Sean Avery holds on to defeat favoured Trappe Shot in the Vanderbilt Handicap upset
The hard charging favourite Mill House owned Trappe Shot was outclassed by a resilient 17 to 1 Sean Avery to produce a stunner in the $250,000 Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on 7August, 2011, at the Saratoga racecourse.
The Black Swan Stable owned Sean Avery set a blistering pace to win by a nose from the all out favourite, Trappe Shot.
Allen Iwinski trained 5-year-old gelding has had quite a season, and with two wins and runner up finish in his previous three starts, it was hard to imagine that why he was dismissed at odds of 17 to 1 by the bettors.
It was an accomplished field of eight, and the most accomplished of them all was the favourite Trappe Shot, who was coming in to the race off an amazing 8 ½ lengths victory in the Grade 2 True North Handicap at Belmont Park on 11 June, 2011.
However, it was the long shot Sean Avery who went on to win his first graded stakes win of his career, despite fashioning a fine 2011 campaign.
During the spring, the 5-year-old gelding, Sean Avery, kicked off in fine style, as he landed an allowance claimer at Gulfstream Park on 15 April, 2011, over at a distance of 6 furlongs. Joe Bravo rode the gelding to his first win of the season clocked at
1 minute and 9.42 seconds.
This time around it was an exciting race which went right down to the wire. Sean Avery broke well under usual jockey Joe Bravo and opened up a lead of 2 lengths over Calibrachoa, on the way setting impressive fractions.
21.91 seconds for the quarter mile and he still edged over the rest crossing the half mile mark. Apriority sneaked into second place, as the 7 to 10 favourite Trappe Shot in fourth under John Velazquez tracked leaders on the outside after making a slow start.
Under much urging on to the deep stretch, Trappe Shot reached equal terms with Sean Avery, but he proved to be stubborn all the way.
It was a frantic finish as Sean Avery maintained his lead after some head bobbing and neck to neck stuff, Sean Avery got the nod with the final time of 1 minute and 9.71 seconds.
Sean Avery won his sixth in ten starts, and a $150,000 prize money which shot up his bankroll to $338,180.
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