Dion A. Recachina’s homebred OPERATION RED DAWN (Miswaki) was kept under a
snug hold by jockey Rajiv Maragh on the backstretch of Thursday’s $106,500
Knickerbocker S. (G3) at Belmont Park, was unleashed rounding the turn and
ran down longtime leader Lemon Cream Pie (Lemon Drop Kid) to score a 1
1/2-length victory in his first stakes coup. Trained by Christophe Clement, the
seven-year-old gelding finished 1 1/8 miles on the good inner turf in 1:50 1/5
to pay $7, $3.70 and $2.30 as the 5-2 favorite.
“He’s like good French wine — he gets better with age,” Clement said.
“Unbelievable. He went cruising all the way.”
“Throughout the whole race he was pretty much in striking position behind the
eventual runner-up and never had a lot of ground to make up,” Maragh said. “He
really got going around the eighth-pole and was pulling away at the end. He’s an
old pro, and seems to handle any footing. A little give in the ground is
probably better for him because he’s a big, long-striding horse.”
Lemon Cream Pie led through fractions of :23 3/5, :49 2/5, 1:13 4/5 and 1:37
4/5 while tracked by Yorktown (Fr) (Red Ransom) and Danak (Ire) (Pivotal) to his
outside and Operation Red Dawn just behind on the rail. He couldn’t hold off the
rush of that latter runner, but was still 6 1/2 lengths better than third-placer
Brave Tin Soldier (Storm Cat). Sent off the 4-1 third choice, Lemon Cream Pie
was worth $5.20 and $3.30 while ending the $31.80 exacta. Show returned $2.20 as
the 5-2 second pick, and the 2-8-3 trifecta totaled $82.50.
Cherokee Speed (Cherokee Run) crossed under the line another 2 1/2 lengths
back in fourth, while Danak and Yorktown completed the order of finish.
Proudinsky (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]) and Nergal (Fr) (Simon du Desert) were both
scratched while Solar Flare (Arg) (Salt Lake) and The Roundhouse (Fusaichi
Pegasus) were listed as main-track only entrants.
Operation Red Dawn is no stranger to stakes company, recording six black-type
placings, but earned his first stakes victory in this spot. He improved his
career line to 24-5-8-7 — including placings in the Kelso H. (G2), Bernard
Baruch H. (G2), 2007 Knickerbocker, Poker H. (G3) and past two runnings of the
Fort Marcy H. (G3) — and has now earned $370,045.
The Kentucky-bred dark bay is out of Group 2-placed listed winner Afaladja (Ire)
(Darshaan), who has also produced an unnamed yearling filly by Unbridled Energy.
Operation Red Dawn’s family includes the likes of French champion and noted sire
*Val de Loir (Vieux Manoir) and Irish champion filly *Valoris II (*Tiziano II),
herself the ancestress of European champion One Cool Cat (Storm Cat) and
multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Aragorn (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway).