6/1 Shot Upsets in Prize Winner Stakes
The Prize Winner Stakes (G3) came to a close after a mile and one eighth on the turf this past Saturday with a 6/1 upset coming home to steal the show and the a huge hunk of the total purse of $150,000. Irish-bred, Dumber Then A Rock (IRE), owned and trained by gum of Gum Stables came in to win by one-fourth of a length to win the Grade III race.
When the twelve horse field loaded into the gates just prior to the race, Redsadky, owned by sherwood was the betting favorite with the muchalucha trained All Flags Gold set as the second betting choice with ultimate winner, Dumber Then A Rock favored in the third position. The loading went off without a hitch and the twelve horses busted out of the gates and onto the track.
Out of the gate first and holding a lead of one-fourth of a length over the horse running in second was the four-year-old son of Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE), Dumber Then A Rock (IRE). The horse running along him was the striking bay owned by bulddog, Any Chance, who stayed just to the outside of Dumber Then A Rock (IRE) and was looking for his chance to take the lead away from the from the Irish-bred colt. Two and one-fourth lengths back in third was the doctahg1 raced Dixie’s Pappilla. The pre-race favorite, sherwood owned Redsadky was being rated slightly off the pace by jockey P. Haynes in the fourth position, just behind the leaders, saving his horse for the stretch. Bringing up the end of the field early on was <>beamnreasn trained Ollie’s Quest, who is known for trailing the pack before making a late closing kick.
Dumber Then A Rock (IRE) lengthened his lead under jockey P. Word to one and one-fourth lengths over Any Chance and Dixie’s Papilla who were his closest contenders, the rest of the field further back with the pre-race favorite still lingering off the pace, but with Ollie’s Quest at the back of the pack set off in a methodical takedown of other horses at the rear of the field. Coming into the turn of the inner turf course, Dumber Then A Rock (IRE) had managed to lengthen his margin on the rest of the field to three lengths. Some action was beginning to take place further back in the field. Favorite Redsadky had been sent forward to challenge early and was now in second, streaming past Dixie’s Papilla and Any Chance. The six-year-old bay horse was now running in second behind Dumber Then A Rock (IRE). Still maintaining his position in third, but now eight lengths back was Dixie’s Papilla. Any Chance had seeming lost any chance of taking home the Prize Winner as he drifted out and faded in the turn. Towards the middle of the track All Flags Gold was sent by M. Imahoff to make his move and was weaving in and around horses in impressive speed, coming from seventh into fifth and still being asked to pour on the steam and pass the other horses. Ollie’s Quest was also moving forward at this time, slowing taking down fading horses.
Coming into the stretch and towards the wire Dumber Then A Rock (IRE) was seeming to start to fade after going through what so far was a wire to wire race for the four-year-old colt, but at the wire, Dumber Then A Rock (IRE) managed to just hold on to the win by one-fourth of a length as the connections of the bay colt held their breaths that their colt would make the wire in front and not have a repeat performance of the Amerika Stakes (G3), where the colt led the entire race only to be caught in the final strides to the wire. Relieved, the colt managed to hold on to the win and set an impressive, and lifetime best speed figure of one hundred sixteen. Spectacularly, the bay colt also managed to shatter the former stakes record set by both Seeking Sal and Congo. The new stakes record set by Dumber Then A Rock (IRE) for the Prize Winner Stakes (G3) is 1:46 3/5. Coming home hard but only managing to get up into second was the pre-race favorite Redsadky with All Flags Gold making a valiant move, splitting horses, to end up third, eight lengths off the pace, but also recording a lifetime best speed figure.
Also rans for the Prize Winner Stakes include: Dixie’s Papilla, Bowel Movement (ENG), Dancing Master (IRE), Ollie’s Quest, Yeah, Ron Duguay, Any Chance, Absence Of Malice (IRE), and Ermington Occy (NZ).