Sunday, September 26, 1999
Successful Appeal wins after favorites tire
BY GEORGE RORRER
Enquirer contributor
FLORENCE — Five Star Day and Freespool hooked up in duel of speedsters Saturday at Turfway Park, but the winner of the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Sprint was the tortoise, not the hare.
Successful Appeal was held in check by jockey Edgar Prado until the home stretch in the six-furlong Grade II race, then rolled past his burned-out rivals for a 21/2-length victory.
Five Star Day, the 3-to-5 favorite, finished second, three lengths ahead of American Spirit. Freespool, second most of the way, ended up sixth.
Successful Appeal was clocked in 1:09.42, just off the track record 1:08.1.
“He went to the leaders on his own,” Prado said. “He took the lead early in the stretch and I hadn't asked him. He found another gear and went right past them.”
TURFWAY BREEDERS' CUP: Ruby Surprise, a 10-1 shot, stalked the leaders until the home stretch and surged to a one-length victory over Let in the $250,000 Grade III race for fillies and mares age 3-and-older.
Owner James Hines Jr. of Owensboro, Ky., said he was delighted with the biggest victory yet for his fledgling Daviess County operation (72 horses in all, 22 in training).
“I bought my first horse in 1995,” Hines said. “I went to the Keeneland sale and I picked her for $10,500 as a weanling. Blind luck, I guess.”
JUVENILE: Moving to a 1 1/16 mile proved no problem for improving Millencolin as the colt came down the stretch strong to win the Grade III $100,000 race.
Jockey Pat Day, who rode the horse to a win a month ago at Saratoga, said he “didn't get away as quickly as we wanted, but we went after the leader at the î mark. He just kept pulling away.”
JUVENILE FILLIES: Prado stayed clear of a first-turn traffic jam and brought 2-1 favorite Regally Appealing from behind to win the $100,000 race for 2-year-olds.
Prado said he was next to the rail during the first-turn jam and “followed the eight (Lady Gin) as long as I could. I waited as long as I could for the stretch run and he responded.”
STARTER STAKE: Jockey Shane Sellers put Double Affair right where he wanted coming out of the turn to pull into the lead and win the $50,000 race for 3-year-olds and up.
The Enquirer's Terry Flynn contributed to this report.
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