saturday, I know the horses are really trying. Lower-level claimers are not my thing. Sometimes those horses need a race or are being given a race.”
The contest day started early for Taylor, with her last-minute feeder commencing at 10:30 am local time. When her pick in the Aqueduct opener, Memories of Peter, registered a victory at 2-1 odds, Taylor was pleased, though she knew that win guaranteed nothing. After the first at Gulfstream, though, things got considerably more exciting.
“There was a first-time starter in there going long on the grass named Ms. Peintour,” said Taylor. “She was by Paynter, which I liked. And the trainer stats I was looking at said that the trainer [Lilli Kurtinecz] had run four horses going first time grass and had a winning percentage of 50% with a $10.00 R.O.I. I said to myself, ‘This fits perfectly.’”
Clearly, not many others handicapped the race as Taylor did. Ms. Peintour went off at 65-1, and when she won, her believer in Little Rock had a max win/place payoff of $64.00 that basically assured her of the top-10 finish she needed for a $695 spot in that afternoon’s big-money game.
Her early objective now completed, it was time to study up on the later races.
“I only used the Brisnet PPs that come with an entry on the HorseTourneys site,” Taylor said. “I seem to have good luck with those. I spent an hour or so quickly looking over everything and then entered all my picks. I don’t usually like to change my picks much even in a live contest.”
Her first 10 picks in the 15-race final were solid but not remarkable. With five races to go, she was in 25th place or so. But no giant prices had come in, so it was a pretty bunched up field.
In the 11th at Gulfstream, the Claiming Crown Jewel, she was torn between a pair of longshots—16-1 Flowers for Lisa and 29-1 Diamond Bachelor. Her initial pick earlier in the day was Flowers for Lisa. Then when she saw the big odds on Diamond Bachelor, she switched the pick to him. As the horses began to load, though, thoughts of her sister (and frequent companion to Oaklawn Park) Meleah came to mind.
“My sister thinks my first thoughts are my best thoughts,” Taylor said. “When we’re at the races together, she won’t ask me who I like. She’ll say, ‘What was your first pick?’ She jokes about wanting to play in contests just using first choices that I switch off.”
As the Jewel field loaded, Taylor thought about her sister’s good-natured ribbing and decided to switch her pick back to original selection Flowers for Lisa? But would there still be time?
She toggled to the selection page as fast as she could and, thanks in large part to the large, 12-horse field, she got the pick switched in a nick of time. Two minutes later, Flowers for Lisa won the Jewel (Diamond Bachelor finished third) and the payoff of $35.80 to win and $16.40 to place catapulted Taylor all the way to seventh place.
There were now four races left, all from Los Alamitos, and after two of those races, she was up to fourth. Then came race 7.
“I was excited about the last two races because I knew the two I liked had odds,” Taylor said, referring to a pair of longshots. “One was Krsto Skye in the 7th. This was a horse I had played before, and I liked that Stewart Elliott was jumping on board for this race. I thought he had been riding well of late. He was 20-1 in the morning line but got bet down early to 7-1. Fortunately he floated back up.”
Neither Elliott nor the toteboard let Taylor down. Krsto Skye won and paid $28.20 to win and $10.20 to place. Taylor was now in first place by $11.80. Would the lead hold up?
The final-race horse that Taylor originally liked was 49-1 shot Empress of Love. But would playing such a horse make sense now that she was in the lead?
“I saw the odds and thought to myself, ‘She’s not going to do anything.’ But I thought about it some more and figured that if anyone other than the first or second choices won, I’d probably lose. So I stuck with her. She wound up running a creditable fourth.”
Taylor watched the race at home with her two dogs, including Max, who likes to hoot and hollar right along with his master when she is cheering a horse home. (Max gets extra excited, according to Taylor, when it’s Trevor Denman calling the race. She’s says he really likes his voice.)
Happily for Taylor (and Max), the two favorites–numbers 1 and 4–opened up a big lead turning for home, and that’s the way they finished. No one near Taylor in the standings had either horse, and she was home free—the winner of $35,428.
“I was so excited. This is my very first one,” Taylor said of her big contest win. “I’d won seats before to the BCBC, which is worth $10,000, but nothing like this.”
