Bear River reels off third straight win in Dade Park Dash

Bear River didn’t cross the finish first until the 11th start of his career but now has won three in a row after posting a game 1 1/2-length victory in the $124,500 Dade Park Dash on Thursday, opening day at Ellis Park.

Scheduled for turf, the Dade Park was rained onto dirt, losing three horses to scratches while run over a muddy, sealed racing surface. No fans attended the races, either, owing to what Churchill Downs Inc. in a press release called a maintenance problem.

The surface switch posed no problem for Bear River, who earned a January maiden win through disqualification and won outright for the first time over a sloppy track in May at Churchill Downs. Bear River came back a month later and went wire to wire in a no-conditions 3-year-old turf allowance race, making it three straight Thursday with a front-running score under James Graham.

Bear River ($6.14) broke sharply from the rail and dueled with 4-5 favorite Barksdale through a 22.10 first quarter-mile. Barksdale might’ve nosed ahead around the turn, but Graham patiently and coolly kept his mount in the game, Bear River taking over again through a half-mile in 44.54. How’s Ur Attitude and Committee of One tried to run at Bear River, who held firm through the final furlong to win convincingly, running 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.78. How’s Ur Attitude held second by a head over late-running Committee of One.

Keith Desormeaux trains Bear River for Charles Marquis. Bred by Dreamfields Farm, Don Brady, and Brendan Burke, the chestnut ridgling is by Flameway out of Sixtyfivenorth, by Midshipman.

It took quite a bit of losing, but Bear River has got the hang of this winning thing.

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