The CHC USA Colts Partnership with WinStar had a strong Saturday Jan. 25 with a pair of new winners and the group’s first potential Kentucky Derby starter.
Rapture got the day started off in style with a dominant victory in an Oaklawn maiden special weight. Stalking the early pace, the $300,000 KEESEP grad made a wide sweeping move entering the lane and cruised clear to take his two-turn debut by 6 ½ lengths. He was named a ‘TDN Rising Star’ for his efforts.
“It was the kind of effort we were hoping for off his first start at Gulfstream, where he lost by just a nose to a horse who was quite literally twice his size and has won again since that race,” said CHC’s Regional Manager of the Americas Christie DeBernardis. “Trainer Brad Cox was so thrilled with the win that he is already talking Derby trail. We will see how he comes out of it before determining his next start.”
Just a few minutes later in New York, Givememythememusic opened his account with a two-length score going seven furlongs against fellow NY-breds at Aqueduct. The son of Game Winner was slow away from the stalls, but soon tugged his way into mid-pack. He began to back out of it at the half-mile marker but reengaged turning for home and kicked clear to win.
Patch Adams had a terrible trip as the favorite in the GIII Southwest S. Breaking poorly, he was left scrambling early and was sitting second last off slow fractions over a deep, tiring track. Taking a lot of kickback, the bay was forced wide and gave it his best effort but had no pace to close into and was a close fourth, earning four points towards a spot in the Kentucky Derby.
“As Brad Cox said, there was nothing good about his trip,” DeBernardis said. “We wanted him to be sitting second, not second last. The track was deep and slow. If you looked at any of the other races at Oaklawn Saturday, the winners came from on or close to the lead, so we were in a less than ideal position to say the least. Flavien Prat also commented that Patch is a free-running horse, who did not like being stuck behind others or the kickback that came with it. He kept trying despite all of that, so we will get him back to Florida and regroup.”
CHC and WinStar have plenty of action this Saturday at Gulfstream with Tappan Street getting his chance at the Derby trail in the GIII Holy Bull S., Gunmetal running in the Swale S. and ‘TDN Rising Star’ River Thames entered in an open allowance. CHC’s other colt partnership with Qatar Racing and Trilogy also has a runner in South Florida Saturday with Emergence making his debut.