NEWS
The Pamplemousse wins San Rafael
Posted: Saturday, January 17, 2009 7:07 PM
THE PAMPLEMOUSSE
Benoit & Associates photo
by Mike Curry
The Pamplemousse set an uncontested pace in his stakes debut and turned back Grade 1 winner Square Eddie to post a two-length win in the $100,000 San Rafael Stakes (G3) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
The gray or roan Kafwain colt was left unchallenged on the lead when Brother Keith blew the first turn, then opened a three-length advantage through a half-mile in :45.97 in the one-mile race for three-year-olds.
Square Eddie moved up on the second turn and challenged The Pamplemousse from the outside entering the stretch. The Pamplemousse accelerated gamely after switching leads under jockey Alex Solis and repelled Square Eddie to win easily.
"I'm speechless, I really am,” said Solis, whose son Alex Solis II is part of the partnership that owns The Pamplemousse. “This horse has such a high cruising speed. …It feels like he's walking, he does everything so effortlessly. He was so impressive, when the other horses came to him, he didn't see them, he heard them and he just took off.
"I better start going to church and hope he stays sound. My son buying the horse makes it even more special. ...He liked the way he moved."
The Pamplemousse completed the distance in 1:35.31 on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface for trainer Julio Canani.
The Pamplemousse, the 2.60-to-1 second wagering choice in the five-horse field, entered off a 2 3/4-length win in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race on December 14 at Santa Anita. He improved to two wins in four starts and boosted his earnings to $89,280.
The San Rafael is the first Southern California graded stakes race for three-year-olds and serves as a prep race for the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 4. Out of the winning Rubiano mare Comfort Zone, The Pamplemousse picked up $60,000 in graded stakes earnings, which is used to determine the field for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) if more than 20 horses are entered.
Runner-up Square Eddie, the 3-to-5 favorite, finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of Ryehill Dreamer (Ire), who made his North American debut for trainer John Shirreffs after winning a stakes and finishing second in a Group 2 race in Ireland.
Square Eddie won the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland Race Course last year and closed his two-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish to Midshipman in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) on October 25 at the Oak Tree meeting.
“He should definitely move forward off this. He got tired,” said Doug O’Neill, who trains Square Eddie for owner J. Paul Reddam. “It was his first race in almost three months. Obviously, we wanted to win, but the main thing is for him to come out of this good and go in the right direction."
The Pamplemousse was bred in Kentucky by Clarkland Farm.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