The immediate future holds great excitement for Taylor. In addition to her NHC appearance next February, she enjoys following the four horses she owns in partnership via Ten Strike Racing. The quartet includes a pair of Brad Cox trainees — Pioneer ofthe Nile 2-year-old Take That for Data and recent Churchill Downs winner Cheponara.
She also expects to continue playing the races enthusiastically on weekends, and to continue playing tournaments online.
“It’s easier for me,” she said. “I’m used to the $2.00 win/place format.”
She does see one potential change in her routine going forward, though.
“I guess I might start playing in more cash tourneys,” Taylor said with a laugh.
Anyone in the Thoroughbred industry knows that owning a horse that wins a race is a great accomplishment in itself. Owning a horse that wins a race at Saratoga is something even greater. But on Thursday, August 24th, Ten Strike Racing accomplished something very few owners ever have:
Win with a homebred at Saratoga.
Ten Strike co-founder Marshall Gramm claimed his first horse in 2008, a 6 year-old mare by Gulch that had made 42 career starts. Her name was Aunt Dot Dot and she raced seven more times before he retired her in February of 2009 and bred her to the full brother of Giant’s Causeway, Freud. The mating resulted in a bay colt named Dot Matrix.
Dot Matrix has had 14 Career starts and run in the money 8 times including 3 wins. His most recent win, of course, was at Saratoga in a $35,000 Claiming Race. View Race Replay here (Thursday, Aug. 24, Race 3).
Marshall Gramm summed the win up best, “Nothing beats winning with a homebred at Saratoga”
Ten Strike Racing is no stranger to the winner’s circle at Parx Racetrack. Currently, they lead all other owners at the Philadelphia track in number of wins, win percentage and top 3 percentage as seen below:
Their momentum has been strong in the past week with three impressive performances, two of which came at Parx and one at Indiana Grand:
July 18, Indiana Grand – Dance Proudly (click her to watch the replay)
Trainer: Randy Matthews
Jockey: Richard Bracho
Dance Proudly broke smartly from the gate and Richard Bracho gave the gelding a ground saving trip on the rail as they went in 21.31 and 43.76. Turning for home, Black Tavish looked as if he was going to pull away from Dance Proudly, but the Ten Strike color bearer dug deep, regained his balance and came with a run that saw him win by 1 ¾ lengths.
July 24, Parx – Tarpy’s Surprise (click here to watch the replay)
Trainer: Shea Stuart
Jockey: Eddie Castro
Tarpy’s Surprise, a private purchase for Ten Strike Racing in June, was making his first start for the partnership and trainer Shea Stuart. He broke well and settled in a stalking position on the rail in 4th. Tarpy’s Surprise was sent on by jockey Eddie Castro at the half mile pole and by the top of the stretch, there were no challengers for tarpy’s Surprise as he won by 5 ½ lengths. This was trainer Shea Stuart’s first win with tarpy Surprise and first for Ten Strike Racing.
July 25th, Parx – Zanotti (click here to watch the replay)
Trainer: Juan Carlos Guerrero
Jockey: Jorge Vargas Jr.
Zanotti was sent off the heavy favorite in this race. He broke mid pack and settled two wide behind the leaders. Zanotti slowly began to pick off his opponents one at a time and by the time they reached the ¾ pole, he was cruising past the leader. Jorge Vargas gave Zanotti a hand ride down the stretch to win by 7 lengths. Zanotti now has 7 starts for 4 wins and 3 places.
Ten Strike Racing Manager Liz Crow was recently featured in the BloodHorse. Below is the article:
Ten Strike Racing’s I’m a Looker ran down the field in the Saylorville Stakes on July 6th at Prairie Meadows to finish 2nd by a length.
The 5 year-old daughter of Henry Hughes settled four lengths behind the leader in the back of the pack in this six furlong Stakes race. Turning for home, I’m a Looker sat patiently and waited for her gap. Once asked by jockey Corey Lanerie, I’m a Looker swallowed up the field but unfortunately the post came a length too early.
This was a promising run and Ten Strike Racing with co-owners China Horse Club and Head Of Plains Partners now have several summer possibilities including the Shine Again Stakes at Saratoga in early August followed by the G1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga over seven furlongs in late August.
