R Clear Victory Part of Elliott's Three-Race Sweep | |
| By Francis LaBelle Jr. | April 20, 2008 |
Jockey Stewart Elliott rode three consecutive winners Sunday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack, including a wire-to-wire victory aboard R Clear Victory in the featured 28th running of the $79,800 Kings Point Handicap for New York-breds at nine furlongs on the main track. Elliott, delivering on all of his mounts for the day, began his streak with a victory aboard Venus Rosewater ($6.70) in the second race and ended it in the fourth race aboard Valentina’s Grace ($5.30). In between, he had perhaps his easiest ride when he guided Coastal Racing Stable’s R Clear Victory to a front-running, four-length victory over Shuffling Maddnes in the Kings Point in 1:50.22. “There isn’t much too say,” said Elliott, who nursed his mount through fractions of 24.97; 49.23; and 1:12.98. “He relaxed and got the right trip. He beat some pretty good New York-breds today. He’s a pretty nice horse when things go his way.” A former claimer who halted a three-race string of second-place finishes on Sunday, R Clear Victory returned $9 for his victory. “Stewart (Elliott, jockey) did a good job of getting him to relax,” said Toby Sheets, assistant to winning trainer Steve Asmussen. “The horse was off the bridle, and he helped us out a lot. We never make decisions until we see how a horse comes out after a race, but Steve (Asmussen) has a lot of options with him.” According to Sheets, one possibility for R Clear Victory, a 5-year-old son of 1998 Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop, is the Claiming Crown on Saturday, August 2 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. is one such option. Shuffling Maddnes got a head in front of Prince of Peace for the place. Tommaasi and favored Naughty New Yorker trailed. |









