Saturday's GIII Sham S. was billed as and bet like a procession for highly touted 'TDN Rising Star' Coliseum (Tapit), but when that one came up empty, another grey colt stole the show as Gunmetal Gray (Exchange Rate) rallied from last to first to score impressively. Installed the 7-2 second choice having last been seen finishing fifth behind Coliseum's stablemate Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 2, the $225,000 OBS March acquisition only out-broke the favorite but was allowed to lope along at the back by Mike Smith behind splits of :23.46, :46.95. Still left with lots to do once Much Better (Pioneerof the Nile) took over heading for home, Gunmetal Grey swung out into the center of the track in upper stretch and catapulted past foes under left-handed encouragement to score by a widening length. Sueno (Atreides) tagged Much Better for second, while the latter's stablemate Coliseum never looked comfortable after rushing up out wide and checked in a disappointing sixth of seven.
Saturday, Santa Anita
SHAM S.-GIII, $100,702, Santa Anita, 1-5, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.96, ft.
1–GUNMETAL GRAY, 120, c, 3, by Exchange Rate
1st Dam: Classofsixtythree (GISP, $195,774), by Include
2nd Dam: Rambling Rose, by Blush Rambler
3rd Dam: Whip Cream, by Vigors
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($85,000
RNA Ylg '17 KEESEP; $225,000 2yo '18 OBSMAR).
O-Hollendorfer, LLC, Pearl Racing & West Point
Thoroughbreds; B-Lee Pokoik (KY); T-Jerry Hollendorfer;
J-Mike E. Smith. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $217,200.
Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sueno, 120, c, 3, Atreides–Class Above, by Quiet American.
($1,500 Wlg '16 KEENOV; $61,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Silverton
Hill LLC; B-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc (KY); T-J. Keith
Desormeaux. $20,000.
3–Much Better, 120, r, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–Dust and
Diamonds, by Vindication. ($600,000 Wlg '16 KEENOV).
O/B-Three Chimneys Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $12,000.
Margins: 1, 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.70, 18.50, 7.80.
Also Ran: Gray Magician, Easy Shot, Coliseum, Savagery.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
“I didn't expect to be that far back,” said Hall of Famer and Eclipse Award finalist Smith, who hadn't before ridden Gunmetal Gray. “I got taken off my game plan a little bit. Coliseum kind of slipped and broke to the right. He really hit me in behind and set me farther back than I wanted to be… I learned that distance shouldn't be a problem, which is very important. The best part of his race was certainly the last part of it.”
A debut fifth behind yet another highly regarded Bob Baffert pupil in 'TDN Rising Star' Roadster (Quality Road), Gunmetal Gray improved markedly with the stretch out to a mile and romped by 6 3/4 lengths to graduate at Del Mar Aug. 22. He was second to the aforementioned Game Winner in the GI American Pharoah over an additional sixteenth of a mile here Sept. 22, but found himself very far back early at the Breeders' Cup and did well to run on for the last of the major purse pieces.
“Mike knew we wouldn't be near the lead and we were hoping to get some pace to run at,” said winning trainer and fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, whose prior win in the Sham came in 2002. “Mike sat back, bided his time and he ran them down. We came back here after the Breeders' Cup and he's really trained well the past two months.”
Gunmetal Gray becomes the third horse to exit the Juvenile with a stakes win: third finisher Signalman (General Quarters) came back to annex the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., while seventh finisher Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), already a Grade I winner, nabbed the Jerome S. on New Year's Day.
Earning 10 points Saturday, Gunmetal Gray sits fourth with 14 points on the GI Kentucky Derby leaderboard. He was a 76-1 shot in the Pool 1 of the Derby Future Wager, which closed
Nov. 25.
Pedigree Notes:
Gunmetal Gray is the 90th stakes winner and 40th graded winner for his late sire (by Danzig). He was the most expensive colt, and second priciest juvenile overall, to sell by Exchange Rate last season after he breezed a furlong in :10 1/5. Gunmetal Gray is the fourth winner and first graded winner out of Classofsixtythree, who was third in the 2010 GI Ruffian Invitational H. for owner/breeder Lee Pokoik and trainer Gary Contessa. Pokoik purchased second dam Rambling Rose for $82,000 as a FTKJUL yearling in 1998. Classofsixtythree's recently turned 2-year-old daughter Land of Liberty (Uncle Mo) sold for $250,000 at this past Keeneland September sale to Fox Hill Farm. She produced an American Pharoah filly May 2 and was bred back to Gun Runner.
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