Unbeaten Gulf Shores upset by 46-1 long shot in Bluegrass

LEXINGTON, KY —Early Action took the lead early, yielded control to Pebble Beach and tracked every move of that 3-5 choice before upending him in the final strides to win the second of three splits for the $330,000 Stay Hungry Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace on Saturday (Oct. 2) at The Red Mile.

Leading to a :28.1 first quarter, Early Action let Pebble Beach brush by to the point into the backstretch and stayed put as River Ness advanced first over into a :55.3 half. Pebble Beach continued on the lead under minimal pressure to three-quarters in 1:23.2 before Early Action began to threaten off the turn.

With each stride, Early Action cut into Pebble Beach’s advantage until the Hunstville gelding eventually edged by just before the line to win by a head in 1:49.4. River Ness held third with Lous Sassin finishing fourth.

“[Brian Sears] does a great job,” winning trainer Joe Holloway said after the race. “He also has the ability to – once he left with him – to get him to relax in the two hole. He doesn’t need my advice. [Early Action] has improved. Unfortunately, we had to geld him, but after that the horse came around. He wasn’t paying attention to business. I’m not a big fan of gelding, never really had it work out too well. I’ve had two in my career and this is the second one. He’s a high speed horse and he’s coming along.”

A winner in six races from eight starts, Early Action has earned $124,408 for owners Val D’Or Farms and Ted Gewertz. Brian Sears piloted the $10.40 winner.

EARLY ACTION REPLAY

Longshot Nautical Hanover blew up the tote board and cracked the unbeaten streak of 1-5 favorite Gulf Shores when landing a 46-1 upset in the opening division of the Stay Hungry.

Danger Zone zipped off the wings from the pylon post to lead Loukes Perry into the first turn while Gulf Shores, who bobbled slightly behind the gate, floated to race sixth. By the first quarter in :27.1, Danger Zone kept the clip hot to a :55.1 half as Gulf Shores attempted to flush cover from the back, securing a third-over position when Nautical Hanover committed to race uncovered to the turn.

Nautical Hanover made steady gains on his pacesetting stablemate to three-quarters in 1:23.3 and promptly took over the lead straightening for the finish. Gulf Shores shot off cover and charged after Nautical Hanover coming to the final eighth, but could not overpower the late leader who hit the beam a half-length better in a 1:51 mile. Seaside Way rallied for third and Last Beach finished fourth.

“He raced great up in Canada in the Metro; he just got interfered with,” co-owner Brad Grant said after the race. “We might’ve been third or fourth, so I was kind of surprised. Unfortunately I didn’t get here in time [to bet him] – they were just going behind the gate when we walked in. So I’ll take the purse.”

In his maiden-breaking score, Nautical Hanover produced a $95.80 mutuel when making his 10^th start while pushing his bankroll to $101,764 for owners Brad Grant, VJ Stable, Jablonsky Held Stable and In The Gym Partners. Tony Alagna conditions the Captaintreacherous colt and Todd McCarthy sat in the sulky.

NAUTICAL HANOVER REPLAY

The final Stay Hungry division went the way of JM’s Finaltreasure, who launched from the pocket to win in 1:50.4.

Securing the lead to a :27.1 first quarter, JM’s Finaltreasure settled for the pocket up the backside as Wearinmysixshooter came rolling first over for the front. Wearinmysixshooter then led the field to a :55.1 half as an antsy Rose Run Xplosion blew off the pegs and rushed to the pacesetter around the final turn. However Rose Run Xplosion’s uncovered bid was brief and he began to back through the field to three-quarters in 1:23.1.

As the backfield circumvented the tiring horse, JM’s Finaltreasure had enough room to swing from the pocket and dash by a tiring Wearinmysixshooter through the lane to win by a widening two lengths. Captain Cowboy scooted up the inside for second, but a pylon violation in his rally disqualified him to fifth. PJ Lou assumed second, Atlas Hanover took third and Wearinmysixshooter finished fourth.

JM’s Finaltreasure won his fourth race from 10 starts, earning $205,063 for owners Burke Racing Stable & Weaver Bruscemi, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Phil Collura. The gelded Sweet Lou half-brother to Captaintreacherous had Yannick Gingras in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke and paid $5.20 to win.

JM’S FINALTREASURE REPLAY

Each division of the Stay Hungry Bluegrass 2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace was sponsored by the Stay Hungry Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.

Racing resumes at The Red Mile on Sunday (Oct. 3) with a total of nine stakes events spread through the $253,000 Captaintreacherous Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace, $208,000 Greenshoe Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot, $223,600 Bar Hopping Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Filly Trot and $150,000 Papi Rob Hanover Bluegrass 3-Year-Old Filly Pace. On the betting front, Sunday’s card will feature a $40,000 guaranteed pool for the Pick 5, spurred by an $8,282.07 carryover on the Saturday card. The Pick 5 encompasses Races 2-6 and carries a 50-cent minimum.

First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m. (EDT).

For full race results, click here.

by Ray Cotolo, for the Red Mile