The 6-year-old Rail Trip is going back to Ronald Ellis, presented as a Christmas present for the trainer.
Trainer Ron Ellis finally has his top colt, the veteran 6-year-old gelding, Rail Trip, who looked good in his last start in the Sunny and Mild Stakes, despite losing under jockey Ramon Dominguez.
Ron Ellis got the news on 18 December, 2011.
“He got here yesterday,” the 51-year-informed from his Hollywood Park headquarters on 19 December, 2011. “It’s a nice Christmas present. He grabbed a quarter in his last race and required stitches. It was a pretty nasty gash.”
Though he stumbled at the beginning of the race, and couldn’t muster up a good break, Rail Trip, tightened his grip on the race and the track, half way into the race, but he always needed a miracle to recover from the stumble and go all the way.
He still kept it real and finished a powerful fifth in the Sunny and Mild Stakes at Aqueduct race track on 17 November, 2011, to winner, Ron the Greek, who covered the 1 1/8 mile on dirt in 1 minute and 51.83 seconds, while Bigger is Bettor and Most Happy Fella finished second and third, respectively.
“He’ll walk at my barn until Jan. 1 and we’ll go from there, so at this point, I don’t really have any plans for him (race-wise),” Ellis said. “Needless to say, I’m pretty happy.”
When he started off with Ellis, Rail Trip went on to land his first five starts on the go, followed by strong performances in his next two starts, when he finished second in back to back races.
Against a quality runner, Rail Trip finished second to winner, Ball Four, in the Grade 2 Mervyn Leroy at Hollywood Park in 2009, and in his next race, Rail Trip blew a lot of steam when he came from way behind to finish second to winner, Informed, in the Grade 2 California Stakes, also at Hollywood.
Then came the big race, the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup, which Rail Trip won over the classic distance of 1 ¼ miles, defeating Tres Borrachos in second and Life is Sweet in third position.
Rail Trip managed to win both, the Grade 2 Mervyn Leroy Stakes and the Grade 2 California Stakes, in 2010.
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