Point Dume upsets Book’em Danno in G2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets
Bush Racing Stable’s Point Dume made every pole a winning one under Edwin Gonzalez, fending off the returning Champion Male Sprinter Book’em Danno by a neck to capture Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Carter presented by NYRA Bets, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trainer Tim Kreiser, who picked up his first graded win, cross-entered Point Dume in Saturday’s $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley at Laurel Park. However, Kreiser decided to take a shot in the Carter, squaring off against the reigning Eclipse Award winner and three-time New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year Book’em Danno, who was making his seasonal debut off a seven-month layoff.
“That was probably the only time we might get him, that long layoff, I said now is the time to try to hit him,” Kreiser said. “He’s been doing so good, we couldn’t just go for one hundred [thousand] at Laurel. We said it is time to go for a little money and see what happens."
Point Dume exited the inside post alertly and was hustled to the front to duel for the lead with 39-1 shot Acoustic Ave through an opening quarter-mile in 23.01 seconds over the fast main track with Book’em Danno squeezed back to stalk in fourth position after exiting post 2 under Paco Lopez.
“He was playing with his ears, nice and comfortable,” Gonzalez said. “I wasn’t worried too much because I know when I asked him [at] the end, he’ll give me something more.”
Point Dume led to the turn with the previously undefeated Rated by Merit making a wide move and last-out Listed Toboggan-winner Be You following his run. Book’em Danno was being ridden hard through the turn and lacked racing room as Point Dume maintained his pressured lead through a half-mile in 45.70.
Lopez and Book’em Danno muscled their way off the rail and angled outside of Acoustic Ave at the top of the lane, but Point Dume proved resilient on the front end and staved off the onrushing Champion to post the narrow score in a final time of 1:22.53.
The 62-year-old Kreiser said his first graded win was a long time coming.
“This is my 43rd year of being at the racetrack," Kreiser said. "I thought my heart stopped for about two seconds right before the wire.
"Me and Eddie [Gonzalez] have won a lot of races together up at Penn National," Kreiser added. "He was there for I don’t know how many years, but he won hundreds of races for me, there is no doubt. He is my kind of rider. We like speed. Go to the front, if they catch us, they catch us, if you have the best horse, they can’t catch them, right?”
Gonzalez said Point Dume proved to be very game as Book’em Danno made his late lunge.
“When he [Book’em Danno] was coming to him, my horse was waiting a little, and I go close to him and he pricked his ears and [battled] back at him to get the job done," Gonzalez said.
It was 1 1/2-lengths back to Be You in third with Rated by Merit and Acoustic Ave rounding out the order of finish. Quint’s Brew scratched in favor of the Whiteley, which he won at odds of 2-5 for trainer Ned Allard.
Point Dume entered on the back of a pair of prominent scores at Laurel Park, including a last-out 3 3/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Listed General George on Valentine’s Day in which Quint’s Brew finished third.
The 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding has risen from claim to fame after being haltered for $40,000 out of a second in July at Penn National and has since posted a 9-5-2-0 record including an additional stakes win in the M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile in October at Parx Racing.
Kreiser said he’ll enjoy the moment before finding a next spot for Point Dume.
"I have no idea, truthfully, right now. After that, to win that, we weren’t thinking that far ahead, obviously. We’ll see what we come up with,” Kreiser said.
Atlantic Six Racing’s Book’em Danno, trained by Derek Ryan, was carrying a field-high 124 pounds – two more than Point Dume - while making his first start since a hat trick of wins last summer at Saratoga Race Course. His Eclipse Award-winning campaign included Spa victories in the Grade 3 True North in June, Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt in July and Grade 1 Forego last out on August 23.
Ryan said the popular 5-year-old Bucchero gelding, named after the catchphrase from the television show Hawaii Five-O, will benefit from getting a race under his belt.
“The winner got a little loose on the lead,” Ryan said. “Paco said he probably should have went with him. But you know, seven [furlongs] off the layoff, I was a little afraid of the distance. I would’ve rather went six, but this will set him up for the rest of the year.”
Ryan said the nine-time stakes winner Book’em Danno is likely to return to the Spa for a title defense in both the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3, $400,000 True North on June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Forego on August 29.
“Saratoga, we aren’t going to do all of them [same races] this year,” Ryan said. “[Planning on] the first one [True North] and last one [Grade 1 Forego]. That’s a tough schedule, a year older, so overall, can’t complain.”
Point Dume, bred in Kentucky by Sea Horse Breeders, is out of the dual Grade 1-placed Malibu Moon mare Maya Malibu. He was originally a $450,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was initially trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. He banked $165,000 in victory while improving his record to 31-11-7-3 and returning $16.86 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Thursday at Aqueduct with a seven-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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