Wise Dan comes from behind to impress the Clark Handicap crown after an emphatic win
Owner Morton Fink and trainer Charles Lopresti bypassed Wise Dan from the River City Handicap to race in the Grade 1, $572,500 Clark Handicap maybe on the lines of personal satisfaction because of what happened last year.
The connections of Wise Dan won the 2010 edition of the Clark Handicap with Successful Dan, only to find out that a disqualification has taken the winning rights away from Successful Dan. However, no one can take it away from them this year after Wise Dan’s emphatic win over a solid field in the Clark Handicap.
There were no mishaps by Wise Dan this time as he cruised to win by a margin of 3 ¾ lengths to land the first grade 1 race of his career after wearing down Mission Impazible in the dying stages of the race.
Another Fink homebred did the job for him by winning the first grade 1 race of the fall meet. The win was a huge one for Lopresti as well after facing the agony of winning the race just to find out later that his pair obstructed somewhere in the race.
“I was really disappointed last year,” said the Keeneland-based Lopresti, who three weeks ago sent out Turallure to a narrow defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. “It’s a dream come true to be back here with this many good horses.”
Jockey John Velazquez in irons aboard Wise Dan was riding the Kentucky bred 4-year-old gelding for the first time and looked in command throughout the race when he tracked the early pace set by Will’s Wild Cat.
In the 1 1/8 mile Clark Handicap, Mission Impazible, just behind Will’s Wildcat took over the pace setter turning for home and assumed the leaders’ position.
Wise Dan eyeing the switch from afar, found a second gear in the stretch and then there wasn’t any contest from then on as Wise Dan overhauled Mission Impaizble with ease to finish the race in style and also with a convincing margin.
Though Mission Impazible turned out to be a clear cut second after finishing 2 ¾ lengths over the 2 to 1 favourite Flat Out.
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