By miles the class of Saturday's GIII Matt Winn S., Janis Whitham's 'TDN Rising Star' McCraken snapped a mini two-race losing streak with a victory that was more workmanlike than it was brilliant, but one that should serve as a tightener for bigger targets over the coming weeks and months.
Off to a studder-step start from the two hole, McCraken was settled nicely from second-last in the field of six as Aquamarine showed the way in his first two-turn voyage, setting a strong pace in advance of a tugging Mo's Mojo (Uncle Mo). Aquamarine took them into the final 4 1/2 furlongs after a half-mile in :47.48 and although McCraken still had two-thirds of the field ahead of him, he had made stealthy progress to within about four lengths of the lead while in the clear as they circled the far turn. Aquamarine was in deep water fully three furlongs from home as he was besieged by a trio of runners to his outside, the most ominous of those moves coming from the favorite, who looped them four wide to more or less share the lead at the top of the lane. Roused to the front at the three-sixteenths pole, McCraken lugged in noticeably beneath Brian Hernandez, Jr., but he felt a left-handed crack of the crop at the eighth pole and went about his business from there to score comfortably.
“Today, he was kind of back to his old self where he got into a nice rhythm around there,” the winning jockey commented. “He wasn't wanting to overdo it the first part and then he just kind of built his confidence up as he went. He went on by those horses pretty easily and thought he lane he kind of did it the right way. You always hear it, but it was actually the perfect race that you're looking for for a horse coming back.”
Added winning trainer Ian Wilkes: “I didn't give Brian any instructions. I just told him when I legged him up, 'you know him. You ride him. Ride with some confidence.' I loved everything about it. He come into the paddock really good today. Behind the gates, he was walking around like he had some confidence about him. And so that was good. And then when he left the gate, he just dropped the bit and listened to Brian. I was very pleased.”
Winner of each of his three juvenile appearances, including this track's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. in November, McCraken resumed with a smart 1 ½-length defeat of future GI Belmont S. hero Tapwrit (Tapit) in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Feb. 11. Forced to miss the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby the following month owing to a minor ankle strain, McCraken had his final prep for the GI Kentucky Derby in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Apr. 8, but after making his customary eye-catching move, the 8-5 chalk flattened late to finish third. Caught up in the chain reaction at the start of the Run for the Roses, McCraken looked to be launching a winning bid while wide at the top of the stretch, but he tailed off in the sloppy going to finish eighth, beaten over 13 lengths.
Pedigree Notes:
Grade III-placed sprinting on the dirt and stakes-placed going short on the grass, Ivory Empress is a daughter of Whitham's GSW & GISP Madame Pandit, herself the dam of Mea Domina (Dance Brightly), a Grade I winner at nine furlongs on the turf. Madame Pandit is in turn a half-sister to the stakes-winning Sunlit Silence (Trempolino), whose son Greek Sun (Danzig) was a two-time graded winner and Grade I-placed on the lawn. McCraken, whose half-brother Bondurant (War Front) was fourth in the GII Wise Dan S. in the evening's next race, is kin to the 2-year-old Kearny County (Stroll), a yearling filly by Declaration of War and a filly by Majesticperfection foaled Apr. 14.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
MATT WINN S.-GIII, $100,000, CD, 6-17, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.84, ft.
1–MCCRAKEN, 123, c, 3, by Ghostzapper&log=">Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Ivory Empress (GSP, $189,402), by Seeking the Gold
2nd Dam: Madame Pandit, by Wild Again
3rd Dam: Tuesday Evening, by Nodouble
'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr.. $61,380. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-1, $472,228. *1/2 to Bondurant (War Front), MGSP, $176,026. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+.[bullet ad=”lambholm-south-training-grad”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Colonelsdarktemper, 118, c, 3, Colonel John–Sweet Temper, by Stormy Atlantic. ($35,000 Ylg '15 FTKOCT). O-Anthony J. Foyt, Jr.; B-Hargus Sexton, Sandra Sexton & Silver Fern Farm, LLC (KY); T-William H. Fires. $19,800.
3–Society Beau, 118, c, 3, Curlin–Seattle Society, by A.P. Indy. O/B-B.C.W.T. Ltd. (KY); T-Neil J. Howard. $9,900.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3/4, HF. Odds: 0.20, 10.30, 14.50.
Also Ran: Mo's Mojo, Excitations, Aquamarine.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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