Post-Race Analysis:
July 13, 2002 - New Kent, VA: Invest West captured the $50,000
Grade III David L. "Zeke" Ferguson Memorial Stakes, defeating
Tres Touche by 1 1/2 lengths. P.C. Plod finished third 2 3/4 lengths
behind Tres Touche. Invest West covered the 2 1/4 mile distance
of the Ferguson in 4:09.75, well off the stakes record of 3:59.20
established by Spring Salute in 2000.
Invest West, who was in receipt of eight pounds from Tres Touche,
was content to bide his time early, settling into 5th place in the
field of 7 before challenging for the lead the around the final
turn. Tres Touche had lead from the start of the 5th edition of
this mid-summer classic until he was collared in the stretch by
Invest West. Tres Touche battled back gamely when Invest West drew
along side of him at the top of the stretch, and those two battled
head-and-head over the last fence. The eight-pound weight advantage
then began to tell, as Tres Touche gave way grudgingly to lose by
1 1/2 lengths.
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Champion jockey Blythe Miller and Hall-of-Fame
trainer Jonathan Sheppard accept the trophy from the Ferguson
family. Wendy F. Kingsley photo
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Invest West is a home-bred product of George Strawbridge,
Jr.'s Augustin Stables. The 7-year-old son of Private Account is
out of the regally-bred Seattle Way (by Seattle Slew), a daughter
of Champion turf mare Waya (Fr). Prior to his victory in the Ferguson,
Invest West had finished third in the $30,000 Miles Valentine Stakes
at Fair Hill on Memorial Day, his only other start this year. Invest
West did not run over jumps last year, but was undefeated in two
starts in 2000, including a victory via disqualification in the
Grade I Carolina Cup. He is trained by Hall-of-Fame conditioner
Jonathan Sheppard.
"I've had Invest West since he was a yearling," said
Sheppard after the race. "I liked him when was young, when
I asked him to go fast he kept galloping, like he was an endurance
horse with no acceleration. As soon as we put him to jumps in his
3-year-old year he started doing very well. He could be a Breeders'
Cup horse, but I'm not sure yet." Invest West missed all of
last year due to tendonitis in his front legs. When asked to comment
on that situation, Sheppard told the NSA that "He's never had
a full bowed tendon, but he's got somewhat enlarged tendons and
we just keep an eye on them."
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Blythe Miller won the Grade III Ferguson
on Augustin Stable's Invest West and leads all active steeplechase
jockeys with over 200 career victories. Ted Cushny photo
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Invest West was ridden for the first time by Blythe Miller, who
is the leader in career victories among all active steeplechase
jockeys, having made over 200 trips to the winner's circle. "He
really dug in," said Miller after the race. "Tres Touche
was having things his own way while my horse had every reason to
get tired, but he didn't. He kept trying. In the last eighth of
a mile Tres Touche started to come back to us - finally - and it
gave my horse a little more confidence."
Contrarian Stables Tres Touche has now finished first or second
in all three of his starts so far this year. Prior to his game second
place finish in the Ferguson, the 5-year-old son of Poles Apart
(by Danzig) had won the $40,000 Little Everglades Stakes in March
and finished second in the Grade II Atlanta Cup in April. Tres Touche
put together a solid record last year as a novice, finishing second
to Praise The Prince in the Grade I Hard Scuffle before winning
an allowance race at Saratoga and the Foxbrook Novice Stakes at
Far Hills.
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Matt McCarron, shown here on Greek Hero,
rode P.C. Plod to a third place finish in the Grade III Ferguson.
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Kinross Farm's P.C. Plod failed in his attempt to become the first
horse this year to capture three steeplechase stakes races. The
5-year-old son of Pleasant Tap (by Pleasant Colony) was content
to bide his time near the back of the pack early before rallying
to finish a good third. P.C. Plod has started six times this year,
winning two $30,000 ungraded stakes (the Imperial Cup and the Miles
Valentine), finishing second in two other stakes races (the Stoneybrook
Stakes and the Grade III Temple Gwathmey) and finishing fourth in
the Grade I Iroquois prior to his third-place finish today in the
Ferguson.. He is trained by Neil Morris and was ridden by Matt McCarron.
Wendy Hendrick's Hunt Lane ran at the back of the pack early, made
a bold move into third place at the top of the stretch and then
flattened out. The 10-year-old son of Sword Dance (by Nijinsky)
was making his first start in over 15 months in the Ferguson. He
is trained by Ricky Hendricks and was ridden by Gus Brown, the leading
steeplechase rider in each of the last two years.
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Tres Touche lead from the start in the
Ferguson and gave way grudgingly in deep stretch.
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Mrs. F. Eugene Dixon, Jr.'s Indispensable, who won the Ferguson
last year at odds of 24-1, was dispatched at 3-1 this year. The
8-year-old son of Mane Minister (by Deputy Minister) raced in mid-pack
before fading through the stretch to finish fifth. Indispensable
is now winless in five trips to the post since last year's Ferguson,
although he was first under the wire in the $30,000 Miles Valentine
Stakes on Memorial Day, only to be disqualified for interference
at the last fence and placed second. He was ridden by Chip Miller,
the leading steeplechase rider in 1996.
