Jockey Jerry Bailey bided his time in fourth on Phipps Stable’s homebred GOOD
REWARD (Storm Cat) during the early running of Saturday’s $400,000
Manhattan H. (G1), started his run entering the backstretch then slipped
through on the inside to take the lead and pull away for a half-length win over
the firm turf. Sent off at 14-1, Good Reward returned nice payouts of $31.80,
$14.40 and $7.50 to his faithful backers while starting the $506 exacta and
$1,993 trifecta.
Artie Schiller (El Prado [Ire]) moved to the front out of the gate, setting
the opening quarter in :25, but was settled just behind the pace as Quest Star
(Broad Brush) took over through a half in :49 4/5. All the while, Good Reward
was running just behind them in fourth and was happy to take over second when
Artie Schiller started backing up slightly as Good Reward got three-quarters in
1:13 3/5 and a mile in 1:37. After slipping through on the rail, the eventual winner
pulled away to finish the 1 1/4-mile test in 2:00 3/5.
Relaxed Gesture (Ire) (Indian Ridge) rallied from near the back to take
second by a nose over Artie Schiller as Quest Star gave way in the stretch. The
runner-up paid $13.20 and $7.60 at 13-1 while show gave back $3.20 as the 9-5
favorite. Alost (Fr) (Highest Honor [Fr]) came from last to grab fourth, a
half-length back of Artie Schiller, and capped off the very nice $41,092
superfecta (2-8-1-5) as the 36-1 longshot in the 11-horse field. Angara (GB) (Alzao)
followed in fifth and next came Saint Stephen (Saint Ballado), Meteor Storm (GB)
(Bigstone [Ire]), America Alive (American Chance), Mustanfar (Unbridled), Quest Star
and Macaw (Ire) (Bluebird).
Good Reward vindicated his Hollywood Derby (G1) win from last year by taking
this one, moving his line to 16-5-1-4 and increasing his earnings to $782,353.
His other stakes win came in the Storm Cat S., also from last year, and the
four-year-old colt owns placings in the Maker’s Mark Mile S. (G2), Dixie S.
(G2), National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame H. (G2) and Mac Diarmida S.
The Kentucky bred colt is out of 1994 champion three-year-old filly, Heavenly
Prize (Seeking the Gold), whose eight stakes wins all came at the Grade 1 level.
The 14-year-old mare is also the dam of Grade 2 winner Pure Prize (Storm Cat),
an unraced juvenile filly named Flash By (Forest Wildcat), a yearling colt
called Electricity (Storm Cat) and an unnamed 2005 colt by El Prado (Ire).