Tice Ranch’s ASSESSMENT (Jump Start) rallied down the center of
Emerald Downs’ track in Sunday’s $294,375
Longacres Mile H. (G3), took over nearing the wire and held on by three
parts of a length under local all-time leading rider Gallyn Mitchell to earn his
first graded score. Trained by Howard Belvoir, who captured his first Longacres
Mile when saddling Wasserman (Cahill Road) to victory last year, the dark bay
five-year-old finished up the eight-furlong test in 1:33 2/5 over the fast dirt.
Atta Boy Roy (Tribunal) gunned to the front from his outside post and
proceeded to set quick splits of :21 4/5, :44, 1:07 3/5 and 1:20 1/5. Meanwhile,
Assessment and Mitchell were content to run along in midpack before angling
toward the outside nearing the five-sixteenths marker. Charging down the
stretch, the pair had enough momentum to hold off the closing Awesome Gem
(Awesome Again) and Teide (Mt. Livermore).
Sent off the 7-1 third pick, Assessment paid $16.60, $7.20 and $5.20 while
keying the $1 exotics that totaled $30.40 (exacta), $230 (trifecta) and
$1,503.40 (12-7-8-2 superfecta). Awesome Gem put in his best effort while
rallying down the middle of the lane but could never get to the winner. He did
manage to hold a fast-closing Teide by a nose on the line, returning $3.80 and
$2.80 as the near 5-2 favorite. Teide gave back $5.60 at 8-1 and was followed under the
wire by the winner’s stablemate Wasserman, Atta Boy Roy, Bank Emblem (Victory
Gallop), Autism Awareness (Tannersmyman), Gallon (Victory Gallop), Sierra Sunset
(Bertrando), Kruger Park (Johannesburg), Trumpet Player Jay (Orientate) and
Crafty Power (Falstaff).
Assessment, who was fourth in this race in 2008, has really come to hand this
season for Belvoir, racking up four wins and three seconds from seven starts.
Among those races were victories in the Mt. Rainier H. and Emerald H. as well as
runner-up efforts in the Fox Sports Network H., Governor’s H. and Seattle H. The
$165,000 winner’s share from this one boosted the gelding’s earnings to $355,980
and his line now reads 25-7-4-3.
Bred in Kentucky by Bohanon-Walden, Assessment is out of the winning Native
Ghost (Silver Ghost) and has an unraced sophomore half-brother named Los Twins A
(Yankee Victor). His second dam is Dismasted (Restless Native), victress of the
1986 Flower Bowl H. (G1), and this is the same family as Grade 2 hero Salute the
Sarge (Forest Wildcat) and Grade 3 scorer Chelokee (Cherokee Run).
Assessment has passed through the sales ring twice, bringing $15,000 as a
Keeneland November weanling and then selling to his current connections for
$16,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.