The week's fastest horses: Castle, Lucullan post top figures

By Mary Schweitzer
Photo: Benoit Photo

Trainer Mark Glatt made what has proven to be an astute decision when he claimed a gelding named Castle out of a five-furlong turf sprint at Del Mar on Aug. 25. Castle was lightly raced for a 6-year-old, having made just 12 starts at the time, a good portion of which had been in claiming company.
Glatt’s decision to run Castle in the $100,000 California Flag Stakes may have been surprising to some, but it ended up being very fortuitous after Castle went wire-to-wire to notch his first stakes win. 
The victory garnered Castle a Brisnet Speed Rating of 104, which was the co-fastest of the week. Also earning a 104 last week was Lucullan, who captured the Knickerbocker Stakes (G2) on Oct. 14. The Knickerbocker, like the California Flag, is a turf race. Unlike its West Coast counterpart, however, the Knickerbocker is a route contested over nine furlongs, whereas the California Flag is a 5 1/2-furlong sprint.

There were four other performances last week that registered triple-digit speed ratings.

Mr. Buff’s victory in the Empire Classic rated a 103. Marzo’s sharp score in the G3 Sycamore earned a 102. Pauseforthecause earned a 101 for his win in the Iroquois Stakes, and Welder scored a 100 when taking the Oklahoma Classics Sprint.

Here’s a look at the week's fastest performances ranked by Brisnet Speed Rating:
Horse Track Race  Rating
 1. Castle Santa Anita California Flag Stakes 104
T1. Lucullan Belmont Park Knickerbocker Stakes 104
 3. Mr. Buff Belmont Park Empire Classic 103
 4. Marzo Keeneland Sycamore 102
 5. Pauseforthecause Belmont Park Iroquois Stakes 101
 6. Welder Remington Park Okla. Classics Sprint 100
 7. Build to Suit Fresno Hudson Handicap   99
T7. Taco Supream Laurel Park MD Million Sprint   99
 9. Bell's the One Keeneland Raven Run Stakes   98
 10. Ratajkowski Belmont Park Empire Distaff   97
 11. Gucci Factor Belmont Park Mohawk Stakes   96
T11. Shotgun Kowboy Remington Park OK Classics Cup   96
 13. Blue Sky Cowboy Hawthorne Buck's Boy Handicap   94
T13. Forest Fire Laurel Park MD Million Classic   94
T13. Jean Elizabeth Woodbine Ontario Fashion Stakes   94
T13. Lady Prancealot Keeneland Valley View   94

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