After a troubled Gotham Stakes, Raconteur returned to nab the Private Terms Stakes
Dogwood Stable owned 3-year-old colt, Raconteur, broke his maiden at sixth asking this year at Aqueduct’s dirt course, going over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on 6 January, 2012, defeating Five Sixteen and Knock Rock, who finished second and third, respectively,
while covering the distance in 1 minute and 55.80 seconds.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, pointed his Kentucky bred colt straight to an allowance/optional claimer over at Aqueduct at about 1 mile and 70 yards, which the colt won in fine fashion, covering the distance in 1 minute and 42.87 seconds, defeating Two Seventeen
in second and Summer Sunset in third on 3 February, 2012.
Pletcher then introduced the son of A. P. Indy to graded stakes company, and a run against the juvenile champion of 2011, Hansen, in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct over a distance of 1 1/16 miles.
Raconteur finished seventh on the day to winner, Hansen on 3 March, 2012, as My Adonis finished second.
However, it was a matter of finding Raconteur the right race, and Todd Pletcher did it for once with Raconteur and pointed him toward the Private Terms Stakes, which the colt won after being sent as the favourite at Laurel Park on 17 March, 2012.
Out of mare Miss Kate by Storm Cat, Raconteur did justice to his elite pedigree as he nipped Hakama right at the end with a head’s margin to take the $76,500 Private Terms Stakes.
After his troubled run in the Gotham Stakes, Raconteur was cut back in distance to a mile, covering the distance in 1 minute and 37.69 seconds on a fast track, going over the one turn distance for the first time in his career.
Raconteur sent at 9 to 5 in the Private Terms under jockey DeCarlo, showed a little early pace but then came off it to collar Hakama in the end.
“I didn’t want them to get too far ahead of me because speed had been holding all day,” said DeCarlo said. “I know in his other races he had been a little further back and I started niggling on him at the five-eighths pole. When we passed the first wire
I didn’t know if I’d get to him. I was actually lucky it was the second wire."
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