Throckmorton wires the $150K Awad
Gold Square’s Throckmorton made a successful stakes debut by wiring Sunday’s $150,000 Awad, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for juveniles, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Jose D’Angelo, the Caracaro bay entered from a third-out graduation by 1 1/4 lengths sprinting five furlongs over the Gulfstream Park Tapeta on September 14. On Sunday, Throckmorton, trying turf for the first time in his fourth start, continued a run of winning form for D’Angelo, who captured last week’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint [Bentornato] and Turf Sprint [Shisospicy] at Del Mar.
Piloted by Samuel Marin, Throckmorton broke inwardly from the inside post, but quickly assumed command over the off-the-turf debut winning filly Zuby with Squad Goals settling into third position and Glorious Boy the trailer through an opening quarter-mile in 23.26 seconds over the firm turf.
“I asked him a little bit, and he went forward,” Marin said of hustling to the front after not the sharpest of beginnings. “When he took the lead, I tried to slow the pace down and they did let me, so I was happy with the way he was travelling out there.”
Throckmorton was tracked by Zuby down the backside and extended his lead slightly in the turn as Squad Goals, who stumbled at the start, saved ground in a stalking third position. Throckmorton spun the field into the lane with a one-length lead through the half-mile in 45.93 and ran on when straightened for home.
Zuby and Squad Goals gave chase, but Throckmorton was never seriously threatened as he won by 1 1/4 lengths over the Hall of Famer Javier Castellano-piloted Glorious Boy, who rallied up the rail late for place honors, in a final time of 1:08.91.
Zuby landed a neck back in third and Squad Goals completed the order of finish. The D’Angelo-trained Uncle Aldo, Gypsy Art, who is entered in a local maiden on November 14, Should’ve, who ran eighth in Friday’s Stewart Manor here, and main track-only entrant Hong Kong Phooey were scratched.
“He was just galloping out there,” Marin said. “He was doing his own thing. I didn’t force him to do nothing until down the stretch when he switched. I asked him a little bit, and he took off. He did his own thing.”
Throckmorton, prior to his third-out graduation, posted a pair of distant thirds in dirt sprint maidens contested over sloppy and sealed footing at Saratoga Race Course, including to subsequent Grade 1-placed Curtain Call in July and in an off-the-turf event in August to Belgian, who returned to run fifth in the Grade 3 Futurity here.
Castellano said the Carlos Martin-trained Glorious Boy was game to close for second despite tepid early fractions.
“He finished really strong,” said Castellano. “With a couple more jumps maybe we could have got it done. I wish there could have been a hot pace but that first quarter in 23 and change got me and when they picked it up, it was too late.”
Bred in Kentucky by Sierra Fria Farm, Throckmorton, a $250,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the winning Goldencents mare Whatarocket. His third dam is Grade 3-winner Bella Bella Bella. He banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 4-2-0-2 and returning $4.24 for a $2 win bet as the post-time favorite.
Live racing resumes Wednesday at Aqueduct Racetrack with a nine-race card. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.
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