Spendthrift Farm's Lord Nelson (Pulpit) doubled up on Grade I tallies with a scorching victory in the GI Bing Crosby S. Sunday at Del Mar. The 4-year-old completed the Crosby's six furlongs in 1:07.65, just .05 seconds off the track's 43-year-old record for the distance. Off as the even-money choice, Lord Nelson sat third, two to three lengths off a blazing :21.16 quarter-mile set by joint leaders Justin Squared (Zensational) and Subtle Indian (Indian Charlie). Moving to tackle the leaders under Flavien Prat on the latter half of the turn, Lord Nelson opened clear in the straightaway and bounded home by four lengths, nearly matching the track record of King of Cricket (Coursing), set back in 1973. Lord Nelson's time did establish a stakes record for the Crosby, eclipsing the 54-year-old record of 1:07.80 set by Crazy Kid, which at the time was a world's record. “He's become a serious sprinter,” said winning trainer Bob Baffert. “He's getting better and better. He was pretty close to those fast splits and he still had a kick left. So that was really impressive.”
“This horse was special today,” jockey Flavien Prat said of Lord Nelson, who earned an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint with the win. “He ran huge. He might be as fast a horse as I've ever sat on.”
Baffert won three races on the Del Mar card Sunday. In addition to the Bing Crosby, the Hall of Famer also sent out American Cleopatra (Pioneerof the Nile), a full-sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, to a 'TDN Rising Star'-earning debut. He was represented on the east coast by GI Haskell Invitational runner-up American Freedom (Pulpit).
“I woke up this morning thinking we could win them all, but unfortunately we got beat in the Haskell,” Baffert said. “But the others ran well, they ran like they've been training and that's all you can ask for.”
Lord Nelson earned his first graded stakes victory with a narrow score over GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red (Afleet Alex) in last year's GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita. While he was winless in four subsequent trips to the post as a sophomore, the chestnut was a close-up second in the GIII Bay Shore S. and third in the GI Malibu S. The Malibu was Lord Nelson's final outing for Peachtree Stable. Purchased privately by Spendthrift Farm, he reemerged with a 3 1/2-length allowance victory in Arcadia June 3 before returning to the graded ranks for a half-length triumph in the June 25 GI Triple Bend S. last time out.
Pedigree Notes
Lord Nelson's second dam is Argentinian champion 3-year-old filly Miss Linda (Arg) (Southern Halo), who won the 2001 GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Her daughter African Jade sold for 37,000gns at the 2010 Tattersalls July sale and Lord Nelson, bred by the Clearsky Farms established by the late Eamon Cleary, was her first foal. The mare was bred to Medaglia d'Oro this year. Click for Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or click here to watch Lord Nelson sell at the 2013 KEESEP.
Sunday, Del Mar
BING CROSBY S.-GI, $301,035, DMR, 7-31, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:07.65, ft.
1–LORD NELSON, 123, c, 4, by Pulpit
1st Dam: African Jade, by Seeking the Gold
2nd Dam: Miss Linda (Arg), by Southern Halo
3rd Dam: Miss Peggy (Arg), by Fitzcarraldo (Arg)
($340,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Clearsky
Farms (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: 12-6-1-1, $778,271. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–Indexical, 119, r, 5, Latent Heat–Mysteryachievement, by
Regal Classic. ($15,500 Ylg '12 FTKOCT; $70,000 2yo '13
BARMAY). O-Reddam Racing LLC; B-Ellen B. Kill Kelley (KY);
T-Ben D. A. Cecil. $60,000.
3–Alsvid, 119, g, 7, Officer–Reagle Mary, by Afternoon Deelites.
($55,000 2yo '11 OBSAPR). O-Black Hawk Stable (James
Rogers); B-Yanagawa Stud LTD. (KY); T-Chris A. Hartman.
$36,000.
[bullet ad=”winchester-double-yoshida”]Margins: 4, 3 1/4, HF. Odds: 1.00, 42.10, 7.10.
Also Ran: Kaabraaj, Home Run Kitten, Justin Squared, Dream Saturday, Subtle Indian. Scratched: Bluegrass Bronco.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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