NEWS
Pleasant Strike rolls late for Arlington Classic win
Posted: Saturday, June 23, 2007 7:26 PM
PLEASANT STRIKE
Four Footed Fotos
by Ron Parker
Edward Evans’s homebred Pleasant Strike has found a home on the Arlington Park turf course as he and jockey Rene Douglas combined for their second consecutive victory in winning the $150,000 Arlington Classic Stakes (G3).
The 73rd running of the 1 1/16-mile Arlington Classic is the first leg of Arlington’s Mid-America Triple, which also includes the July 21 American Derby (G2) and the Secretariat Stakes (G1) on August 11.
Vaunt, the 6-to-5 favorite in the race for three-year-olds, was never a factor as Starbase and Beta Capo went immediately to the front and engaged in a head bobbing, lead changing duel until the closers began picking up steam around the final turn.
Beta Capo was the first to give in as Starbase straightened into the lane with a half-length lead, but Lovango and Quasicobra were closing in while Douglas angled Pleasant Strike to the outside. The Smart Strike colt took command in mid-stretch and steadily pulled away as he crossed the wire 3 3/4-lengths in front, getting the distance in 1:42.05 over the firm course.
Lovango held second, a half-length in front of Quasicobra.
It was the first stakes victory for Todd Pletcher trainee Pleasant Strike, whose only previous stakes experience was a sixth-place finish at Gulfstream Park in the Hallandale Beach Stakes on February 24.
Pletcher took the Smart Strike colt to Keeneland where he was third in an allowance race before sending him to Chicago. Douglas, riding him for the first time, won an allowance/optional claiming event on Arlington’s new Polytrack on May 26 before Pletcher decided to try him in the Classic.
The dark bay or brown colt has earned $150,970 with three wins from eight starts.
Pleasant Strike is out of the Pleasant Colony mare Colonella.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Ron Parker is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
