Gemologist posts an easy win in a Gulfstream Park allowance race over Currency Swap
It was supposed to be a tough race for Gemologist, considering Currency Swap was thrown in the mix, but it was all just pre-race hype, and just made the race all the more intriguing with two stars going for a prep race ahead of the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas
Derby, in a 1 mile long allowance race over at Gulfstream Park’s dirt course on 16 March, 2012.
WinStar Farm owned, Gemologist got his 3-year-old campaign underway in sharp fashion and kept his unbeaten record intact after being perfect in 4 races, 3 of them won in his juvenile season, but the allowance race was a cake walk for the Todd Pletcher trained
colt.
The Kentucky bred son of Tiznow, out of mare Crystal Shard by Mr. Prospector, Gemologist was sent as the 7 to 10 favourite with jockey Javier Castellano aboard in a field of five three-year-olds.
Todd Pletcher after the race told the media that he will meet with WinStar Farm president Elliott Walden to discuss the near future of the colt. Pletcher said that it will be a debate between April 7 and April 14, which means that Gemologist will not be
pointed toward the Grade 1 Florida Derby, but the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass look more viable.
Though on the April 7 there is the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, so it will be a tough job for Pletcher to come up with the right race for his unbeaten colt.
"From a time standpoint it will be a race on either April 7 or April 14, and we’ll decide whether it will be better to have four weeks or three weeks to the (Kentucky) Derby (May 5),” he said.
In the Gulfstream Park allowance race, Gemologist excelled swing off the far turn and kept rest of the four at bay to win the race in 1 minute and 35.95 seconds over a track that was labelled good.
"He came off the layoff with a great performance. He was amazing. He did it on his own. He did it so easy,” Castellano said. “I was very impressed; he did it the right way and he’s heading in the right direction.”
The 6 to 5 choice, Currency Swap finished the race in second, was also unbeaten in his previous two starts, but clearly he hadn’t met someone like Gemologist before.
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