“I’ll tell you that the excitement and the thrill is still there,” McCarthy
Wise River (Belong to Me) went straight to the early lead and established
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Turning into the stretch, Al Khali was the first to pounce on Wise River, but
he was quickly joined by General Quarters and Court Vision wider out, and Al
Khali eventually faded from contention. Court Vision put his head in front of
General Quarters and appeared to have him dead to rights. General Quarters would
not surrender, though. Battling back in a fine display of determination, General
Quarters came again to finish the nine-furlong test in 1:53 2/5. The fifth
choice at 8-1, the winner rewarded his loyalists with $19.60, $8.40 and $5.20.
“We wanted to try him on the grass,” McCarthy said. “I had Robby (Albarado)
breeze him five-eighths about a week and a half ago. When he got off the grass
he said, ‘This is a grass horse. He takes to this grass so easy.’
“We went outside the ‘dogs’ that day and they put it down for 1:05 and we
really went 5 1/2 furlongs. Robby put his finger right on it. I always thought
he was a grass horse. He’s got a grass foot.
“When he sets his mind down he goes,” McCarthy added. “I knew when I was
watching him coming around the turn that liked the turf. He didn’t quit at all.
He just kept on going — he’s a grass horse. I’ll tell you what, that was a heck
of ride by Rafael. He did just what we said, give him a breather, come on and
that’s exactly what he did.
“My whole family is here and that makes it so great. And these fans, these
wonderful people who last year bet on him and he didn’t do very well and got
hurt. I hope this year that they double their bets and collected their money
back.”
Court Vision crossed the wire a head in front of the belatedly-closing Loup
Breton, who was caught in traffic and forced to thread his way through the
drive. The runner-up returned $4.40 and $3.20, and Loup Breton yielded $3.40 as
the 3-1 second choice.
Battle of Hastings (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]), last after a half-mile and
buried behind horses down the lane, finally extricated himself and got up for
fourth. The exacta paid $74, the trifecta totaled $347.80, and the 2-3-8-6
superfecta was good for $1,047.60. Blues Street (Street Cry [Ire]) checked in
fifth, followed by Al Khali, Yate’s Black Cat (Black Minnaloushe), Wise River
and Pop Tartt (E Dubai).
General Quarters now joins the millionaires’ club with $1,075,740 in earnings
from his 18-4-7-1 line. He was posting his second top-level victory, having
captured last year’s Blue Grass S. (G1) on Keeneland’s Polytrack. Prior to his
Blue Grass score, he had accounted for the Sam F. Davis S. (G3) and placed in
the Pasco S. and Inaugural S.
General Quarters had no luck in the first two legs of the Triple Crown,
finishing 10th in the Derby and ninth in the Preakness S. (G1). Sidelined for
seven months thereafter, he returned with a fine second in an allowance/optional
claimer going six furlongs at Fair Grounds in December. That commenced a case of
seconditis, for General Quarters filled the runner-up spot in his next three —
the Louisiana H., Mineshaft H. (G3) and the New Orleans H. (G2) last time out.
Bred by Mr. and Mrs. R. David Randal in Kentucky, General Quarters was sold
for $20,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. He is the first foal from Ecology
(Unbridled’s Song), whose latest offspring are a yearling filly and 2010 colt,
both by Tale of the Cat. His second dam is Irish stakes victress Gdansk’s Honour
(Danzig), a full sister to Irish Group 3 winner and stakes producer Honoria.
This is the family of Hall of Famer Manila (Lyphard), Irish champion and
classic-placed Stately Don (Nureyev) and French champion Targowice (Round
Table).