Red Oak Stable’s FOREVERNESS (Island Whirl) was sent off the 12-1
second-longest shot on the board in Saturday’s $109,000
Fort
Marcy H. (G3) at Aqueduct, but the Gregory Sacco-trained gelding outran both
his odds and five rivals to take the 1 1/16-mile test by 4 1/2 lengths. With
Eibar Coa aboard, Foreverness stopped the clock in 1:42 4/5 over the firm turf
while paying $26, $10 and $4.40 to his faithful backers.
Ecclesiastic (Pulpit) wasn’t the quickest from the gate, but still managed to
grab the lead and set the pace through :23 3/5, :49 and 1:13 3/5 fractions, all
the while tracked by Pa Pa Da (Incurable Optimist). Tiring going into the final
turn, he soon found Foreverness ranging up and couldn’t hold on as the eventual
winner pulled off.
Pa Pa Da held for second by a head at 9-1 over the hard-charging Sabre d’Argent
(Kris S.), the 6-5 favorite, and gave back $9.20 and $5.20 while ending the $126
exacta. Sabre d’Argent had to overcome a tight start and came with a late run to
finish 1 1/2 lengths in front of fourth-place finisher Charimount (Charismatic).
Show was worth $2.50 and finished the $309.50 trifecta (1-2-3). Completing the
order under the wire were Ecclesiastic and Big Booster (Accelerator). Bailero
(Arg) (Roy), Bahama John (Saint Ballado), Happy Hunting (Seeking the Gold),
Kennel Up (Joyeux Danseur) and Watchmon (Maria’s Mon) were all main-track only
entrants and scratched.
Foreverness earned his first stakes victory here, but also owns placings in
three other black-type events, including last year’s Bob Harding S. He moved his
line to 22-5-4-4 with $278,898 in lifetime earnings with this one. The
seven-year-old chestnut is out of the winning Dearness (Affirmed) and counts
Grade 1-placed All the Boys (Foreign Survivor) as a half-brother.
Bred in New York by Harbor View Farm, Foreverness sold for $102,000 at the
2002 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic July sale.