Red Route One rallies to win Cornhusker Handicap

Well-traveled Red Route One, racing at his 12th different track, closed from eighth place to win Saturday night in the 27th annual Grade 3, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

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Owned by Ron Winchell and trained by Steve Asmussen, the 4-year-old Gun Runner colt carrying the top weight of 120 pounds had his reins shaken by jockey Cristian Torres as the field began the second turn of the 1 1/8-mile race. Circling his rivals, Red Route One (7-2) was fourth at the top of the stretch. He kept making up ground until he took the lead just four jumps from the finish line and won by a half-length.

The pacesetter Unload (66-1), an allowance-winning, 4-year-old gelding, held on to finish second to give Asmussen the exacta. Ain’t Life Grand (9-2), a 5-year-old entire who was third in this race last year, crossed the line fourth but was promoted to third, because he was forced to check when Velocitor (3-1) lugged out and interfered with him in the deep stretch. Velocitor, a 4-year-old gelding who won last year’s Prince of Wales at Fort Erie, was demoted to fourth. Post-time favorite Hit Show (9-5), who finished fifth in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, never got out of mid-pack Saturday and finished seventh.

The winning time was 1:49.62 over the fast main track on a 75-degree night in Altoona, Iowa. The early fractions were 24.00, 48.70, 1:12.77 and 1:37.23.

Red Route One paid $9.00, $5.20 and $4.40; Unload $43.20 and $15.20; and Ain’t Life Grand $4.80.

A Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred, Red Route One came back from a fourth-place finish last out in the Pimlico Special (G3) on May 17. Saturday’s victory that lifted his record to 21: 5-4-3 was his first since he won the New Orleans Classic (G2) on March 23 at Fair Grounds. The $178,800 winner’s share upped Red Route One’s career earnings to $1,807,475.