70-1 Shot All Squared Away Pulls Coolmore Lexington Shocker;
Flash Mash Takes Giant’s Causeway
LEXINGTON, KY (April 21, 2012) – Altamira Racing Stable and Wire to Wire Racing Inc.’s All Squared Away, the longest shot in the field of 11, held off favored Summer Front by 1 ½ lengths to win the 31st running of the $200,000 Coolmore Lexington (G3) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles before a crowd of 23,823 on Saturday at Keeneland.
Trained by Wesley Ward and ridden Julio Garcia, All Squared Away paid $143.20 to win, breaking the stakes-record payoff of $83 established by Slew’s Tizzy in 2007.
Johannesbourbon, making only his second career start, and Castaway dueled through fractions of :23.21 and :46.54 while under pressure from Hammers Terror. Garcia had All Squared Away in fourth and in the clear in the run down the backstretch.
Leaving the far turn, Castaway began to drop back as Johannesbourbon and Hammers Terror dueled for the lead into the stretch with Garcia moving All Squared Away three wide and with dead aim at the leaders.
Hammers Terror put away Johannesbourbon, but could not hold off All Squared Away, who took the lead at the sixteenth pole and held on to complete the distance in 1:42.55.
All Squared Away is a Kentucky-bred son of Bellamy Road out of the Posse mare Squared. The victory was worth $120,000 and improved All Squared Away’s bankroll to $164,180 with a record of 9-2-2-2. He was sold for $3,000 at Keeneland’s 2009 November Breeding Stock Sale.
All Squared Away returned $143.20, $45.80 and $17. Summer Front, who rallied from far back under Ramon Dominguez, returned $5.20 and $4 and finished a neck in front of Hammers Terror, who finished third under Robby Albarado and paid $9.40 to show.
It was three-quarters of a length back to Gold Megillah, who finished fourth and was followed in order by Golden Ticket, Holiday Promise, Johannesbourbon, Skyring, Castaway, News Pending and Morgan’s Guerrilla.
In the race preceding the Coolmore Lexington, Prime Equestrian’s Flash Mash collared Well Deserved in deep stretch to win the 16th running of the Giant’s Causeway for fillies and mares by a half-length.
Ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., Flash Mash rated in third place early on as favored Inspired set fractions of :21.37 and :44.45 over a firm turf course and held the lead until the eighth pole when Well Deserved took over and held the lead until just before the wire.
In giving trainer Michael Stidham his first Keeneland stakes victory since Bold Answer won the 2001 Appalachian, Flash Mash covered the 5½ furlongs in 1:03.19.
The victory was worth $60,000 and increased Flash Mash’s earnings to $196,316 with a record of 9-5-2-1. Flash Mash is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Smarty Jones out of the Miswaki mare Magical Flash.
Flash Mash returned $17.40, $8 and $4.80. Well Deserved, ridden by Julien Leparoux, paid $12.80 and $6.20 with Classy Zip rallying for third another half-length back under Javier Castellano and paying $3.80 to show.
It was another half-length back to Inspired, who finished fourth and was followed in order by Indulgence, Smartys Emperoress, Fortune Play, Wild About Marie, Extravaganza and Grand Illumination.
Racing continues Sunday with a nine-race program that begins at 1:05 p.m. (ET). Sunday’s feature is the 82nd running of the $150,000 Ben Ali (G3) at 1 1/8 miles on the main track that is headlined by the 2012 debut of multiple graded stakes winner Wise Dan. Post time for the Ben Ali is 4:42 p.m.