Pierre Manigault's Little Hurt finished sixth in the Ferguson beaten
20 1/2 lengths. That was an improvement over his last start, which
came in last year's edition of the Ferguson when he was fifth beaten
45 lengths. The 8-year-old son of Broad Brush (by Ack Ack) has not
visited the winner's circle since 1999 when he captured a novice
stakes at Montpelier'. He is trained by Bruce Rosenbaum was ridden
by Robert Massey.
Dr. John K. Griggs' dropped out of the race around the last turn
and was eased by jockey Arch Kingsley, Jr.
The complete order of finish for the Grade III Ferguson is set forth
below.
Click here for Daily Racing Form past
performance charts for the Ferguson.
Past performance charts are provided by the Daily
Racing Form.
To play the Steeplestakes.com Spring 2002 Handicapping Contest
click here.
The Ferguson is named for David L. "Zeke" Ferguson, a
Richmond, Virginia resident who was a long time steeplechase supporter
in the United States. Zeke Ferguson owned Leeds Don, the National
Steeplechase Association's timber Champion in 1965 and 1966. Trained
by A. Ridgely White, Leeds Don won The Virginia Gold Cup three consecutive
times from 1965-1967.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Invest West |
150 |
B. Miller |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Augustin Stables |
|
2
|
Tres Touche |
158 |
Bentley |
Ricky Hendricks |
Contrarian Stables |
|
3
|
P.C. Plod |
158 |
McCarron |
Neil Morris |
Kinross Farm |
|
4
|
Hunt Lane |
146 |
Brown |
Ricky Hendricks |
Wendy Hendricks |
|
5
|
Indispensable |
154 |
C. Miller |
Jack Fisher |
Mrs. F. E. Dixon, Jr. |
|
6
|
Little Hurt |
146 |
Massey |
Bruce Rosenbaum |
Pierre Manigault |
| PU |
Electron |
154 |
Kingsley |
John K. Griggs |
John K. Griggs |
| Winner: |
Invest West - Dark Bay or Brown Horse, April
05, 1995
Bred by George Strawbridge, Jr. in PA |
| Pedigree: |
Private Account - Seattle Way , by Seattle
Slew |
| Pgm |
Horse |
Win |
Place |
Show |
Total WPS
Pool: $30,343 |
| 1 |
Invest West |
8.60 |
4.20 |
3.40 |
|
| 7 |
Tres Touche |
|
4.60 |
3.20 |
|
| 5 |
P. C. Plod |
|
|
3.00 |
|
| Wager Type |
Winning Numbers |
Payoff |
Pool |
Carryover |
| $2 Exacta |
1-7 |
41.80 |
24,827 |
|
| $2 Trifecta |
1-7-5 |
156.40 |
18,862 |
|
| Pgm |
Comment |
| 1 |
Invest West: unhurried early, advanced outside
horses, drew clear, driving |
| 7 |
Tres Touche: pace, dug in late, gave way grudgingly |
| 5 |
P. C. Plod: unhurried early, rallied |
| 3 |
Hunt Lane: stalked pace, weakened |
| 4 |
Indispensable: inside, outrun |
| 6 |
Little Hurt: pressed pace, gave way |
| 2 |
Electron: dropped back, eased |
| Footnotes
|
|
INVEST WEST advanced outside
horses, bid for the lead on the last hurdle then drew clear.
TRES TOUCHE set the pace and gave way grudgingly. P. C. PLOD
, unhurried early, rallied. HUNT LANE stalked the pace and
weakened. INDISPENSABLE raced inside horses and was outrun.
LITTLE HURT pressed the pace and gave way. ELECTRON dropped
back and was eased.
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back to top
Pedigree of Winner:
INVEST WEST, G, 1995 DP = 6-5-13-0-0 (24) DI = 2.69 CD = 0.71
SUNGLOW
SWORD DANCER 1947
1956 HIGHLAND FLING II
DAMASCUS 1950
1964 [IC] MY BABU
KERALA 1945 [B]
1958 BLADE OF TIME
PRIVATE ACCOUNT 1938
1976 TOM FOOL
BUCKPASSER 1949 [IC]
1963 [C] BUSANDA
NUMBERED ACCOUNT 1947
1969 SWAPS
INTRIGUING 1952
1964 GLAMOUR
1953
BOLDNESIAN
BOLD REASONING 1963
1968 REASON TO EARN
SEATTLE SLEW 1963
1974 [BC] POKER
MY CHARMER 1963
1969 FAIR CHARMER
SEATTLE WAY 1959
1990 AMBIOPOISE
FARAWAY SON 1958
1967 LOCUST TIME
WAYA 1955
1974 BLUE PRINCE
WAR PATH III 1951
1963 ALYXIA
1951
Pedigrees compliments of Del
Mar Pedigree Query
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
| 2001 |
Indispensable (7) |
Delozier |
145 |
Avanico (9) |
144 |
Al Skywalker (8) |
154 |
| 2000 |
Spring Salute (6) |
Thornton |
142 |
Al Skywalker (7) |
140 |
Pompeyo (6) |
148 |
| 1999 |
Pinkie Swear (5) |
Clancy |
144 |
Ninepins (12) |
146 |
Campanile (5) |
154 |
| 1998 |
Flat Top (5) |
Patterson |
142 |
Approaching Squall (4) |
142 |
Mario (7) |
150 |
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
