Del Mar Futurity 2011: An unexpected victory for Drill
The Mike Harrington trained 9-10 hot favourite candidate, Creative Cause, was the point of discussion for all the spectators who had gathered at Del mar (USA) to watch the high-voltage action of the Del Mar Futurity (Grade 1) (2YO) (Polytrack) on September
7, 2011; but all were stunned with their fingers under teeth when an underdog runner, Drill, won the gorgeous race with a neck’s margin. That was a big upset indeed.
A total of 8 horses participated in the high-profile event that went down on the 7-furlong track. The action began at 5:45 PM PT.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Drill ran under Martin Garcia. In the early stage of the race, the bay and brown colt was trailing with Creative Cause and Majestic City on the lead. Soon after, the confident colt miraculously managed to put himself on the driving
seat.
Drill’s lead proved to be temporary as Creative Cause took on him within a few seconds. For some time, both the enthusiastic sprinters ran neck-to-neck, but shortly before the finish line, Drill increased his pace to the murderous extent and won.
With Creative Cause being the runner-up, Majestic City finished third on the podium. The fourth spot went to Gun Boat while Basmati grabbed 5th position. Sheer Talent stood 6th whereas Corsa Di Cavalli and Mighty Monsoon finished 7th
and 8th in the race.
From total of the $250,000 prize money, Drill walked away with $150, 000. Creative Cause bagged $50, 000 while Majestic City earned $30, 000.
That epic triumph proved to be big morale booster for Drill who went on to lift the ace title of the San Vicente Stakes (Grade 2) (Dirt) at Santa anita on February 19, 2012. He also notched up top spot in the Lazaro Barrera Memorial (Grade 3) (Cushion Track)
at Hollywood park on May 12.
With 2012 Del Mar Futurity event scheduled to be held on September 5, Dry Summer seems to be in the most favourable position to win. After breaking his maiden on July 28, the maverick runner is eyeing to lift the glorious title at Del mar. His trainer, Jeff
Mullins, is hopeful of the horse’s success. Good luck to him.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect Bettor.Com’s editorial policy.
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