This was I’m A Looker’s first start for trainer Brad Cox since being purchased privately in late 2016.
I’m a Looker has 21 starts, 4 wins, 5 places, 2 shows and career earnings of $293,634 including a G3 win in the Winning Colors at Churchill last year.
Growing up a couple blocks from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., horse racing has enthralled trainer Brad Cox since early childhood. Working his way up through the industry, however, it didn’t take him long to discover the commerciality driving the sport’s brilliant excitement.
“It’s a business, for sure,” said Cox, 37. “It really takes a lot of organization (to be a trainer); I have lists on top of lists and I have to be really on top of each and every horse in my stable. I’ve also learned to appreciate all the people who work so hard to keep this operation moving forward every single day.”
The current stable star is Abdullah Saeed Almaddah’s Green Mask, recently an impressive winner of the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine. Victory in the “win and you’re in” race earned the 6-year-old Mizzen Mast gelding an all-entry fees paid, automatic berth to the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November, a race in which he finished fifth in 2016.
“I think the five furlongs at Del Mar will suit him a lot better than the 6 ½ downhill at Santa Anita,” Cox said. “He’s really a very consistent horse, and he is performing very, very well right now. It’s just a matter of keeping him happy through the rest of the year.”
Cox’s stable has experienced both growth and decline since the trainer took out his license in 2004. Midwest Thoroughbreds, the gargantuan racing operation of Richard and Karen Papiese, entrusted Cox with a significant number of horses early in his career. Twice, however, the owners made the decision to shift their horses to other trainers – perhaps because of Cox’s determination to remain in Louisville for much of the year – and left the young trainer’s stable struggling.
“I learned a lot during my time with Midwest,” he said. “They claimed a lot of horses so I had the opportunity to practice the management of those horses, but ultimately it is a business decision.”
That same determination carried Cox through the time of crisis; the trainer re-built his stable from just three horses up to the multi-location operation it is today.
“We just made small goals every week, and worked really hard to achieve them,” Cox said. “First it was to pick up an owner or a new horse each week, then it was to win a certain number of races at Keeneland or at Churchill. When we reached those goals, we set new ones, and that’s the same concept that has carried me to this point of my career.”
Stewart, himself a disciple of Cox’s idol, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, taught Cox about stable management. For nearly five years, Cox absorbed every modicum of information he could, from the communication with owners and racing officials to the level of detail required to provide each horse the best chance of success. He was rewarded with the opportunity to ride along as Unbridled Elaine won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and to follow the colt Dollar Bill through the Kentucky Derby trail.
“I’m very grateful to Dallas,” Cox said. “He gave me a chance when he didn’t have to, and the lessons I learned working for him are a major part of my success. I got to work with a lot of really nice horses.”
Organization is easily the most important lesson Cox picked up from Stewart, he explained, especially in terms of managing horses at four or five different racetracks. He spends a great deal of time on the phone each day, talking to owners, racing secretaries, and with each of his assistant trainers.
The process of rebuilding his stable left a permanent impression on Cox, and he is determined to continue to expand and improve his operation through those same organizational skills. While some trainers might be content with a relatively small number of horses, Cox enjoys continually pushing himself toward the next goal. Even his favorite hashtag on Twitter and social media displays his desire for success: #trainingwinners.
Cox laughs when he suggests wanting to train the next Triple Crown winner, but gives the impression that he isn’t entirely joking.
“From what I’ve learned, no business is ever stable,” he said. “It’s either growing or shrinking, and I definitely prefer to be growing. I think the ultimate goal for a trainer is to be able to develop a 2-year-old into a really good racehorse—to take it from the beginning all the way to the top of the sport. We have a good group of babies this year, and we’re hoping several of them will jump up and take us to the next level.”
He may be driven, but he doesn’t forget those who work hard every day to keep the operation afloat. Most of his dialogue is littered with “us” and “our” pronouns, as opposed to “I” and “me.” And it isn’t just those in his employ: his family is also a part of that collective unit working toward the next goal.
Cox’s wife, equine veterinarian Livia Frazar, shares the trainer’s passion for the sport as well as each animal in the barn. His two sons, 19-year-old Bryson and 16-year-old Blake, are also a major part of the business, spending much time around the barn and learning about the sport. Cox wouldn’t dream of discouraging them from entering the industry.
