 WinStar Farm's Commissioner went out on a high note Nov. 28, ending his career with a 2 1/2-length victory in the $250,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (gr. II) at Hawthorne Race Course. Watch Video
The 4-year-old from the final crop of champion A.P. Indy retires to stud at WinStar near Versailles, Ky. for 2016, where he'll stand for a $7,500 fee.
BLOOD-HORSE STAFF: Commissioner to WinStar Farm for 2016
Rating close to the pace in the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup, Todd Pletcher-trained Commissioner tracked third outside under jockey Florent Geroux while Majestic Harbor showed the way down the backside. Early fractions of :23.50 and :47.24 went up while the order remained unchanged, Majestic Harbor maintaining the advantage by about three-quarters of a length with Valiant City in pursuit and Commissioner galloping along wide behind them.
As three-quarters went in 1:11.21, Majestic Harbor widened the advantage to about two lengths, but then Geroux gave Commissioner the signal to advance. The bay colt rolled steadily to the lead in a prolonged drive for home, taking over for a 1:37.80 mile and finishing in 2:02.09 on a fast track.
"He's a very big, heavy horse and it takes him a while to get going, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't taking him back too far ... I wanted to make sure I was forwardly positioned," said Geroux. "When I asked him to go, he showed he was the best today."
Commissioner, favored at 4-5 and the 119-pound highweight in a field of eight older runners, paid $3.60, $2.60, and $2.10. Neck 'n Neck, who closed to get second, brought $4 and $2.60. Majestic Harbor held for third, worth $2.60. Completing the order of finish were Street Spice, Valiant City, Lahshad, Mister Marti Gras, and Fordubai.
The winner was bred in Kentucky by WinStar out of the Touch Gold mare Flaming Heart, and built a 5-3-2 record from 15 starts that includes victories in the Pimlico Special (gr. III) and Skip Away Stakes (gr. III) earlier this year. His earnings stand at $962,237. |
