Charles Town or Laurel may be site of Rapid Redux's shot at 18 straight

Rapid Redux’s pursuit of Thorougbred racing’s all-time record for consecutive wins will continue this weekend. Exactly where and when, however, remains uncertain.

A 5-year-old gelding trained by David Wells, Rapid Redux has won 17 straight races since last December, two shy of the North American record shared by 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta and the New Mexico-bred mare Peppers Pride. He is part of an eight-horse field entered for Friday’s eighth race at Charles Town, a $5,000 starter allowance with a purse of $25,000.

He is not guaranteed to run at Charles Town, however. Owner Robert Cole, who claimed Rapid Redux for $6,250 last fall, said the horse will be cross-entered in a $5,000 starter allowance, worth $17,000, scheduled for one mile at Laurel Park on Saturday. Entries for Saturday’s Laurel card will close on Tuesday.

Laurel also has a five-furlong starter allowance in its condition book for Tuesday, Oct. 18.

During his streak, Rapid Redux has won races at seven different tracks, with seven different jockeys, while racing at seven different distances ranging from five furlongs to 1 1/8 miles.

By winning his 17th in a row last month, Rapid Redux moved past four horses to take sole possession of racing’s third longest streak. The group with 16 straight wins included all-time greats Citation and Cigar.