Joe Labozzetta Photo

Durkin's Call loud and clear in Gander

by Keith McCalmont

Durkin's Call proved to be much the best in a compact four-horse field to capture the fourth edition of the $100,000 Gander, a one-turn mile for New York-bred sophomores, by a resounding 7 1/4 lengths at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Durkin's Call, purchased privately by Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch, and Christopher T. Dunn following a narrow nose score last out in an optional claiming tilt, was transferred to the care of Hall of Famer Bill Mott for his stakes debut.

Sent to post as the even-money favorite under Junior Alvarado, Durkin's Call settled comfortably outside of Kadens Courage in fourth position as Kosciuszko, under pressure from Pipes, marked the opening quarter-mile in 23.84 seconds on a fast main track.

Kosciuszko widened his lead into the turn marking the half-mile in 46.87 as Pipes chased in vain. Alvarado asked Durkin's Call to make his bid through the turn as Kosciuszko clung to a precarious lead, but there was no denying Durkin's Call, full of run, who swooped to the lead at the top of the lane and powered home to win in a final time of 1:37.90.

Kosciuszko completed the exacta by a neck over Pipes, with a distant Kadens Courage completing the running order. All four competitors are Gold members of the New York Racing Association Starter Loyalty Program. Captain Frost and Ventus were scratched.

Alvarado, aboard Durkin's Call for the first time, said he approached the race with confidence.

"I worked him three times since they got him in the barn. I was expecting something like he did today," said Alvarado. "He worked against other nice horses in the barn and he was better than them. I was expecting this type of run, but you have to see if they can transfer morning workouts to the races. He did."

The victory marked the eighth stakes win of the meet for Alvarado, who also captured Saturday's feature, the $100,000 Correction, with Startwithsilver. The veteran rider said he was impressed by the strong finish from Durkin's Call.

"I was waiting and by the three-eighths pole I had to make a little move just to make sure to keep the other horses right there, where I wanted them to be. Turning for home, I put him outside in the clear and asked him," said Alvarado. "After a few strides, he finished strong. He galloped out really good. We should have some fun with him going a mile an eighth; it shouldn't be a problem at all for him."

The Jump Start bay, bred in New York by Richard Zwirn, Kay Zwirn and Richard Golden, banked $59,125 in victory while improving his record to 3-1-1 from nine starts. He paid $4.10 to win.

Live racing resumes on Friday at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 1:30 p.m.