“They both seem to really enjoy it,” he said, pride shining through his words. “I think they both want to work in the industry, and I will try to help them be as successful as possible in any way I can.”
For now, Cox is hoping to take his sons on the same journey he enjoyed with Stewart: a victory in the Breeders’ Cup. Green Mask has been recording some of the best performances of his career in recent months, and has not finished worse than second in his six starts since December.
“Right now, I think he definitely represents our best opportunity to get a Breeders’ Cup win,” Cox said, then smiled. “Of course, I’d like to have a couple of juveniles heading out that way to join him in November!”
by Chelsea Hackbarth | 07.12.2017 | Paulick Report
Read more here on www.paulickreport.com
While ending up in the winner’s circle is ultimate goal for Thoroughbred owners, one partnership tries just as hard to find homes for former charges once their racing days are over.
Ten Strike Racing—which is run by Marshall Gramm and Clay Sanders, plus 25 other partners—campaigns graded stakes placed Allied Air Raid and already counts more than 80 wins since officially combining operations under the Ten Strike umbrella in early 2016. The group strives to find good homes for their retired runners and hopes to set an example for other owners.
“We love to win races, but we love to make sure these horses are cared for when they are done (racing),” said Liz Crow, stable manager for Ten Strike Racing.
“We do make sure it is known (to the partners) that aftercare is very important to us, and that these horses will find a home, one way or another, when they are done racing,” she said.
Since the outfit mostly runs claiming horses, with approximately 25-30 running at one time, Crow said tracking their runners is key to make sure they end up in good homes when they retire. Tracking claiming horses can be difficult, but the group makes an effort that has already paid off for one horse.
A 4-year-old gelding named I’mdrinkingdoubles was quickly claimed off of Ten Strike after running at Oaklawn Park and was shipped to Emerald Downs. Since Crow kept tabs on him and noticed he was vanned off the track in his last start, she made some calls to see what could be done to get the horse retired.
“I called the trainer and owner and asked if I could help him retire the horse,” she said. “(The trainer) was blown away that I would be calling him for that, and was really nice about it. We ended up retiring him out in California and donated money to get him retired. He was so blown away that someone cared enough to call him.”
Also knowing that she could turn to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) when looking for a legitimate retirement facility on the West Coast was another key for Crow.
“A lot of times these horses retire up at New York, or Parx, or California, and you don’t want to ship them all the way across the country to a facility, so what’s nice about the TAA is you can call them up and say, ‘I have a horse in Texas, or California, do you have an accredited farm nearby that we could use?’ And (the TAA) gave me five options, and one of the farms had a spot.”
To show their appreciation for the TAA’s efforts, Ten Strike recently helped raise awareness through the sponsorship of a race at Oaklawn Feb. 20 and a check presentation. The group hopes they caught the attention of other racing owners to encourage them to think about aftercare.
“I explained (how the TAA helped retire I’mdrinkingdoubles) to Clay and Marshall and they said, ‘We should really do something at Oaklawn that helps show that we’re a big organization (and) we care about aftercare.’ So we did a big presentation with the hopes that maybe a few owners at the races that day would see it and think (about it).”
While the group hasn’t been officially incorporated long enough to have too many of their horses in second careers yet, knowing that their horses are well cared for off the track is satisfaction enough.
“The reason that we’re in this game is because we love horses,” Crow said. “They’re such amazing animals and without them we don’t have anything.
“I think that it’s so important to make sure that we treat them well and make sure they have retirement homes. I think it’s something that our industry is getting better about, but we still have a long way to go.”
Thoroughbred Daily News article by: Lucas Marquardt
As the son of two economists, and an economist himself, Marshall Gramm was always going to have a knack for numbers. Now the 43-year-old is using his analytical skills to develop one of the most promising young stables in America…and to take a shot at the National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
Gramm didn’t make the cut for Sunday’s final round at Treasure Island, but will compete in the consolation tournament. He is the co-owner of the racing partnership Ten Strike Racing, which maintains a 60-strong stable primarily with trainers Brad Cox and Juan Carlos Guerrero.
