Less than 40 hours after Rapid Redux passed Zenyatta and Peppers Pride to set
the modern-day North American record for most consecutive wins, at 20 with his
victory at Mountaineer Park Monday night, owner Robert Cole has set his sights
on another mark for his five-year-old. Eighteen of the 20 scores during the
streak have occurred in 2011. Citation currently holds the single-season record
with 19 wins in 20 starts in 1948, the year he captured the Triple Crown.
“I am just happy to be part of racing history, which goes back to George
Washington. To be mentioned with some of the greatest horses of all-time like
Zenyatta and Citation is something I can take to my grave,” Cole said before the
first race at Laurel on Wednesday afternoon. “The race came up a little soft,
especially with all the scratches so it was kind of a breather for him. It
didn’t really seem that he ran that hard.”
Rapid Redux was claimed by Cole, a Baltimore County native, at Penn National
for $6,250 on October 13, 2010. Since then, the gelding has won 21 of 22 races
with earnings of $246,694. The win streak began on December 2, 2010 at Penn
National. Cole and trainer David Wells have sent their star to seven different
tracks, including four victories at Laurel, at distances from five furlongs to 1
1/8 miles, using seven riders.
“David has done a great job training the horse, there is no question about
that, but we have had good luck with spotting the horse in the right races,”
Cole said. “All in all we have managed the streak very well. I wouldn’t put him
in a spot where we wouldn’t do well.”
Cole said he was “leaning” towards running the son of Pleasantly Perfect in
the $50,000 Iron Horse, one of six Claiming Crown races at Fair Grounds in New
Orleans on December 3.
“I think the best thing to do is go into the national spotlight and give him
more attention,” Cole added. “The horse came out of the race in fantastic shape.
The trainer would have to be comfortable with shipping to Louisiana. The
medication rules are different from state-to-state. If David says the horse is
ready, we are going. I looked at the nominations and wasn’t overly impressed.
It’s not going to be a large field.”
Rapid Redux has faced only 94 rivals (average of 4.7 per race) during the
streak but has won a race every 17.75 days.
Without a clear cut favorite for Horse of the Year honors, Rapid Redux’s name
has been mentioned as a longshot candidate.
“We would be honored to get one vote,” Cole said.
Cole has never been an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding owner despite
leading the nation in victories in 2008, with a career-best 234, and being
ranked among the leaders in wins and earnings seven times since 2001.