NEWS
Nordic Truce delivers in Transylvania before record crowd
Posted: Friday, April 02, 2010 6:21 PM
NORDIC TRUCE
PatLangPhoto.com/Keeneland
To view the Transylvania Stakes, click here.
by Frank Angst
With a record spring meet opening-day crowd of 24,734 on hand, Nordic Truce delivered a spectacular performance in winning the Transylvania Stakes (G3) in stakes-record time on Friday at Keeneland Race Course.
About 1 1/2 lengths behind Strike the Tiger and Macias turning for home, Nordic Truce gradually gained on those two in the stretch and put away a determined Strike the Tiger late to secure a neck victory. Strike the Tiger held second by a nose from late-closing Guys Reward in third.
In improving to three wins in three career starts, Nordic Truce completed the 1 1/16-mile race for three-year-olds in stakes-record time of 1:41.31 on firm turf.
Nordic Truce challenged dueling pacesetters Strike the Tiger and Macias moving into the far turn before reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey Julien Leparoux had Nordic Truce back off just a bit on the far turn. That set up the winning stretch run as the Yes It’s True colt’s muscular frame powered him home.
“He broke sharp and he put me in the race early,” said Leparoux, who won last year’s Transylvania on Stormalory. “He relaxed good on the backside and came home well.”
In his career debut and only start of 2009, Nordic Truce registered a 4 ½-length maiden win on November 15 on the turf at Calder Race Course. Clement stepped him up to stakes competition in his second start and Nordic Truce delivered a close victory in the Dania Beach Stakes on January 16 at Gulfstream.
In Friday’s race, Strike the Tiger, who shipped to Royal Ascot last season to win the Windsor Castle Stakes and later won the Chenery Stakes at Colonial Downs, dueled with three-time Southern California stakes winner Macias through a quarter-mile in :22.78 and a half-mile in :45.80. While Macias faded to sixth in the seven-horse field, Strike the Tiger did not yield until late.
A homebred for Ammerland Stud, Nordic Truce has earned $131,220. He is the first starter out of the stakes-winning Night Shift mare Nyramba (GB), who placed in two group stakes in England.
Friday’s attendance shattered the previous spring opener record of 21,371, established in 1978. The all-time record opening-day crowd at Keeneland is 27,234 in 1998 to start the fall meet.
Frank Angst is a senior writer for Thoroughbred Times
