NEWS
Winchester surges to dominant Secretariat win
Posted: Sunday, August 10, 2008 12:07 AM
WINCHESTER
Four Footed Fotos
by K.T. Donovan
Winchester justified assistant trainer Jeff Byrne's confidence from earlier in the week, reeling in pacesetter Tizdejavu to open a clear lead and rocketing to 7 1/4-length triumph in the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Arlington Park.
Byrne, an assistant to winning trainer Dermot Weld, said he was more excited about Winchester's chances in the Secretariat than any previous runners that his boss had brought to America.
The Theatrical (Ire) colt did not disappoint, approaching leader Tizdejavu with a rush on the turn with such force he was pulled wide. Winchester then pulled away decisively to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:01.76 on firm turf.
Fellow Irish invader Plan finished second, while even-money favorite Tizdejavu faded to third.
“Boy, oh boy,” said Diana Firestone, who bred and co-owns Winchester with her husband, Bertram.
“We bred him, and we’ve always had confidence in him,” Bertram Firestone said. “We’ve had horses with Dermot [Weld] for a long time, and when we breed good ones, we like to send him one. We have four with him now.”
In his first career win, a 1 1/4-mile race on April at Leopardstown, Winchester defeated eventual Darley Irish Oaks (Ire-G1) winner Moonstone, but his career did not immediately take off after that.
“He was unlucky in the Silver Stakes [his three-year-old debut] and I might have made a mistake by running him in the Irish Derby (Ire-G1) as it seems a mile and a half is too far for him,” Weld said of Winchester's lackluster seventh-place finish in the classic. “Ten furlongs is his trip, so that’s why we’re here. I’ve been wanting to run him here since the Derby.”
Weld went to local Chicago rider Rene Douglas as his jockey when his usual rider Pat Smullen was committed to ride in Ireland.
“Rene has beaten me a couple of times, so I thought it was time for us to get together,” Weld said.
In addition to being Weld's first career win in the Secretariat Stakes, the victory also was the first for Douglas, who has a dominant lead in the Arlington Park jockey standings.
Winchester is out of the Spectrum mare Rum Charger (Ire).
For an Equibase chart, click here.
K.T. Donovan is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
