Post-Race Analysis:
Camden, South Carolina - November 16, 2008: Good Night Shirt completed
an undefeated season with a gutsy victory in the $150,000 Grade
I Colonial Cup at Springdale Race Course, running down Preemptive
Strike in deep stretch to score by a neck. It was another 6 1/2
lengths back to Best Attack who finished third. Good Night Shirt
covered the 2 3/4 miles over 17 natural brush fences in 5:17 4/5,
well off the stakes record of 5:04 3/5 set by Hirapour (Ire) in
2004.
The victory should seal the 2008 steeplechase Eclipse award for
Good Night Shirt, who increased his career bankroll to $934,493
(third all-time behind McDynamo and Lonesome Glory).
|
|
|
Good Night Shirt was undefeated in five
Grade I races this year and sealed the 2008 steeplechase Eclipse
award with a victory in the Grade I Colonial Cup.
|
Owned by Sonny Via and trained by Jack Fisher, Good Night Shirt
jumped the last fence a length behind the front-running Preemptive
Strike and then rallied determinedly to wear down Preemptive Strike
in the final yards. The win was the fifth this year for Good Night
Shirt, who remains undefeated in his last six starts - all Grade
I races - going back to last year's Colonial Cup. The 7-year-old
son of Concern started the year with a win in the Georgia Cup at
Atlanta in April and then headed to Nashville and won his second
consecutive Iroquois in May. After his usual summer freshening he
returned in September to win the Lonesome Glory at Belmont Park
for the second straight year and answered any doubts about his ability
to handle Far Hills with an easy 4-length win in the Grand National
October 18th.
"Preemptive Strike really took it to us today," winning jockey
Willie Dowling told the NSA after the race. "Today proves that he
[Good Night Shirt]'s a fighter too when they throw it to him. It's
a long run from that last fence, but I was glad to have that today.
I'm so happy for the horse that he finished on a good note. He deserved
to do it. Everybody wants to see a race and they saw a race today
-- and the champ won."
|
|
|
Preemptive Strike led the Colonial Cup
until the final yards of when he grudgingly gave way to Good
Night Shirt.
|
Good Night Shirt earned $90,000 for today's victory and pushed
his seasonal total to $485,520, and NSA record. Once known for his
propensity to err over at least one hurdle during a race, Good Night
Shirt has turned into a polished professional in 2008. His competition
can no longer expect the champ to give them a second or third chance.
Good Night Shirt's victory over McDynamo in last year's Colonial
Cup clinched the Eclipse Award and signaled a changing of the guard
in the sport of steeplechasing. With McDynamo's retirement at the
end of last season, Good Night Shirt entered 2008 as the heir apparent,
and he did not disappoint. Good Night Shirt won five of the seven
unrestricted Grade I steeplechase stake races contested in the United
States in 2008, making him odds-on to repeat as this year's steeplechase
Eclipse award winner.
|
|
|
Best Attack (right), shown here finishing
second in the Athenion Idol November 2nd, finished third in
the Colonial Cup.
|
JUMPING AROUND: In other action at Springdale Race Course, Lilith
Boucher sent out Mede Cahaba Stable's Class Bopper (Richard Boucher
up) to win the $25,000 Raymond Woolfe Memorial for 3-year-old hurdlers;
Arcadia Stable's Bubble Economy (Xavier Aizpuru up) won the $20,000
open timber race for the trainer jack Fisher; Desmond Fogarty saddled
Irv Naylor's Dubai Sunday (Darren Nagle up) to win the $25,000 maiden
hurdle race, and Ken Ramsey's Slip Away (Padge Whelan up) won a
$20,000 starter allowance hurdle race for trainer Tom Voss . . .
With one meet remaining on the calendar, Jack Fisher leads the trainer
standings 25-23 over Tom Voss and holds a commanding lead in the
earnings race . . . Xavier Aizpuru won his 21st race of the season
to clinch his second consecutive jockey championship . . . The season
concludes at Palm Beach, Florida on November 29th.
Edited from NSA press release
Click
here for a video of the 2008 Colonial Cup
The complete order of finish for the Colonial Cup is set forth
below.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Good Night Shirt |
156 |
Dowling |
Jack Fisher |
Harold A. Via, Jr. |
|
2
|
Preemptive Strike |
156 |
Petty |
Sanna N. Hendriks |
Polaris Stables |
|
3
|
Best Attack |
156
|
Young |
F. Bruce Miller |
Sarah J. Radcliffe |
|
4
|
Dark Equation |
156 |
McCarron |
Doug Fout |
Mrs. Beverly R. Steinman |
|
5
|
Pleasant Pick
|
156 |
Kingsley |
Arch Kingsley |
High Hope Stables |
back to top
Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Good Night Shirt's 5-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of PedigreeQuery.com
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
|
2007
|
Good Night Shirt |
Dowling |
156 |
Three Carat (7) |
156 |
Sovereign Duty (5) |
156 |
|
2006
|
McDynamo (9) |
Petty |
156 |
Mon Villez (Fr) (7) |
156 |
Hirapour (Ire) (10) |
156 |
|
2005
|
McDynamo (8) |
Petty |
156 |
Hirapour (Ire) (9) |
156 |
Erin Go Bragh (NZ) (6) |
156 |
|
2004
|
Hirapour (Ire) (8) |
McCarron |
156 |
Preemptive Strike (7) |
156 |
Sur La Tete (7) |
156 |
|
2003
|
McDynamo (6) |
Thornton |
156 |
Lord Zada (10) |
156 |
Pelagos (Fr) (8) |
156 |
|
2002
|
Flat Top (9) |
Massey |
156 |
Tres Touche (5) |
156 |
All Gong (GB) (8) |
156 |
|
2001
|
Lord Zada (8) |
Brown |
156 |
All Gong (GB) (7) |
156 |
Al Skywalker (8) |
156 |
|
2000
|
Romantic (8) |
Kingsley |
156 |
Campanile (6) |
156 |
All Gong (GB) (6) |
156 |
|
1999
|
Ninepins (12) |
Kingsley |
156 |
Muscle Car (5) |
156 |
Campanile (5) |
156 |
|
1998
|
Flat Top (5) |
Ryan |
156 |
Romantic (6) |
156 |
Dictador (8) |
156 |
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
