Demonstrating in no uncertain terms that his runner-up effort to Tom's Ready (More Than Ready) in the June 11 GII Woody Stephens S. was no fluke, Fish Trappe Road sat a wide trip and powered home late to register a decisive victory in Saturday's GIII Dwyer S.
Well-bet when second and fourth, respectively, in his first couple of tries in New York-bred company at Saratoga last summer, the gray colt broke through with authority in the Belmont mud Sept. 11, streaking away to graduate by nearly 10 lengths. Runner-up in this track's Sleepy Hollow S. going this trip Oct. 24, Fish Trappe Road bobbled at the start of the Jan. 16 GIII Lecomte S. dropped away tamely to finish seventh to Mo Tom (Uncle Mo). Given four months to regroup, he resumed with a smart 5 1/4-length allowance tally at Churchill May 7 ahead of the Woody Stephens, in which he attended a sharp pace, led into the final eighth of a mile and was outfinished for the win.
Drawn outside in the field of eight, Fish Trappe Road was taken back by Luis Saez to settle off the pace set by rank outsider The Great Whiteway (Nobiz Like Shobiz) and Laoban (Uncle Mo)–very fractious in the gate–as Economic Model fell into the box seat from third inside of Fish Trappe Road. Given a bit of rein leaving the three-eighths marker, the third betting favorite began to creep ever closer and wrested command from Laoban on the swing for home. Just hand ridden into the final furlong and a half, Fish Trappe Road wanted to lay in towards the rail, but he had the race in safe keeping to score by daylight. Economic Model came off the fence inside the final eighth of a mile and just got his nose down ahead of Tale of S'avall for second. Fourth-placed Voluntario (Hold Me Back) was off very slowly and came with a wide stretch rally to finish a good fourth.
“When the post positions came out, I felt really, really good,” commented winning trainer Bret Calhoun. “It gave us a lot of options out there. He didn't have to be pushed. Luis rode him perfectly. I've been playing this race out in my head for a couple of days since it was drawn, and it played out exactly the way I thought it would.
The conditioner added, “He's matured a lot. He was a big kid at 2, played 24-7–now, it's all just coming together mentally and physically. I don't know if we're going to stretch him out [to 1 1/8 miles] in the Jim Dandy [GII, $500,000, July 30, Saratoga Race Course]. We'll possibly look at the King's Bishop [GI, $500,000, Aug. 27, Saratoga Race Course].”
The winner's dam is a half-sister to three full black-type winners, including the talented sprinter Wire Me Collect (Clever Trick). Electric Shock is represented by a New York-bred Shanghai Bobby half-brother to Fish Trappe Road, who is consigned by Hunter Valley Farm as hip 17 to the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale Aug. 8.
Saturday, Belmont Park
DWYER S.-GIII, $500,000, BEL, 7-9, 3yo, 1m, 1:34.84, ft.
1–#@FISH TRAPPE ROAD, 117, c, 3, by Trappe Shot
1st Dam: Electric Shock (SW, $134,100), by Cure the Blues
2nd Dam: Loose Wire, by Ruritania
3rd Dam: Miss Nanith, by Victoria Park
($140,000 Ylg '14 SARAUG; $95,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR).
O-Martin Racing Stable LLC; B-Rhapsody Faarm LLC & Jon Davis
(NY); T-W. Bret Calhoun; J-Luis Saez. $275,000. Lifetime
Record: 9-3-3-0, $518,185. *1/2 to Electric Chant (War Chant),
MSP, $153,497; & Electric Temptress (First Samurai), MSP,
$190,667. Werk Nick Rating: First SW from this cross. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”nytb-20000″][bullet ad=”crupi-trained”][bullet ad=”huntervalley-hip17-ftsaug-2016″]2–Economic Model, 121, c, 3, Flatter–Queen of America, by
Quiet American. ($150,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Klaravich
Stables, Inc. & William Lawrence; B-Claiborne Farm (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.[bullet ad=”nick-de-meric-de-meric-stables-graduate”]3–Tale of S'avall, 115, c, 3, Tale of Ekati–S' Avall, by Awesome
Again. O/B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Barclay Tagg. $60,000.
“TDN Rising Star”
Margins: 1 1/4, NO, 2 3/4. Odds: 3.35, 1.35, 9.50.
Also Ran: Voluntario, Laoban, Unbridled Outlaw, Swipe, The Great Whiteway. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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