“I’m a horse owner and horse breeder because I was a player first,” Gramm said Saturday from the auxiliary room at Treasure Island. “Really, it’s made my career. I got tenured and became a full professor because of my research on horse racing.”
Gramm, an economics professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, is the son of Phil Gramm, the longtime Republican senator from Texas. Growing up in Washington DC, Gramm didn’t have any family connections to racing, save for an uncle who bartended at Longacres for a time, and would put down Derby bets for Gramm.
“Like all boys, I got into sports when I was young,” he said. “But we didn’t have cable [TV]. So my access to sports was reading the paper. There was a whole page with the racing charts, and I just really got into it. Andrew Beyer was our sports writer, so I bought all his books, and that led to reading other books on racing. By 10 or 11, I was hooked.”
Gramm’s favorite horse as a youngster was Timely Writer, the claimer turned four-time Grade I winner.
Racing and handicapping remained a passion through his college years, and he took a unique view to racing through the lens of an economist.
“I have 12 to 15 papers directly related to horse racing, using racing tangentially to look at economics,” he said.
Next semester, he’s even teaching a new course at Rhodes on the economics of racetrack wagering markets.
“As of today, I have 34 enrolled, so it’s going to be one of the biggest classes at Rhodes,” said Gramm. “It’s basically going to be a handicapping class. Imagine teaching a class of students who don’t know the difference between an exacta, furlong and gelding. I’m really excited about it, and I hope that spills over to my students.”
As Gramm became established in the world of academia, he began to think about owning horses himself. In 2008, he tracked a filly named Aunt Dot Dot (Gulch) who was dropping into the claiming ranks. “She was bred by a guy I knew, Courtlandt Farm’s Don Adam, and I was at a wedding a saw an old friend and said, ‘Hey, we should claim this horse.’”
Gramm won a three-way shake for the filly at $5,000 and was immediately offered $10,000 for her. He declined, and bred the stakes winner Aunt Ellipsis (Successful Appeal) out of the mare, who is from the family of Chris Evert and Winning Colors.
Gramm’s involvement snowballed from there. He began claiming more, though initially had limited success.
“I went 1-for-51 with my first starters,” he laughed.
Gramm ramped up by forming a partnership with two friends called Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Investments, and then launched another partnership called High Point Thoroughbred Partners. The latter was a huge success. In 2013, High Point was the ninth-leading owner in the nation by wins, with 82 wins from 196 starters-a 42% strike rate. They were also the leading owner at Parx that year. High Point sent out to Claiming Crown winners, Goodtimehadbyall (Quiet American) and J B’s Unc (Cactus Ridge).
On Jan. 1, 2016, Gramm formed another partnership, Ten Strike Racing, along with Clay Sanders, a Memphis-based bond trader originally from Arkansas.
Ten Strike picked up right were High Point left off. Last year, Ten Strike won 69 races, and again was the leading owner at Parx. Ten Strike’s runners included the SW & MGSP Allied Air Raid (Midshipman), a Brad Cox-trained 5-year-old who ran second in the GIII Salvator Mile S. The 4-year-old Red Dragon Tattoo (Bellamy Road) was another stable standout. The gelding won his first three races for Guerrero by a combined 10 lengths before a last-out fifth in the Native Dancer S. at Laurel Jan. 21.
Recently, Ten Strike also privately purchased the Grade III winner I’m a Looker (Henny Hughes) with China Horse Club and Head of Plains; the filly will be trained by Cox.
Ten Strike has been active at the yearling and 2-year-old sales–Allied Air Raid was a $50,000 OBS June buy–and employs the Lexington-based Liz Crow as its racing manager and bloodstock advisor. (Crow also works with Brad Weisbord’s BSW Bloodstock.)
“Clay and Liz focus on racing prospects and purchases, and I focus on the claiming operation,” said Gramm. “But we all talk about it. We’ve spent more money recently, and we’ve bought a few horses with Sol Kumin. It’s great to have that connection through Liz.”
Asked about what sort of horse Ten Strike typically targets at the sales, Gramm explained, “Like everyone else, we want to buy routing dirt horses. We focus on Oaklawn, and look for horses that can be successful there. Most of our partners are from Arkansas, and we want to win at Oaklawn.”
