A dense fog obscured the field for Saturday’s $250,000
Carter H.
(G1) so much that Aqueduct cameras were unable to show a pan shot until the
stretch run, and at the finish the result of the ancient seven-furling feature
was still less than clear cut. In the end, it was A. Stevens Miles Jr.’s
WARRIOR’S REWARD (Medaglia d’Oro) who made a successful rally from the rear of
the six-horse field to prevail by a nose over Musket Man (Yonaguska), who also
raced near the back of the field for much of the contest. Under Julien Leparoux,
the 7-2 third choice returned $9.10, $4.40 and $2.50.
The head-on camera view was able to pick up the particulars of the backside
journey. Digger showed the way through splits of :22 4/5 and :45 4/5, tracked in
second by longshot Elusive Warning (Elusive Quality) with the 6-5 favorite
Munnings (Speightstown) a wide fourth. At the head of stretch, Digger and
Elusive Warning were split by the on-coming Musket Man, who had saved ground
throughout while fifth down the backside. His lead at the eighth pole proved to
be short-lived, however, as Leparoux had guided Warrior’s Reward to the outside
for a clear run turning for home and charged home full of run. The battle
between the two intensified in the final yards, but it was Warrior’s Reward who
won the head bob in a time of 1:21 3/5 over the fast track.
“This is horse that needs to be relaxed and he relaxed very well today,”
Leparoux said. “I moved up on the turn just to get a little position and he just
dragged me all the way to the front. He’s a real nice seven-eighths to a mile
horse and I think one turn will be best.”
Musket Man returned $3.40 and $2.10 at 8-5, while Munnings failed to muster a
rally and finished 4 1/2 lengths in back of the runner-up. He paid the mandatory
minimum of $2.10. The exacta was worth $26.40 and the 2-4-5 trifecta returned
$41.60. Elusive Warning faltered to fourth and was trailed by the entrymates
Digger and Driven by Success (Precise End).
The Carter was the first career stakes win for the Ian Wilkes-trained
Warrior’s Reward, who placed in half of his six stakes appearances as a
three-year-old last season. A head second in the Northern Dancer S. (G3) at
Churchill last June, he stumbled badly at the start of the Dwyer S. (G2) in his
follow-up, but managed to rally for third as the 4-5 favorite. His luck better
was in the Jim Dandy S. (G2) where he finished second, but unplaced efforts in
the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), Travers S. (G1) and Perryville S. (G3) suggested his
future was in one-turn races on dirt. He entered the Carter off a narrow
allowance win at Gulfstream going seven furlongs, and has now earned $418,442
from a mark of 12-3-4-1.
Bred in Kentucky by Jayeff ‘B’ Stables, Warrior’s Reward was $180,000
Keeneland September yearling. Produced by For All You Do (Seeking the Gold), he
has a juvenile half-brother named This Buds for Us (Dixie Union) and a 2010 full
brother. This is the family of English champion filly and Irish classic winner
Forest Flower (Green Forest), multiple Grade 1 winner High Yield (Storm Cat) and
multiple Grade 2 queen Miss Golden Circle (Crafty Prospector).