Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Kentucky Derby Prep Race Results: I Want Revenge Wins Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct
Posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009
I Want Revenge‘s 8 1/2-length victory in Aqueduct Racetrack‘s 57th running of the $250,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) showed horse racing fans that he can be part of the Kentucky Derby contenders list.
Making his first start on natural dirt after a 1-1-4 record from six starts on synthetic surfaces, I Want Revenge stamped himself as a player to be reckoned with for New York’s last major 2009 Kentucky Derby prep race, the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G1) at 9 furlongs on Saturday, April 4.
The Stephen Got Even colt I Want Revenge battled favorite Mr. Fantasy through fractions of 23.76, 48.48, 1:12.69 and drew away to cover 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.65.
“I have to give all the credit to Jeff (Mullins, trainer of race horse I Want Revenge),” said winning jockey Joe Talamo. “He’s kept him fresh this whole campaign. I had so much horse the whole way around. Me and Alan (Garcia, jockey on Mr. Fantasy) were going pretty slow, but at the quarter-pole, my horse just took off. There is no comparison between real dirt and synthetic — he really took to it. When we went past the three-sixteenths pole, I was smiling. We’ll be back in four weeks.”
Race horse trainer Jeff Mullins, who will keep the horse in New York with trainer Anthony Dutrow to prepare for the Wood Memorial, wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Nor did 5,154 horse racing fans, who let I Want Revenge go at 3-1.
“The horse was closer than I really wanted him to be,” race horse trainer Jeff Mullins said. “The horse kind of towed (jockey Joe Talamo) up there and (Talamo) stepped on him the whole way. I guess he knew what he was doing.
“We thought the dirt would move him up; I don’t know if that’s what did it or not. We might have just picked the right spot.”
Imperial Council rallied late under jockey Rajiv Maragh to neck Mr. Fantasy for the place.
“This is a really talented horse that is going to appreciate more distance,” jockey Rajiv Maragh said. “He’s the best three-year-old I’ve ridden in New York. He galloped out tremendous.”
Mr. Fantasy’s race horse trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was impressed by the winner.
“They’ve got good races out on the West Coast. Why didn’t (I Want Revenge) stay out there?” he joked. “The best horse won today. We were second-best, even though we didn’t get second. If that horse doesn’t ship East, we win by five.”
Said jockey Alan Garcia of Mr. Fantasy: “He ran good — he got tired, but he ran so hard. He was a little warm in the paddock — just so happy to run — but he warmed up and settled down. I’m very happy with the way he ran. He’s a nice horse and we can do better than that next time.”
Masala was fourth in Aqueduct‘s Gotham stakes followed by Russell Road, Axel Foley, Naos, Haynesfield and Giant Ryan trailed.
Horse racing news edited from nyra.com.
Tags: Axel Foley, Giant Ryan, Haynesfield, I Want Revenge, Imperial Council, Masala, Mr. Fantasy, Naos, Russell Road
"Kentucky Derby Prep Race Results: I Want Revenge Wins Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct" was posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 at 7:46 pm and is filed under Aqueduct, Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Results & Payouts, Stakes Races, Triple Crown, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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