Colonel Cooper gets his nose down for a huge upset in Radosevich Memorial

Colonel Cooper closed out the 2024 Ohio stakes calendar with a massive upset in the $75,000 Joshua Radosevich Memorial on Thursday at Mahoning Valley, recovering from an adventurous trip to nose out favored filly Parlay and return $126.60 to his backers.

Colonel Cooper was sent away as the third-longest shot on the board, as he came to his stakes debut off a maiden win in his sixth career start. The gelding was bred at his trainer Tim Hamm's Blazing Meadows Farm, and is co-owned by the trainer with S G M Thoroughbred Racing and Check Racing. Hamm also trains and co-owns multiple stakes winner Parlay, who he bred in partnership with WinStar Farm. Both are by Blazing Meadows stallion National Flag.

Colonel Cooper was last of 12 at the opening quarter after being bumped by the horses on either side at the break of the six-furlong race on a sloppy, sealed track. He wasn't alone; more than half the field made contact with at least one other horse at the start. Those did not include Parlay, who was in her preferred position near the front end, sitting a close second to Ronnis Second Wind through an opening quarter of 21.71 seconds and a half in 46.02.

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After passing the quarter pole, Parlay dispatched of her foe, and opened a 1 1/2-length lead into the stretch. But Colonel Cooper, who had been allowed to settle into stride by David Haldar, had worked his way into sixth near the quarter pole, while clear in the five path. Once straightened away and set down, he bore down on the favorite. Parlay dug in gamely, but missed by a nose.

The time for the six furlongs was 1:13.21.

After Parlay, it was 4 3/4 lengths to the other filly in the field, Perfect Date, who edged Professor Nick by a half-length for third.

Bobbie Bricker Memorial

One race earlier, Lucky Penny Rose ($35.80) also upset the day's co-featured $75,000 Bobbie Bricker Memorial Stakes for fillies and mares.

Lucky Penny Rose and jockey Chelsey Keiser were sixth as favored Miz Keeta had the lead through an opening six furlongs in a moderate 1:14.24. The mare launched a bid midway around the far turn, and came five wide in the stretch. She wore down the tracking Countess Colette and a fading Miz Keeta, then kicked clear in the final sixteenth for a 3 3/4-length win.

The time for the one mile and 70 yards was 1:46.80.

Countess Colette was second by 1 1/2 lengths over defending race winner Mobil Chic. Miz Keeta faded back to fifth.

This was the first career stakes win for Lucky Penny Rose, a veteran campaigner who has now won seven of 47 career starts. The mare, trained by Ivan Vazquez, came into the Bobbie Bricker off a fourth-place finish in the Leona's Reward Stakes, won by Mobil Chic, last month.

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