Wise Dan romps to a massive record breaking victory in the Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland
Morton Fink owned 5-year-old gelding, Wise Dan kicked off his 2012 campaign at the back of a Grade 1 win in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap last fall at Churchill Downs, as he picked up right where he left off with a massive win in the Grade 3, $150,000 Ben Ali
Stakes over at Keeneland and in the processing setting a new Keeneland poly track record.
Trained by Charles Lopresti, Wise Dan under jockey John Velazquez face 6 rivals over a distance of 1 1/8 miles, and early on in the race the pair positioned on the outside and race five wide going into the first turn.
Malcolm Pierce trained, Eye of the Leopard managed a slender lead in the early stages of the race, as the second choice, Rogue Romance, raced just behind the pace setter.
Eye of the Leopard carved impressive fractions over the poly track under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, with a swift quarter mile of 24.33 seconds and covering the half mile distance in 47.36 seconds, and meanwhile on the backstretch, Wise Dan held his nerve
and started to assert some pressure on the pace setter, and eventually inched clear of him.
Six furlongs were covered in 1 minute and 11.07 seconds, and by the time the pack reached the quarter pole, Wise Dan showed some real speed to go four lengths clear off of the second choice Rogue Romance.
Entering into the stretch, there was no competition, as the Kentucky bred son of Wiseman’s Ferry, out of mare Lisa Danielle by Wolf Power, Wise Dan was seven lengths clear at the furlong pole with Big Blue Kitten rallying late.
Under steady handling from Velazquez, Wise Dan managed to post a 10 ½ lengths victory over runner up, Big Blue Kitten as Rogue Romance wilted to finish last and Guys Reward third. The winning time for the 1 1/8 mile test was 1 minute and 46.63 seconds breaking
the previous record of 1 minute and 46.77 seconds of, Carriage Trail set in 2008, October.
"That was unbelievable," Velazquez told TVG. "I fought him down the backstretch until I couldn't fight him anymore. In the stretch I just shook my reins at him and he took off again. I couldn't pull him up. He was going to go around again with me. He did
it easy, though."
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