Teaks North to start his 2012 campaign on a high in the Fort Lauderdale Stakes
The multiple grade 1 winning Jules Boutelle and Resolute Group Stables owned 5-year-old horse, Teaks North, gets another campaign in the 2012 season, and he will kick off things in the Grade 3 Fort Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 14 January, 2012, at about 1 1/16 miles on turf, a race that is restricted for 4-year-old and above males.
The Florida bred son of Northern Afleet, out of mare Teaksberry Road by High Honors, Teaks North established his national credentials when he posted a victory last year in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, being sent at 25 to 1 odds.
He downed the likes of Smart Bid in second, and Get Stormy in third, in the 1 1/8 mile test on 5 February, 2011, his first start of the 2011 campaign.
The Justin Sallusto trained horse didn’t stop there as he bounced back after 3 consecutive non placed finishes to win the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes at Monmouth Park on 12 June, 2011, also at about 1 1/8 miles, under jockey E Castro.
Teaks North downed the distance in 1 minute and 48.56 seconds and in the process, kept Sleepless Knight at bay in second, and Get Stormy again in third.
He didn’t stop there, and in his next start, Teaks North ran the race of his racing career to win the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park, going over the marathon distance of 1 3/8 miles on 2 July, 2011.
E Castro was again aboard the horse, as she came off the pace to sweep past his opponents to win the event by defeating Chinchon and Stacelita, at second and third, respectively, covering the distance in 2 minutes and 13.28 seconds.
The field was packed with international talent, but Teaks North wasn’t pressurised by any of that as he kept his composure and wound down the race by an emphatic late rally.
Teaks North ended the 2011 season with a disappointing eighth place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at about 1 ½ miles, but he will look to get going in the Fort Lauderdale, a stepping stone for the more lucrative $300,000 Florida Sunshine Million on 28 January, 2012.
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