Arthur B. Hancock III’s homebred WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold) grabbed the
lead when the gates opened in Keeneland’s $150,000
Ben Ali S.
(G3) on Thursday and proceeded to the wire under Javier Castellano for
the 5 1/4-length victory. Trained by Nick Zito, the 4-5 favorite set splits of
:23 4/5, :47 3/5, 1:11 2/5 and 1:35 4/5 before completing nine furlongs on the
fast dirt in 1:49, easily holding off any challengers.
Wanderin Boy earned his second straight win at Keeneland after taking an
allowance on April 7 by 10 lengths. This was also his second graded score,
having captured the 2005 Mineshaft H. (G3) at Fair Grounds, and the
five-year-old now boasts a 9-5-2-1 career mark with $264,009 in lifetime
earnings.
The favored chestnut rewarded his supporters with payouts of $3.80, $2.60 and $2.20 while keying the $11.20 exacta, $28.80 trifecta and $65.80 superfecta.
Alumni Hall (A.P. Indy) took a run at the winner, but couldn’t catch Wanderin Boy,
settling for second as the 5-2 second choice and returning $3 and $2.60. Noble
Causeway (Giant’s Causeway) was worth $3 at 6-1, another 3 1/4 lengths back in
third while holding Cosmonaut (Lemon Drop Kid) to fourth by a head. Palladio
(Lycius) and It’s No Joke (Distorted Humor) rounded out the order under the
wire.
“I had plenty of horse all the way in the race,” winning rider Castellano
said. “I know what kind of horse he is. I rode him with a lot of confidence. I
know the horse (Alumni Hall) is coming on the inside of the rail (on the far
turn), but I had plenty of horse. I don’t want to use him early. I waited for
the top of the stretch. He took off the whole way.”
The Kentucky-bred Wanderin Boy is out of the multiple stakes-winning Vid Kid
(Pleasant Colony), making him a half-brother to three-time Grade 3 winner Early
Warning (Summer Squall), who ran third in the 1999 and 2000 editions of the Ben
Ali, and Grade 2-placed Vivid Sunset (Mt. Livermore).