By Steve Sherack
After upsetting last weekend's GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs with First Resort (Uncle Mo), Godolphin and trainer Eoin Harty doubled up in dramatic fashion with fellow 2-year-old homebred Poster (Munnings) in Saturday's GII Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.
The victory, good for 10 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby, also provided jockey Flavien Prat with his record-setting 80th stakes win of the season and his 55th graded stakes win of the year, tying Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey.
Making his dirt and stakes debut after beginning his career with a pair of grass wins going one mile at Ellis Park Aug. 19 and Keeneland Oct. 12, the unbeaten Poster, off at odds of 9-2, was last of six as the Bill Mott-trained debut winner Tux (Tapit) was pressed by big-figure, second-out maiden winner and 4-5 favorite Keewaydin (Instagrand) through an opening quarter in :23.95.
Up a spot into fifth through a half mile in :48.59, Poster launched while four wide approaching the quarter pole and struck the front as they straightened for home.
Poster enjoyed a two-length advantage at the stretch call and looked long gone, but began to idle late. Keewaydin's Chad Brown-trained stablemate Aviator Gui (Uncle Mo), back on dirt after a fourth-place finish in the grassy Awad Stakes Oct. 19, was caught in traffic on the far turn and raced a bit green down the lane, but leveled off beautifully to mount a serious late rally.
Those two hit the wire together with Poster hanging on to win it by a nose in a bobber. It was another three lengths back to the well-named Tux in third.
“He's got a dirt pedigree, and it wasn't actually his first, well it was his first run on dirt, but he trained on dirt prior to coming to me,” Harty said. “Considering his pedigree, I know the family's ins and outs, and I didn't think he'd have a problem with it and I'm glad to be proven right.”
Harty continued, “(Prat) said he made a premature move, he saw the second horse in some trouble and decided to exploit the moment. He said he felt he moved a bit too soon, but if he didn't make the move then, it might be a little too late. That is why you employ guys like Prat.”
Poster was ridden by Prat for the first time after being steered by Rafael Bejarano in his previous two career starts in Kentucky.
“When I turned for home, I figured it was going to be a long way by myself,” Prat said. “He got to the eighth pole and started looking around and felt like the job was done. He regrouped nicely when that horse came.”
As for his milestone victory, Prat added, “I'm very thankful. There's a lot of people behind me who supported me all year long, and Godolphin is a big part of it. They've been very supportive of me, and my agent has done a great job as well. Just very thankful.”
It was another tough Remsen defeat for Brown, who saddled both Zandon and Sierra Leone to near misses in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
“(Aviator Gui) ran really well,” Brown said. “I continue to be a little unlucky in this race myself now. I won it years back (in 2014 with Leave the Light On)–lately it's just been a lot of close seconds.”
Brown added, “(Keewaydin) just didn't fire today. I don't have any immediate excuse for him.”
Pedigree Notes:
Poster becomes the 29th graded/group winner and 80th stakes winner worldwide for Munnings, who was also responsible for Saturday's GII Demoiselle Stakes heroine and 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma in the card's following race.
Poster and Muhimma were both produced by Tapit mares. The Munnings x Tapit cross has also yielded graded winners Bonny South and Finite.
Pin Up, a maiden of four career starts, produced a colt by Nyquist this year and was bred back to Maclean's Music. Pin Up brought $130,000 from Imagine earlier this year at the Keeneland January sale.
Poster's second dam Cara Rafaela won the 1995 GI Hollywood Starlet Stakes and was also runner-up in that term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The 2006 Broodmare of the Year went on to produce the brilliant Bernardini (A.P. Indy).
POSTER ($11.60) stays undefeated in an exciting rendition of the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. The Eoin Harty trained son of Munnings (@CoolmoreAmerica) gives Flavien Prat his record 80th stakes win in 2024. @godolphin owns the colt who earns 10 @KentuckyDerby points. pic.twitter.com/RVgXlwlmLj
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) December 7, 2024
Saturday, Aqueduct
REMSEN S.-GII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 12-7, 2yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.37, ft.
1–POSTER, 120, c, 2, by Munnings
1st Dam: Pin Up, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Oil Fable, by Spectacular Bid
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty; J-Flavien Prat. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $241,628. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Aviator Gui, 118, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Paulistinha, by Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Goncalo B. Torrealba) (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $50,000.
3–Tux, 118, c, 2, Tapit–Fancy Dress Party, by Munnings. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-LNJ Foxwoods (KY); T-William I. Mott. $30,000.
Margins: NO, 3, 3 1/4. Odds: 4.80, 9.70, 4.30.
Also Ran: Studlydoright, Keewaydin, Gun Trader. Scratched: Surfside Moon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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