December 27, 2024

Recount grinds out victory in Arlington-Washington Futurity

Last updated: 9/6/14 6:59 PM


Doubledown Stables, Inc’s Recount returned to the track he broke his maiden
to wire the field by a head in Saturday’s Grade 3, $125,000

Arlington-Washington Futurity
at
Arlington for his
first stakes score.

The James DiVito-trained two-year-old gelding broke his maiden at first
asking over this track by 4 1/2 lengths on July 20 and was exiting a third-place
finish in his stakes debut in the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile on August 9.

“He’s a natural speed horse,” DiVito said. “(In his last race at Prairie
Meadows), he broke a little funny because of the lights and he was a little bit
hesitant.” 

Recount took a short lead down on the inside to put up an opening quarter in
:23 with Private Prospect, the winner of the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile,
stalking the pace on the outside. Recount continued to dictate the pace through
a half mile in :46 3/5. As the field turned for home, One Go All Go shifted out
three wide to join the fray and challenge the top two.

“Turning for home I said, ‘I can’t lose this.’ I knew I had a lot of horse,”
jockey Emmanuel Esquivel said. “I was a little afraid because he kind of waited
for the other one at the end. I was full of horse the whole way around.”

Private Prospect poked a head in front near the top of the stretch, but
Recount dug back in along the inside to reclaim the lead. Recount held off his
challengers in the stretch run to prevail at the wire in 1:24 1/5 going seven
furlongs on the Polytrack. Sent off as the 9-5 favorite, the bay paid $5.80 to
his backers and grabbed $73,500 for the win to increase his lifetime earnings to
$112,060 from three starts.

“It’s like winning your first race,” said Esquivel, who captured his first
stakes. “It’s really exciting. I’ve been working real hard to win a stakes race
and getting the opportunity to ride in stakes (races).” 

Private Prospect took second by a head over One Go All Go in third. Bourbon
Cowboy, Ike Walker, Seraph and Mr Lightning Boy rounded out the order of finish.
Tender May was scratched.

“He ran a great race but I’m a little bit disappointed,” said jockey Jesse
Campbell, who rode runner-up Private Prospect. “He broke good and I put the race
in his hands. He had the winner collared at the top of the lane, on his outside.
I was pretty disappointed he didn’t show me a little more turn of foot down the
lane because it wouldn’t have taken much to get by that horse. At one point, I
think I (fell back to) third but he fought back to get second but it’s still a
little disappointing.”

Bred in Illinois by Barney and Anne Gallagher, Recount is out of the
stakes-placed Bold Badgett mare Lucky in Love. His female family includes Grade
2 victor Something Lucky, Grade 1-placed Fancy ‘N Fabulous and Canadian champion
Hollinger.

The son of Limehouse sold for $40,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall
Yearlings Sale.



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