The richest two-year-old race of the 2010 Remington Park Thoroughbred Season
produced an upset winner and huge exotic payoffs as GRANT JACK (Harlan’s
Holiday) came through in the $250,000 Springboard Mile at 14-1 odds Saturday
night. It also provided a first-ever three-way tie for the owner title and
helped pad jockey Cliff Berry’s win total for top jockey of the meet.
Owned by the Dallas partnership of Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch, Grant Jack
stalked the pace set by Brickyard Fast (Sharp Humor), who was pressured by Aces
N Kings (Jet Phone) throughout the entire race. The Bret Calhoun-trained Grant
Jack made a determined move late in the stretch, going outside of the battling
duo to get up for a one-length win in 1:37 4/5 over the fast track.
The two-year-old Grant Jack was second in his attempt last month in the
Clever Trevor S., finishing 5-1/2 lengths behind Caleb’s Posse (Posse), who was
the beaten 4-5 favorite in the Springboard when finishing seventh.
“The last race he left the starting gate flat-footed,” noted Berry, who was
just one night removed from a seven-win evening that set a new local standard
for excellence on a single race card. “I had a handful of horse along the
backside tonight. He really dug in down the stretch when he needed it.”
Grant Jack paid $30.80, $17.40 and $10.40 in winning the Springboard, his
first stakes score. Brickyard Fast held strong for second, returning $62.40 and
$29.60 at 54-1. Aces N Kings was a head behind the runner-up for third and gave
back $6.80 at 10-1. Trubs, a 16-1 shot, was another two lengths back for fourth.
The exacta was worth a healthy $872.40 while the trifecta was a lucrative
$10,948.80. The 9-4-6-10 superfecta totaled $5,214.66 for a 10-cent wager.
A Kentucky-bred colt out of the St. Jovite mare Dream Away, Grant Jack comes
from the same family as multiple Group 1-winning highweight Ad Valorem (Danzig),
1991 champion turf horse Tight Spot (His Majesty), 1966 champion juvenile filly
Mira Femme (*Dumpty Humpty) and multiple Grade 1 scorer Premium Tap (Pleasant
Tap), who finished third in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Grant Jack improved his career record to 6-2-1-2 with Saturday’s win, and has
now accumulated $199,425 in lifetime earnings.
Once race before the Springboard Mile, SOONER RED (Ecton Park) rallied from
well off the pace to score in the $50,000 End of the Trail S. by one length
under Benny Landeros. The chestnut gelding, owned and trained by Brent Davidson,
ran seven furlongs in 1:24 2/5 to capture his stakes debut. The three-year-old
Sooner Red now boasts an 8-4-2-0, $94,182, resume.
The 2010 Remington Park Thoroughbred Season came to a close with Berry
winning his 13th Pat Steinberg Memorial Award as the leading jockey, his first
local title since 2007. Berry’s 76 wins were 18 ahead of runner-up Ramsey
Zimmerman, who posted 58 for second. Aaron Gryder was third in the standings
with 51 wins.
Steve Asmussen was the leading trainer at Remington Park for the fourth
consecutive season, winning 47 races. The Arlington, Texas, resident won his
sixth Chuck Taliaferro Memorial Award with the local title. Bret Calhoun
finished with 40 wins for second while Christ Hartman was third with 30.
The Ran Ricks Jr. Memorial Award for leading owner went to three owners with
11 wins as a three-way tie at the top of the standings took place for the first
time ever. Grant Jack’s owners, Sanders and Hirsch, secured their share of the
championship when capturing the Springboard Mile. Poindexter Thoroughbreds had a
large lead throughout the season and held on to get a piece of the crown. Danny
Caldwell received the final piece of the three-way title. Of the trio only
Caldwell has won a Ricks Award, gaining his second, while the others won for the
first time.
Final statistical numbers for the 2010 Thoroughbred Season will be released
on Monday.