Post-Race Analysis:
Nashville, Tennessee - May 14, 2005: Kinross Farm’s Sur La Tete,
the leading steeplechase earner of 2004, won his first unrestricted
Grade I stakes with a stirring stretch run in the $150,000 Iroquois
at Percy Warner Park.
Sur La Tete made the lead exiting the final turn but was quickly
joined by a surging McDynamo who had gradually worked his way into
the race after being last of eight in the early stages. The 2003
Eclipse Award winner reached even terms with Sur La Tete, but came
up short in the final yards. Sur La Tete simply found more in the
last furlong, drawing off to score by 2 1/2 lengths for jockey Chris
Read. McDynamo (Craig Thornton) was second with Bow Strada (Matt
McCarron) third. The winner covered the 3 miles and 18 fences in
5:47 3/5, and is trained by Neil Morris.
“The horse proved himself today,” Morris told the National Steeplechase
Association (NSA) after the race. “He’s been close, in the top three,
in these Grade I races before today. But to win a Grade I race,
it’s everything, a dream, these are your fantasies as a trainer.”
Second and third, respectively, behind Hirapour in the Royal Chase
(Gr. I) at Keeneland three weeks earlier, Sur La Tete and McDynamo
confirmed their quality, and Sur La Tete proved to be just a bit
better. The 7-year-old son of Sky Classic, bred in Kentucky by Rutledge
Farm, won for the second time this year and lifted his NSA-leading
total to $148,665 for the year with the $90,000 winner’s share.
The win was easily the most important of Read’s career. Also Morris’
assistant trainer, the jockey lost his apprentice allowance two
weeks earlier, and rode like a veteran at Nashville.
“McDynamo came right at us on that turn, and I could feel him,”
said Read. “I knew I just had to get a clear shot at those last
two fences in the stretch. He hit the ground running at both of
them. We just missed at Keeneland. To come back and do it here is
great.”
Sur La Tete, McDynamo and Hirapour will likely continue their rivalry
this fall, if not sooner. The next Grade I comes at Saratoga with
the $150,000 New York Turf Writers Cup at Saratoga in late August.
October’s $175,000 Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase will no doubt be on
their agenda as well.
Jumping Around: The three-mile Iroquois is the longest hurdle race
on the NSA calendar and is named after the first American-bred horse
to win the English Derby. . .Four Eclipse Award winners -- Flatterer,
Lonesome Glory, Correggio and All Gong . . . have won the Iroquois.
. .Other stakes winners (with trainer, jockey) Saturday were Whitewood
Farm’s Understood (Richard Valentine, Calvin McCormack) in the $50,000
Marcellus Frost Stakes, Irv Naylor’s Albert’s Crossing (Sanna Hendriks,
Jody Petty) in the $50,000 Mason Houghland timber stakes, and Lee
McKinney’s Feeling So Pretty (McKinney, Michael Traurig) in the
$30,000 Margaret Henley filly/mare stakes.
Edited from NSA press release.
The complete order of finish for the Iroquois is set forth below.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Sur La Tete |
158 |
Read |
Neil Morris |
Kinross Farm |
|
2
|
McDynamo |
158 |
Thornton |
Sanna Hendriks |
Michael Moran |
|
3
|
Bow Strada (GB) |
158 |
McCarron |
Calvin Houghland |
F. Bruce Miller |
|
4
|
Seafearing Man (S) |
158 |
Hodsdon |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Hudson River Farms |
|
5
|
Mon Villez (Fr) |
158 |
C. Miller |
Calvin Houghland |
F. Bruce Miller |
|
6
|
Shady Valley |
158 |
Walsh |
Vesta Balestiere |
Bruce Haynes |
|
7
|
Challenge (NZ) |
158 |
Aizpuru |
Hound's Cry Farm |
Thomas Kirlin |
|
PU
|
Mr. Perkolater |
158 |
Massey |
Mrs. S.K. Johnston, Jr. |
Kathy N. McKenna |
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Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Sur La Tete's five-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of Thoroughbred
Pedigree Query
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
| 1994 |
Tres Touche (7) |
Bentley |
158 |
Snowball Flannagan |
158 |
Duke Of Earl (Ire) |
158 |
| 2003 |
Pelagos (Fr) (8) |
Foley |
158 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (8) |
158 |
Storm Touch (7) |
158 |
| 2002 |
All Gong (GB) (8) |
B. Miller |
158 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (7) |
158 |
Flat Top (9) |
158 |
| 2001 |
Rand (NZ) (7) |
E. Lamb |
158 |
All Gong (GB) (7) |
158 |
Electron (8) |
158 |
| 2000 |
Pinkie Swear (6) |
Clancy |
154 |
All Gong (GB) (6) |
158 |
Greek Hero (7) |
158 |
| 1999 |
Rowdy Irishman (10) |
Marzullo |
156 |
|
|
|
|
| 1998 |
Rowdy Irishman (9) |
Marzullo |
156 |
|
|
|
|
| 1997 |
Correggio (Ire) (6) |
Kingsley |
156 |
|
|
|
|
| 1996 |
To Ridley (6) |
Clancy |
156 |
|
|
|
|
| 1995 |
Lonesome Glory (7) |
B. Miller |
156 |
|
|
|
|
| 1994 |
Mistico (8) |
Thornton |
168 |
|
|
|
|
| 1993 |
Mistico (7) |
S. Neilson |
168 |
|
|
|
|
| 1992 |
Victorian Hill (7) |
B. Miller |
168 |
|
|
|
|
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
