Counterforce, who counts bluehen mare Better Than Honour as his third dam, was outsprinted through hot early fractions of :21.50 and :44.80 while making his stakes debut here. With Florent Geroux aboard, the dark bay was guided out widest of all in the stretch and came flying on the outside to win going away in style. California invader I Will Score, a game third in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 6, pressed the early leader from second, hit the front in deep stretch, but couldn't withstand the powerful late rush of the impressive winner.
Counterforce, a debut winner out of a very live maiden heat at Oaklawn Mar. 5–the runner-up Big Squeeze (Lemon Drop Kid) runs in Saturday's GIII Coolmore Lexington S. at Keeneland–was a close second as the 4-5 chalk in an optional claimer in Hot Springs last time Mar. 25.
“He's a very talented horse,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “We put three races in him a little close together, but obviously he's going to have a nice future. We'll give him a little break off of that. He'll go to Churchill right away. He won't run Derby Week, but there are a lot of good races for him this summer.”
Asmussen continued, “I would expect him to run further next time. I say that knowing that there's a possibility that he'd show up three-quarters Preakness Week in the Chick Lang. There or a race between now and the [GII] Woody Stephens [on the GI Belmont S. undercard]. I think it would be hard to go from here to the Woody Stephens without a little more seasoning.”
The winning mare Achieving–a $1.475 million purchase as a weanling at the 2008 KEENOV sale–has a 2-year-old filly by Distorted Humor and a yearling colt by Medaglia d'Oro. Achieving is a half-sister to GISW Streaming (Smart Strike). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
BACHELOR S., $150,000, OP, 4-15, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.68, ft.
1–#COUNTERFORCE, 115, c, 3, by Smart Strike
1st Dam: Achieving, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Teeming, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister
($310,000 RNA Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds
LLC; B-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings Inc. & George Prussin (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Florent Geroux. $90,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-2-1-0, $147,600.
[bullet ad=”hill-n-dale-bred-raised-and-sold”]2–I Will Score, 117, c, 3, Roman Ruler–Grassy Nellie, by Belong
to Me. O/B-Hans Poetsch (KY); T-Jerry Hollendorfer. $30,000.
3–Texas Chrome, 122, c, 3, Grasshopper–Margarita Mistress, by
Naevus. ($10,000 Ylg '14 TEXOCT). O-Keene Thoroughbreds
LLC; B-Craig D. Upham (TX); T-J. R. Caldwell. $15,000.
Margins: 2, 1, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.50, 1.50, 14.30.
Also Ran: Morning Fire, Will Munnings, Force It, Titanium Point.
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