Jersey Shore Stakes 2011 –Flashpoint wins under Cornelio Velasquez after Preakness loss
Back in the Preakness Stakes, Flashpoint had a point to prove that he can go beyond the seven furlongs mark to actually win a race.
The Wesley A Ward trained colt had a tricky predicament in the shape of 9.5 furlongs in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. After a blazing start off the gates, challenging Shackleford leading him by a neck, he faded away to finish dead last, 21 ¾ lengths behind
the leader Shackleford.
Flashpoint was coming off a long layoff in the Preakness Stakes where he was comprehensively beaten. Stopped after the Preakness Stakes and back to sprinting in the $143,000 Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes, this time around the layoff paid dividends as the three-year
old gray colt under rainy conditions blazed yet again but this time passed the finishing line with a massive seven lengths romp at Monmouth Park on 3 July.
The six furlongs distance at the Jersey Shore Stakes was ideal for Flashpoint, who has won a lone stakes race before Jersey Stakes, the Grade 2 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park, which was seven furlongs.
The roan colt registered his third victory over all, which increased his career bankroll to $255,200, after earning a whopping $90,000 in the Jersey Shore Stakes alone.
After the Hutcheson Stakes, Flashpoint connections were confident that the colt was ready for a Grade 1 challenge. They ran him in the Grade 1 Florida Derby but left it too late in the end and finished fourth.
On the drastically depleted field of four horses in the Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes, Flashpoint running on his favourite distance went between his rivals under jockey Cornelio Velasquez, took control of the stretch and surged past a wide open field to win
the race.
Originally the field consisted of seven horses but three were scratched including Cal Nation, which left the field wide open, with four to compete in an open race.
Trainer, Wesley A Ward, who took over Rick Dutrow to train Flashpoint, had a specific plan for the roan colt. He wanted jockey, Cornelio Velasquez, to work the horse at the back and then go all out. Taking into account the way he lost in the Preakness Stakes,
it is wise to hold back with Flashpoint in the beginning of the race and test him out with a long sprint.
Next target for the three-year old grey colt is the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga on 27 August. That race is a must win for any three-year old as the King’s Bishop Stakes is the premier race for three-year old sprinters in the country.
Churchill Downs winner, C J Russell, finished behind Flashpoint, with, Chipshot finishing third, and, Zero Rate Policy last.
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