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Two Down One to Go: Persevere wins Baltimore Crown
Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 13 years 0 weeks agoThe duo watched and they waited while a furious pace was set up front, but in the stretch two main contenders who share the same father swept through the pack and battled it out to determine who would seize the victory in the $1 million Grade 1 Baltimore Crown.
And in the final yards, Persevere edged away over North by a ¼ length winning the Black Eyed Susans, a ton of cash and his second straight jewel in the American Triple Crown races. The gallant colt powered the 1 3/16 miles on the dirt oval at Baltimore Race Course in 1:54 flat. It was a great day for the stylish winner but an even more memorable one for his sire, East who was nibbling his dinner while his offspring dominated the results of this great race finishing in the top three spots.
By winning this race, Persevere stamped himself as the favorite for the final and most brutal race in the series, the Long Island Classic in two weeks. A homebred from New York owned by Jon Xett, Persevere is also out of deceased mare, Prevail a daughter of Sunday Silence.
Persevere has had a pretty impressive career of seven wins in eight starts, his only loss being a second place finish in the Louisiana Jackpot behind Axel (who’s also by East) where after stumbling right at the start, he ran a game effort in the stretch. He won his two preparatory races impressively before capturing the Louisville Derby a week ago.
In this race, he ran up against another impressive son of East in North. This black colt out of Cloak (who’s by American Triple Crown winner and Hall of Famer Tremendous) is a half brother to Baltimore Crown winner Edict and former North American Champion Two Year Old Male Cape. He’s had a more checkered career breaking his maiden at two and then struggling a bit to hit the board in stakes races at a mile while two. He didn’t really start to get moving until he began stretching out at three with a solid second place finish in the Giacomo Stakes before he captured two stakes races including the Lexington Race Course Stakes. He appeared ready to move up in the Baltimore Crown and to crash the party of Persevere’s quest for the very elusive Triple Crown win.
The other prominent son of East, Triumph, had finished third in the Louisville Derby after a stirring win in the Sunshine Park Derby. Triumph was a $1.75 million purchase by owner Larry Burndorf from breeder Brianna McKenzie. His dam, Salute The Sky is by California (also well represented in the Triple Crown races)was the former North American champion three year old filly and has a pretty hot looking two year old son of Flames.
East had four sons lining up in the starting gate, including also Axel and although confident in his horse, Persevere’s regular jockey, Carlos Gonzeles remained calm and collected. When the gates opened, he let Persevere all back into the 11th place position in the back of the pack while Axel and Notoriously Best set a brisk pace. In the backstretch, Axel stretched out to a two length lead over Notoriously Best with Desert Kingdom just behind him. Persevere kept his cool while the horses up front kept up their fierce tempo. As the horses hit the far turn, Persevere had moved his way up into the seventh spot and Axel had stretched his lead even further.
But there was no room for feeling secure with any type of lead as the home stretch in the Baltimore Crown can be downright ruthless with many horses kicking it into gear with the pacesetters often feeling their early efforts begin to catch up with their enthusiasm. Persevere made his swooping move with North on his heels as their legs became pistons powering them towards the front of the pack. Soon after, the speed up front began to fold and muscles began to tire, while those with more fuel in the tank began to take over. Persevere proved the strongest and battled it out with North down the stretch with the very imposing Triumph just behind before he reached the finish line first. North placed second by a mere head over Triumph.
Persevere guided by his jockey after some frisky moves while galloping out went to the winner’s circle crowded by spectators to receive his accolades. He then jetted to Dare to Dream Stud in New York, just a stepping stone from Long Island Park which in two weeks, will see his date with destiny when all questions remaining about the final jewel of the Triple Crown will be answered.
And somewhere there in New York State, the black stallion with the signature blaze who at eight still has a lot of spring in his step and fertility in the bank. East is currently taking a breather and getting ready for the stampede of broodmares far and wide eager to grab themselves some DNA from this amazing stud who’s proven to be a formidable rival to his formal racing rival Awake As I Am as one of the hottest A-list dirt routing stallions in the fair kingdom of horse racing.