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Intense Holiday gets up late in Risen Star
Vicar's in Trouble launched a bid four wide on the far turn and nearly drew even with Albano turning for home, but the front-runner had more in reserve and kicked clear with a sixteenth of a mile remaining. But Intense Holiday was charging on the far outside and rallied determinedly in deep stretch to get the glory. "Well, in the very beginning he kind of slipped leaving there which turned out to be a good thing," Smith said. "It kind of scared him and he got up on the bridle which I wanted him to be but he was a bit too keen early. "So when I finally talked him out of it he just completely let go and I was like 'uh no, not that much.' I asked him again and he jumped back on it again and I had to talk him out it or he would let go too much." Intense Holiday completed the 1 1/16-mile prep race in 1:43 4/5 on the fast oval. "There was a lot of room to improve there and a lot of room to grow," Smith added. "What I really liked at the end was galloping out, after I stopped him, you can tell when a three-year-old has had enough. He took one breath and came back so we did not get to the bottom of him." Off as the 5-1 fourth choice among 14 rivals, Intense Holiday paid $12 to win. Albano easily held second, 5 1/2 lengths better than third-placer Vicar's in Trouble. "I thought I was home at the sixteenths (pole)," said Kerwin Clark, jockey of Albano. "He was still running. I looked over inside the eighth pole and didn't see anyone coming. I can't believe that horse came and got us, to be honest, because my horse never stopped one bit. "It was disappointing, but it's what I wanted to see from him -- improvement that sets us up for the big one." Vicar's in Trouble, the 5-2 favorite off his victory in the Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds, finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Hoppertunity in fourth. Next came Gold Hawk, Commanding Curve, Rise Up, Flat Gone, Son of a Preacher, Quick Indian, Vigorish, Emmett Park, Interchange and Extra Luck. Bond Holder was scratched and Teniente Coronel did not draw in from the also-eligibles list. Bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and Haymarket Farm, Intense Holiday is out of the mare Intensify, a daughter of Unbridled's Song who is closely related to multiple Grade 3 winner Crafty Shaw and stakes vixen Her She Kisses. This is also the immediate female family of Grade 2 winner Shawklit Mint, Grade 3 hero Mr. Shawklit, stakes victor Shawklit Man and Grade 1-placed Shawklit Won. Intense Holiday sold for $380,000 as a yearling at the 2012 Keeneland September sale. The dark bay wound up fifth when making his debut in a maiden special weight at Monmouth Park in late July and broke his maiden second-time out at the New Jersey track a month later. He finished fifth when making his stakes bow in the Grade 1 Champagne and followed it with a fourth in the Grade 2 Nashua prior to the Remsen. Starlight's Jack Wolf said Intense Holiday will likely return to the Fair Grounds for the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 29. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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