Gramm also targets Oaklawn as a handicapper during the spring, and focuses on Saratoga in the Summer. “I’ll play every day when they run,” he said.
Sitting among the hundreds of horseplayers in Las Vegas, Gramm echoed a common sentiment that there is too big a disconnect between the breeding and racing industry and handicappers.
“It was hard to watch the Eclipse Awards, because I feel like people lose site that it’s the gambling that drives the sport,” he said. “And that’s where we need to grow the sport. I worry more about things that affect me as a gambler than I do about some short-sited views in the sport. I worry about new source-market fees in Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan, all of which will hurt horseplayers, and all for short-term gains for the tracks. My college students, they’re too smart to play a game with a 25-30% takeout. It’s a bad parallel, but it’s like raising the tax on cigarettes. The people who are old and addicted pay, but no one starts because it’s unaffordable. I think that’s the problem we have right now.”
If Gramm talks like an economist, he shows, too, that the humorless reputation that the “dismal science” is saddled with is undeserved. An example:
“Wesley Hawley has an owner named Smoot, and they claimed a horse off me,” he related. “I tweeted about it and said, ‘Former Ten Strike filly She’s Acting Single is now trained by Hawley and owned by Smoot. Anyone get it? Anyone? Anyone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA).’”
Ten Strike got off to a fast start opening weekend of the Oaklawn Park meeting on January 14th – 16th.
On Sunday, January 15th Ten Strike sent two runners to post in Allowance and Maiden Special Weight events. Homebred Mountain Home (3yo f. by Successful Appeal), named after a small city in Arkansas where two of our partners Gary and Linda Pitts live, she did not disappoint the large crowd there to watch her debut. She set a :22.05 opening quarter under Jon Court followed by a quick :46.06 half mile. She was nailed on the line by Dutch Parrot and finished 2nd beaten a neck. Dutch Parrot had a start under her belt and took advantage of a fast early pace. Mountain Home should be tough to beat next out.
Click here to watch the race replay (She is #7)
Next up was Divine Elegance (4yo f. by Uncle Mo) making her second start off the claim for trainer Randy Matthews. She sat in second position throughout and took over the lead turning for home to pull away by four lengths in the end under Glenn Corbett. The N1X Allowance was a $74,000 race and was Ten Strike’s first win of the 2017 Oaklawn Park meeting.
Click here to watch the race replay (She is #4)
On Monday, January 16th Ten Strike sent out Game Time Decision (4yo f. by Put It Back) owned in partnership with GenStar Thoroughbreds. The filly was claimed for $50,000 on Thanksgiving at Churchill Downs and really flourished under the care of Brad Cox. She sat in fourth position through the opening quarter over a sloppy Oaklawn track. Turning for home she made a strong rally down the lane to win by a neck. This was another N1X Allowance with a $74,000 purse.
Click here to watch the race replay (She is #4)
Congratulations to our partners on a great start to the 2017 Oaklawn meeting!
Red Dragon Tattoo won by 6 3/4 lengths yesterday to make his career record three wins from three starts lifetime for Ten Strike Racing and trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero. He was purchased by Ten Strike at the 2015 OBS October Sale for $37,000.
In his debut on September 27th, 2016 he went off at 17-1 odds, dueled down the backstretch and pulled away to win by 1 3/4 lengths. He earned a 78 Beyer and 7 Thoro-Graph at Parx Racing.
Click here to view a race replay
Next up was an N1X Allowance on October 25, 2016 race going 7 furlongs on the dirt. He broke sharp once again and was challenged down the backstretch losing his lead for a few strides. He rebroke and pulled away with ease in the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths. It was another impressive performance with a 73 Beyer and 5 Thoro-Graph.
Click here to view a race replay
Yesterday he checked off another condition winning his N2X Allowance with ease. Once again he cleared the field, set moderate fractions, and pulled away nicely down the lane. He earned his biggest Beyer yet with a 91.
Click here to view a race replay
All three starts the son of Bellamy Road was ridden by the promising young jockey Jorge Vargas Jr. He will likely point for a Stakes race next at Aqueduct.
Ten Strike Racing