Tri-Bone Stables' Effinex (Mineshaft), coming off a runner-up effort in the Oct. 31 GI Breeders' Cup Classic, outbattled Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) to earn a 3/4-length victory in the GI Clark H. at Churchill Downs Friday. The 4-year-old, who has produced a break-out year on the racetrack, was earning the first Grade I race of his career.
“He ran so well last time and it looked like he never missed a beat with his training and everything else afterwards so that's why we decided to come,” commented winning trainer Jimmy Jerkens. “He's just a good quality horse.”
Sent off the lukewarm 5-2 favorite Friday, Effinex settled in mid-pack as longshot Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) was pressured by Shotgun Kowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) through fractions of :23.43 and :47.68. Race Day (Tapit) raced eagerly just off the early leaders as defending Clark winner Hoppertunity was unhurried near the back of the pack. Race Day surged up three wide to challenge the pacesetters leaving the backstretch and Effinex shadowed that gray rival who took charge after three-quarters in 1:11.64. Four wide into the stretch, Effinex got the better of Race Day and outsider Looks to Spare (Pollard's Vision) in deep stretch, but Hoppertunity was making rapid progress in the center of the track. Effinex grimly held off that foe for a much-deserved first Grade I triumph. Looks to Spare spiced up the trifecta at 88-1, edging out GI Travers S. winner Keen Ice (Curlin), who left himself with too much to do.
“I always love coming in and getting to ride these good horses and when you point these good horses in the right direction and stay out of their way, you get results like this,” said winning rider Mike Smith, who captured Thursday's GII Hollywood Turf Cup aboard The Pizza Man (English Channel).
Smith, who rode Effinex for the first time in the Breeders' Cup, admitted the New York-bred could be a little quirky.
“He's bolted before, he'll switch leads in the middle of the turn with you to the right, which is very odd for a horse to do that,” Smith explained. “He'll kind of throw himself off and I just took a long hold and keep my hands down and just let him get comfortable with himself. Every move he does, I just go with and it seems to work out well. Instead of grabbing him and trying to make him stay in his left down the turn and stay in his right down the lane, I just go with him and it works. So far, so good.”
Martin Garcia, aboard Hoppertunity, admitted he was beaten by a better horse on the day.
“My horse ran a big race but I just couldn't pass the other one,” Garcia said of the winner. “The other one is a really, really nice horse. When I got next to him, he just took off. I couldn't pass him. But my horse ran a nice race. I got beat by a good horse.”
Friday, Churchill Downs
CLARK H.-GI, $500,000, CD, 11-27, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:48.92, ft.
1–&EFFINEX, 122, c, 4, by Mineshaft">Mineshaft
1st Dam: What a Pear (MSW, $161,860), by E Dubai
2nd Dam: Perfect Pear, by Pine Bluff
3rd Dam: Perfect Isn't Easy, by Saratoga Six
O-Tri-Bone Stables; B-Russell S. Cohen (NY); T-James Jerkens;
J-Mike E. Smith. $300,700. Lifetime Record: 20-7-2-3,
$2,112,950. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A.[bullet ad=”best-a-luck-farm-shell”][bullet ad=”nytb-ny-bred-why-breed-anywhere-else”] 2–Hoppertunity, 121, c, 4, Any Given Saturday–Refugee, by
Unaccounted For. ($300,000 Ylg '12 KEESEP). O-Karl Watson,
Michael Pegram & Paul Weitman; B-Betz/D.J. Stable/Kidder/J.
Betz/Robenalt (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $97,000.[bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”] 3–Looks to Spare, 113, g, 5, Pollard's Vision–Cushion, by Play
Fellow. O-O'zbekiston Racing; B-Mr. & Mrs. Harvey L. Vanier &
B. Culver (IL); T-Otabek Umarov. $48,500.
Margins: 3/4, NK, HD. Odds: 2.50, 2.60, 88.50.
Also Ran: Keen Ice, Race Day, Protonico, Shotgun Kowboy, Mr. Z. Scratched: Frivolous. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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