Senior Investment lingered at the back of the pack for the opening six furlongs of Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland, but weaved his way between rivals nearing the stretch and steamed home down the center of the track to arrive in the nick of time.
The 11-1 gamble dropped back to race one from the tail early on as longshot Resiliency (Malibu Moon) set the pace, initially in advance of 'TDN Rising Star' Time To Travel (Hard Spun) and ultimately fellow 'Rising Star' Souper Tapit (Tapit). Allowed to ride the rail down the back and into the far turn, Senior Investment was steered around the weakening Resiliency midway on the turn, but there was still plenty of work to be done, as Time To Travel looked to have something left, while favored West Coast was warming up to the task despite sitting three and four wide the trip. The latter was able to sustain his momentum into the final eighth of a mile and looked to have the race sewn up, but Senior Investment stuck to his guns and quickened nicely in the final 100 yards to shove his head across the line first. No Dozing, difficult to handle through the middle furlongs, surrendered first run to Senior Investment entering the lane, but kept to his task to be involved in the photo. Time To Travel, backing up and stretching out on just two weeks' rest, finished an admirable fourth.
“He timed it right,” commented winning rider Channing Hill. “Once I got him tipped out where he could really stretch his legs out, he came home nice. At the eighth pole, I wasn't 100 percent sure I was going to get there, but he was really running on. This is a really nice colt–really special. When I won on him at Oaklawn, he showed a lot, showed a turn of foot, too. Today, he was the best one.”
Trainer Ken McPeek lamented the fact that the Lexington offered additional points on the road to the Kentucky Derby, but added that the GI Preakness S. could come under consideration.
Disqualified to seventh from an apparent first-level allowance win at the Fair Grounds Jan. 27, Senior Investment cleared off to annex an Oaklawn allowance by three lengths Feb. 18. Tested for class in the GII Louisiana Derby last time Apr. 1, he stayed on at one pace to finish sixth, 5 3/4 lengths adrift of the victorious Girvin (Tale of Ekati).
Pedigree Notes:
Senior Investment is the first black-type winner for his dam, a four-time stakes winner and third in the GIII Gardenia H. Plaid is a daughter of MSW Sapphire Beads and is a half-sister to Ashmore (Saint Ballado), a longshot third in the 2003 GIII Pennsylvania Derby. Senior Investment's full-sister was purchased by Fred Schwartz for $20,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale and Plaid, who did not produce a foal in 2016, dropped a filly by English Channel this year. Fern Circle Stables is the nom du course of Boston-area businessman Paul Fireman, who, among his other accomplishments, led Reebok as its longtime CEO (1979-2006) to become one of the most popular shoe companies in this country in the 1980s. He is currently the chairman of the Waltham, MA-based Fireman Capital Partners. Through Kenny McPeek, Fern Circle signed for a pair of horses at last year's Fasig-Tipton July Sale, a $220,000 son of More Than Ready–Cocktail Cruise (Hennessy) and a $350,000 son of Speightstown–Por Que' Te Quiero (A.P. Indy).
Saturday, Keeneland
STONESTREET LEXINGTON S.-GIII, $200,000, KEE, 4-15, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.05, ft.
1–#@SENIOR INVESTMENT, 118, c, 3, by Discreetly Mine
1st Dam: Plaid (MSW & GSP, $568,217), by Deputy Commander
2nd Dam: Sapphire Beads, by Unreal Zeal
3rd Dam: Petite Jolie, by Jig Time
($95,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Fern Circle Stables; B-Dixiana
Farms LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Channing Hill.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: 8-3-0-1, $207,080. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”lanes-end-sales-grad”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–West Coast, 118, c, 3, Flatter–Caressing, by Honour and
Glory. ($425,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Gary & Mary West; B-CFP
Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $40,000.[bullet ad=”hermitage-foaledraised-sold”]3–No Dozing, 118, c, 3, Union Rags–Stay Awake, by Pulpit.
O-Lael Stables; B-M. Roy Jackson (KY); T-Arnaud Delacour.
$20,000.[bullet ad=”lynwood-stable-graduate”]Margins: HD, NK, 3 1/4. Odds: 11.10, 2.00, 1.80.
Also Ran: Time to Travel, Lookin At Blessing, Convict Pike, Souper Tapit, He's Munnie, Capt. Grider, Resiliency.
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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