Lord Nelson outfinishes Texas Red in San Vicente thriller
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Photo:
Santa Anita/Benoit Photo
There were a few major questions surrounding Lord Nelson entering the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa
Anita Park. Would he live up to all the hype surrounding him? Was he a graded
stakes caliber colt? Sprinter? Stayer? Those questions were mostly all answered
when the Bob Baffert trainee out-finished Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion Texas
Red to take the 7 furlong event for 3-year olds.
With Elvis Trujillo in the irons, Serbian Syclone won the
break and went on to set the pace. Closely shadowed by Jazzy Josh and Sir
Samson, the son of Wildcat Heir proceeded to run through splits of :23.08 and
:45.98 for the opening quarter and half. Lord Nelson tucked into fourth along
the rail, with Bench Warrant and Texas Red bringing up the rear.
Approaching the quarter pole, Jazzy Josh and Sir Samson
ratcheted up the pressure and the trio spun for home together. Behind them, Lord
Nelson and late running Texas Red and Bench Warrant were hitting their best
stride. With Rafael Bejarano at the helm, Lord Nelson switched to the outside
while Texas Red and Kent Desormeaux weaved through traffic on the inside.
Second place finishing jockey Kent Desormeaux spoke of his
trip after the race. “It was a tough beat because he flew home,” he lamented. “I
had to carry another horse around the turn, there was a little bumping and
shoving. That horse was trying to keep getting in my line and I was just trying
to move forward in my line so I’d say that was the difference today.”
While Jazzy Josh and Serbian Syclone faded, Sir Samson continued on, striking the
lead in the stretch. On the rail, it was Texas Red who initially got the best
of the stubborn Brian Koriner runner, but Lord Nelson was rocketing down the
center of the track. As the wire flashed overhead, Lord Nelson had gotten the
better of Texas Red by a neck in a final time of 1:22.15. Sir Samson held on
for third, and Bench Warrant got up for fourth. Jazzy Josh and Serbian Syclone
completed the order of finish.
Winning jockey Rafael Bejarano said that he and Lord Nelson
got the perfect trip. “He broke a little slow but then he took off and I was
able to find position right away,” he stated. “I knew (Serbian Syclone, Jazzy
Josh and Sir Samson) were going to have speed so I let them go and tried to
save ground around the turn. I let him go once we were clear and I knew at the
five-eighths pole. Texas Red was the horse to beat and I was waiting for him.
When he came to us I let him (Lord Nelson) go and my horse took off again.”
Off at 9-5 odds, Lord Nelson paid $5.80/$2.60/$2.20. Texas Red,
the 3-5 favorite, returned $2.20/$2.10, and a show bet on Sir Samson was worth
$3.40. The $1 exacta paid $4.90, the $1 trifecta returned $38.00 and the $1
superfecta was worth $118.00.
Outside of not winning, trainer Keith Desormeaux said that
Texas Red got exactly what he needed out of the race. “It’s a little
disappointing, you know,” he expressed. “’cause it’s so close to winning, but
the long-term goal is well within reach.” As for the plan for the spring, the
colt is right on track. “Right now, the plans are still as I’ve been saying,”
Desormeaux stated. “He’s probably going to go to the Risen Star (at the Fair
Grounds, February 21) and then we’ll come back for the Santa Anita Derby on
April 4.”
As for winner Lord Nelson, plans for him are not as clear
cut. “We’ll play it by ear (as to his next race),” Baffert hedged. “We’re just
trying to stay healthy…but I like what he did today. Coming up to the race he
was really training well, but sometimes they’ll do that and won’t run. But he
ran like he’d been working.”
By Pulpit and out of the Seeking the Gold mare African Jade,
Lord Nelson was a $340,000 yearling purchase for Peachtree Stable. Today’s win
improved the colt’s record to 5: 3-0-0 for earnings of $249,571. This was Lord Nelson’s
first graded stakes win in 3 attempts, and it appears that the colt appreciated
the sprint distance of this placement compared to the route distances of his
previous two tries in graded stakes company.
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