Taking full advantage of a rail-skimming trip into the stretch, Peter Vegso’s
homebred GO BETWEEN (Point Given) had plenty left in the tank to hold off 6-5
favorite Up an Octave (Brahms) in Sunday’s $100,000
Palm
Beach S. (G3) on Gulfstream Park’s firm turf. Cleverly handled by Edgar
Prado, the Bill Mott trained-sophomore, who had just broken his maiden in his
previous start, finished the grassy 1 1/8 miles in 1:45 4/5 to become his sire’s
first stakes winner.
As expected, Mr. Silver (Concorde’s Tune) bounded to the front from his
outside post and carved out an unhurried first quarter in :24. Diabolical
(Artax) then moved up smoothly on the inside to press the leader through a
half-mile in :48 and got his head in front through six furlongs in 1:11 3/5. Go
Between was striding very comfortably behind the top pair, with Up an Octave
lapped onto his outside.
On the far turn, a golden opening emerged for Go
Between on the rail, and Prado sent the colt through to take command, seizing a
one-length lead while getting the mile in 1:34 3/5. Up an Octave had to swing
around the floundering pacesetters coming out of the turn before delivering his
challenge in the stretch. Although he dourly reduced Go Between’s lead to a neck
at the wire, the winner may have just had a bit more
up his sleeve. Devil’s Preacher (Pulpit) made good progress late to grab third,
three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up, in his stakes debut.
“That hole opened up, and he got right through it and kicked on very
strongly,” winning rider Prado said. “He had just four starts and has potential.
I was very happy with his performance today.”
“Today was a big step up,” Mott’s assistant Ken McCarthy said, “but we had a
lot of confidence in him and thought he belonged in here. He’s still got a
little bit to learn, but Edgar (Prado) said that when that hole opened up along
the rail, he showed a lot of acceleration.”
The rest of the field was strung out. It was four lengths back to Diabolical
in fourth, trailed by Mr. Silver, Lord of Midnight (El Corredor) and Music from
Heaven (Songandaprayer). Lewis Michael (Rahy) was scratched, reportedly in favor
of pursuing main-track opportunities on the Triple Crown trail.
Go Between returned $12, $4.20 and $3 as the 5-1 fourth choice. Up an Octave
yielded $3 and $2.40, while 10-1 Devil’s Preacher paid $5.20 to show. The $1
exotics were worth $17.10 (exacta), $76.40 (trifecta) and $252.90 (3-4-5-2
superfecta).
With this victory, the chestnut’s scoreline reads 5-2-1-2 with $100,858 in
his account. As a juvenile, Go Between began his career with two tries on the
grass, placing in both, before winding up a distant third in the off-the-turf
Pilgrim S. at Belmont Park last October. After a freshening, he returned in
February with a stylish maiden victory over the Gulfstream lawn.
A Kentucky-bred, Go Between is out of Irish stakes winner and multiple Group
3-placed Mediation (Ire) (Caerleon). Continuing her career in America, she
finished second in the 1996 Jenny Wiley S. (G3) at Keeneland. She has also
produced 2004 Cherry Hinton S. (Eng-G2) third Extreme Beauty (Rahy) and a
juvenile full brother to Go Between, appropriately named Compromise. This is the
extended family of Sharpo, English and French champion sprinter in 1981-82, and
Yellow God, winner of the 1969 Gimcrack S. and runner-up in the 1970 English Two
Thousand Guineas.