Positive Response dominates John Battaglia

Last updated: 3/6/11 8:12 PM

Positive Response stamped
his ticket to the Spiral with an easy score in the John
Battaglia
(Pat Lang Photography)

POSITIVE RESPONSE (Pomeroy) left no doubt as to who was best in Saturday
evening’s $100,000

John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway Park. Sent right to the front by
jockey Julien Couton, Positive Response led the field going into the first turn
and left them behind coming out of the second, drawing off to win by seven
lengths over Taptowne (Tapit).

The winner clocked splits of :24 1/5, :48 1/5, 1:12 4/5 and 1:38 2/5 before
finishing the 1 1/16-mile race over Polytrack in 1:45.

“Julien said there was other speed in here but I thought there wasn’t classy
speed like my horse, so I told him to just go,” said trainer William Morey, who
also co-owns the gelding with Saul Gevertz, Roger Newman and Ray Pagano.

“The only concern I had was flying him in here,” continued Morey, who shipped
Positive Response from California to Turfway on Tuesday. “But once I saw how he
was acting and training here, I didn’t think these horses had a chance with him.

“Now, the next group (in the March 26 Spiral S. [G3]), they’ll be a lot tougher. We
came here intending to run two races: this one and either the Spiral or the
Rushaway. Obviously with his performance (in the Battaglia) we’d probably lean
toward the Spiral. I think we’ll probably take a shot at it. I have to see how
the horse is, that’s the main thing.”

Sent off the 2-1 favorite, Positive Response returned $6, $3.60, and $3.

Son of Posse (Posse), the 93-1 longest shot in the race, was another 1 1/2
lengths back in third while 2-1 second choice Twinspired (Harlan’s Holiday)
checked in fourth. Completing the order of finish were Night Party (Rahy),
Admiral Perry (First Samurai), Adulare (Flatter), R Fast Cat (Bluegrass Cat) and
Blue Laser (Bluegrass Cat).

The Battaglia Memorial was Positive Response’s third stakes win in his last
four starts. He captured the Gold Rush S. in December as a two-year-old and
followed with a win in the California Derby in January over the Tapeta at Golden
Gate Fields. The bay ran third, beaten just two lengths, when making his graded
bow in the El Camino Real Derby (G3) at Golden Gate, and now sports an 8-5-0-2
career mark to go along with total earnings of $223,201.

Out of the stakes-placed Lisa’s Approval (Farma Way), Positive Response was
bred in Florida by Rosebrook Farms LLC and Moreau Bloodstock International Inc.
He’s passed through the sales ring three times — bringing $15,000 as a
Keeneland January yearling, $35,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and most
recently $21,000 as an OBS June two-year-old.