Winchester replicates sire with Sword Dancer win – Handicappers’ Edge

Posted by thizzfacedisco on August 29, 2011

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Winchester replicates sire with Sword Dancer win

The Sword Dancer was the fourth top-level win for Winchester (green silks) (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

Twenty four years after his sire, Theatrical (Ire), was elevated to first via disqualification in the Sword Dancer Invitational (G1), WINCHESTER (Theatrical [Ire]) gave owners Bert and Diana Firestone a second win in the 1 1/2-mile, 0,000 grass test at Saratoga on Saturday. as was the case in 1987, the stewards had a look into the stretch run of this Sword Dancer after a rider’s claim of foul against Winchester, but no change was made. Guided by Cornelio Velasquez to a three-quarters of a length victory, Winchester returned .20, .20 and .90 as the 5-2 second choice.

Reserved at the back of the seven-horse field for the opening mile, Winchester bided his time as Canadian invader Rahy’s Attorney (Crown Attorney) cut out fractions of :24 2/5, :48 3/5, 1:13 2/5, and 1:38 3/5 over the firm inner turf, solid splits for the 12-furlong distance. Maintaining an advantage of 1 1/2 to two lengths through the opening mile, Rahy’s Attorney saw his lead cut down to a half-length approaching the 1 1/4-mile mark as 2-1 favorite Boisterous (Distorted Humor) and dual Grade 1 winner Teaks North (Northern Afleet) began to advance. Winchester, meanwhile, began to circle the field with a five-wide bid into the stretch.

Rahy’s Attorney, who clipped off 10 furlongs in 2:02 3/5, dug in gamely through the lane and easily repelled Boisterous and Teaks North. However, the 5-1 chance could not turn back Winchester, who put in a powerful rally to take the lead with yards to go and was hand-ridden to the wire. While attempting to reel in Rahy’s Attorney, Winchester crossed over slightly into the path of 12-1 shot Al Kahli (Medaglia d’Oro), and it was that horse’s rider, Alan Garcia, who claimed foul against Winchester. After a review, the stewards found the infraction to be relatively minor and no change was made to the order of finish. Winchester completed the race in 2:26 3/5.

Rahy’s Attorney held off Al Khali for second by three parts of a length, with Teaks North 2 1/4 lengths farther behind in fourth. Boisterous, Bim Bam (Deputy Wild Cat) and classic winner Drosselmeyer (Distorted Humor) completed the order of finish. Grassy (El Prado [Ire]) was scratched.

"we got lucky and he’s a very nice horse," winning trainer Christophe Clement said. "That’s what good horses do — they overcome the trip, they overcome trouble, and we just got lucky. at the quarter pole he comes five or six wide and there was an objection against us, and, overall, we did get lucky. as you could see, we just came across when Al Khali was finishing, I still think Winchester was finishing better, but he did come across his line. The main thing is he won, which is great."

Rahy’s Attorney pulled up lame following the Sword Dancer and was vanned off the racecourse.

"He just pulled up lame but there’s nothing outwardly wrong," Dr. Larry Bramlage said. "it was the left front, but there’s nothing outwardly apparent."

Winchester began his career in Ireland under the tutelage of Dermot Weld. second in the 2008 Silver S. at the Curragh prior to unplaced efforts in the King Edward VII S. (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot and the Irish Derby (Ire-G1), Winchester made a spectacular U.S. debut in the Secretariat S. (G1) at Arlington Park, where he romped by 7 1/4 lengths. He lost his way for Weld thereafter, concluding the season with unplaced performances in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and Hollywood Turf Cup (G1).

Transferred to Clement for his 2009 campaign, Winchester endured a string of losses in graded company, despite often running well. The 2009 highlights were runner-up finishes in the Bowling Green H. (G2) and Sycamore S. (G3), along with a third in the W.L. McKnight H. (G2). Winchester opened 2010 with a rallying second in the Mac Diarmida S. (G2), but encountered trouble en route to his fourth in the Pan American S. (G3). in his remaining stakes stops last year, Winchester won the Manhattan H. (G1) over stablemate and dual grass champ Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat), finished third in the United Nation S. (G1), ran second by a neck in the Bowling Green, won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1), rallied for fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and wilted to 11th in the Hong Kong Vase (HK-G1).

Out of action due to several infirmities until July 23, Winchester reappeared in the Stars and Stripes S. (G3) at Arlington Park. despite the fact the race was transferred off the turf and onto the Polytrack due to inclement weather, Winchester ran a solid race in defeat when finishing second by two lengths over a surface he had never previously run over. That prep set him up well for the Sword Dancer victory, which boosted his career earnings to ,576,843 from a line of 23-6-6-2.

The Virginia-bred was produced by Irish Group 3 heroine Rum Charger (Ire) (Spectrum), whose youngest offspring are a yearling colt by Lemon Drop Kid and a 2011 colt by Medaglia d’Oro. Rum Charger is herself a half-sister to the Group 3-placed pair of Pakhoes (College Chapel) and Park Romance (Dr Fong). she is also a half-sister to the dam of Group 3 victress English Ballet (Danehill Dancer), third in the 2006 Fillies Mile (Eng-G1). Tracing the female line further back, one finds dual English highweight Erhaab (Chief’s Crown), hero of the 1994 Derby (Eng-G1).

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