Empire Reigns Over Smackdown Turf Route

Team GR Simsters only place one horse in the top five of the mile and one half turf route, but is was the most important spot.  SEEKING AN EMPIRE trained by fairhaven came from second to last place at eleven lengths back to rocket by the leaders during the stretch and easily win by five lengths.

The break from the gate was pretty much as expected as race favorite DARKDOUN and STRONG BELWAS broke for the front of the pack and remained neck and neck until the six furlong mark.  It was then that the odds on favorite DARKDOUN appeared to call it a day and faded badly.  He was passed to mid race chargers FOZ DE LUMBIER and HIGH SPEED QUEST at around the mile mark.  FOZ and HIGH SPEED continued to charge to the front with the FOZ grabbing the lead just before the stretch.  At the top of the stretch, the mad dash as predicted in this preview column happened.  SEEKING AN EMPIRE came charging up the middle, SILENCERS was racing up the outside, and ROADHOUSE BLUES was making his move by the rail.  STRONG BELWAS, at or near the front from the beginning just could not hold off all the challengers and faded in the stretch to a sixth place finish, falling behind the fifth place ROADHOUSE BLUES.  SILENCERS was able to just nip the fading FOZ DE LUMBIER at the wire for the place.  But it was the hard charging horse in the middle that made them all look like they were standing still.  SEEKING AN EMPIRE displayed some awesome closing speed at the end that made the ending a no doubt about it finish.