NEWS
Proceed Bee turns back Parade Clown in Battaglia
Posted: Saturday, February 28, 2009 7:32 PM
PROCEED BEE
Pat Lang photo
by Patrick Reed
Stakes winner Proceed Bee took command in early stretch and shook off a challenge from Parade Clown in the final strides to prevail by 1 ¼ lengths in the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Turfway Park.
Sent off as the third wagering choice at 4.20-to-1 odds, Proceed Bee benefited from a patient ride from jockey Rodney Prescott before uncoiling his stretch run. The three-year-old Bernstein gelding pulled away late under strong urging, completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.49 over Turfway’s synthetic Polytrack surface.
Parade Clown, the 3-to-5 favorite in the Battaglia following an impressive win in Turfway’s WEBN Stakes on February 7, was carried five wide on the first turn as Dynamite Bob and Platinum Van dueled through an opening quarter in 23.95 and a half-mile in 47.82. Parade Clown settled behind the pacesetters on the backstretch before taking a short lead on the far turn as Prescott angled Proceed Bee to the outside from fourth.
Proceed Bee rallied to the front as the field entered the stretch but was challenged by Parade Clown. The leaders battled stride for stride past the sixteenths pole before Proceed Bee surged clear near the finish.
Parade Clown easily held on to finish second, 3 ½ lengths clear of late-running Toccet Rocket, who edged Shane’s Gold by a neck for third.
Owned by William Stiritz and trained by Terry Gestes, Proceed Bee entered the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, Turfway’s final prep for the Lane’s End Stakes (G2) on March 21, off a fifth-place finish in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park on January 19 to start his three-year-old campaign. He showed two-turn ability in his final start as a juvenile by winning the 1 1/16-mile Grand Canyon Handicap on Churchill Downs’s turf course on November 29.
Proceed Bee posted his fourth win in six starts and increased his career earnings to $137,594. Bred in Kentucky by Hunter Valley Farm, H & W Thoroughbreds, and Mary Wade, he is the third winner out of the winning Private Terms mare Procession, who is a half sister to Grade 3 winner and sire Party Manners.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Patrick Reed is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
