(from NSA release)
Kinross Farm's Sur La Tete, the leading steeplechase earner
of 2004, won his first open grade I stakes with a stirring
stretch run in the $150,000 Iroquois (NSA-I) Saturday
at Percy Warner Park.
Trained in Virginia by Neil Morris, Sur La Tete made
the lead exiting the final turn but was quickly joined
by a surging McDynamo who had gradually worked his way
into the race after being last of eight in the early
stages. The 2003 Eclipse Award winner reached even terms
with Sur La Tete, but came up short in the final yards.
Sur La Tete found more in the last furlong, drawing
off to score by 2 1/2 lengths for jockey Chris Read.
McDynamo (Craig Thornton) was second with Bow Strada
(Matt McCarron) third. The winner covered the 3 miles
and 18 fences in 5:47 3/5.
"The horse proved himself today," said Morris. "He's
been almost, but in the top three, in these grade I
races. I think he's even closer to the top today. It's
everything, a dream, these are your fantasies as a trainer."
Second and third, respectively, behind Hirapour in
the Royal Chase (NSA-I) at Keeneland three weeks earlier,
the two horses confirmed their quality but Sur La Tete
proved just a bit better. The 7-year-old son of Sky Classic, bred in Kentucky by Rutledge Farm,
won for the second time this year and lifted his NSA-leading
total to $148,665 for the year with the $90,000 winner's
share.
The win was easily the most important of Read's career.
Also Morris' assistant trainer, the jockey lost his
apprentice allowance two weeks earlier, and rode like
a veteran at Nashville.
"McDynamo came right at us at that turn, and I could
feel him," said Read. "I knew I just had to get a clear
shot at those last two fences in the stretch. He hit
the ground running at both of them. We just missed at
Keeneland. To come back and do it here is great."
Sur La Tete, McDynamo and Hirapour will likely continue
their rivalry this fall, if not sooner. The next grade
I comes at Saratoga with the $150,000 New York Turf
Writers Cup in late August. October's $175,000 Breeders'
Cup Steeplechase will no doubt be on their agenda as
well.
Other stakes winners (with trainer, jockey) Saturday
were Whitewood Farm's Understood (Richard Valentine,
Calvin McCormack) in the $50,000 Marcellus Frost Stakes
(NSA-III), Irv Naylor's Albert's Crossing (Sanna Hendriks,
Jody Petty) in the $50,000 Mason Houghland timber stakes,
and Lee McKinney's Feeling So Pretty (McKinney, Michael
Traurig) in the $30,000 Margaret Henley filly/mare stakes.
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2005 The Blood-Horse, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
