Carson Springs Farm’s FIFTEEN ROUNDS (Fit to Fight) was content to trail
behind the pacesetting Rodeo’s Castle (Rodeo) in Saturday’s $150,000 Arlington
Breeders’ Cup Sprint H., but was in front when it mattered — at the wire. With
Christopher Emigh holding the reins, the five-year-old gelding tracked just in
behind swift fractions of :22 1/5, :44 4/5 and :56 2/5 while on the inside. In
the stretch, a wall of horses engulfed Rodeo’s Castle, but it was Fifteen Rounds
who managed to sneak through on the rail and get his neck down on the wire after
a stretch duel with Elusive Jazz (Elusive Quality), winning the six-furlong
sprint in 1:08 2/5.
“This is the icing on the cake for me this year,” trainer Christine Janks
said. “Being a homebred, he was basically raised by my husband, Barry, and he
did all the work with him before he came to the track. This horse has shown up
for five wins this meet and I’m really proud of him.”
The eventual winner justified his 7-5 favorite status and paid $4.80, $3.80
and $2.40 while keying the $64.20 exacta, $172 trifecta and $485.80 superfecta
(1-5-2-4). Elusive Jazz was two lengths up on Level Playingfield (Level Sands) at the wire, returning $11.20 and $3.40 as the 17-1
longshot. Show gave back $2.60 and next across the line came High Blitz (Lucky
Lionel), Rodeo’s Castle and Fire Slam (Grand Slam). Wildcat Heir (Forest
Wildcat) was scratched.
Fifteen Rounds scored in the Better Bee S. over the track in July, his first
stakes win since the 2003 Roman Colonel S. The dark bay’s record now reads
20-12-1-1, $327,033.
Also at Arlington on Saturday, K.K. & V.D. Jayaraman’s DEAREST QUEEN
(Proudest Romeo) was an easy four-length winner of the $42,375 Hatoof S. With
Shaun Bridgmohan in the irons, the Steve Hobby-trained sophomore miss finished 8
1/2 furlongs on the firm turf in 1:43 2/5, earning her first stakes win in the
process.