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Offshore Excursion Soars to Victory in Turf Mile
Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 14 years 3 weeks agoOffshore Excursion scampered down the stretch of the $2 million Grade I Steward’s Cup Turf Mile to prevail over All I Want to Tell by two lengths. The flashy dark bay colt with the stripe soared around the mile turf oval at New Orleans Park in 1:35.36 and in doing so won his second Steward’s Cup race in his career. Soon after, he was officially crowned the top male turf horse in North America.
Bred and owned by Ashley Gibson, this son of former European Champion Two Year Old Colt Fleet Admiral and stakes winner Mexican Wedding brought a record of 10 wins in 15 starts into this race. He broke his maiden quickly as a two year old at Barbados Racetrack and then went on to remain undefeated as a two year old winning the Benjamin Franklin Stakes and capping his season with a stirring win in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Turf. There he defeated the mighty James Madison by 1 ¼ lengths. He came back the next season and won the Cambridge Stakes before suffering his first defeat with his third place finish behind Trick of the Eye and Tenacious in the English Two Thousand Guineas after suffering from a poor start. He won or placed highly in three other stakes before finishing third in his first attempt at the Steward’s Cup Turf Mile behind Star Signs and Won’t Back Down last year.
This past season, Offshore Excursion picked up quick victories over Prince of Night in the Prix Fleet Admiral named after his sire and the Dubliner Mile. After placing second in the Grand Tower Stakes, he won his next two starts including the Golden State Mile, three weeks before the Steward’s Cup. With an impressive record under his belt Offshore Excursion shipped to the venue of what would be his final start on a mission.
While Prince of Night broke quickly to set the pace with All I Want to Tell, Offshore Excursion under a patient hold by jockey Payton Carter, maneuvered into the sixth position for much of the race around the tight oval. When the horses hit the stretch, Offshore Excursion quickly accelerated and took the lead before most of the other contenders knew what hit them. All I Want to Tell held on for second place by a ¼ length over Prince of Night who grabbed the third spot.
After his race, Offshore Excursion called it a career and has now began his second and hopefully longer lasting stint as a sire of turf horses to come including some who might try to emulate what he did by winning two different Steward’s Cup races during their careers.