Apriority overcomes stumble, takes Mr. Prospector

Apriority (inside) overcame a bad stumble to win his first stakes in the Mr. Prospector (Adam Coglianese Photography)

A season of futility in stakes company for Donald Dizney’s four-year-old
homebred Apriority ended on a brighter note in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000
Mr.
Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park. A potentially costly stumble leaving the
gate nearly derailed the colt’s chance at a first added-money victory, but the
bay recovered sufficiently to reach contention down the backside and then
rallied up the inside to deny long-time leader Zero Rate Policy by a head bob at
the wire.

Under pressure from Immortal Eyes and The Hunk through an opening quarter in
:22 1/5, Zero Rate Policy edged away from that pair around the far turn while
Apriority, who went to his nose at the start, sat chilly in fourth while racing
closest to the rail. Zero Rate Policy reached the half in :44 3/5 and then
extended his margin to one length at the top of the stretch, with Apriority now
posing the most serious threat inside the final eighth. Under a heavy drive by
Luis Saez, Apriority pulled even with Zero Rate Policy in the final yards and
won by a nose with Indiano a half-length behind in third. The final time for six
furlongs on a fast track was 1:09 1/5.

“I thought we were done at the start after he stumbled so bad. We’re
lucky the jock stayed on,” trainer David Fawkes said “It’s amazing what
he overcame to win it. When he got back in contention at the top of the
stretch it was a matter of inside, outside. (Saez) waited and waited and
then made the right choice and got through.