Fappie's Notebook wins Deputy Minister

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The beneficial scratch of expected favorite Hook And Ladder, coupled with a scalding pace that fried the front-runners, combined to propel late-running Fappie's Notebook to a narrow victory in Sunday's $100,000 Deputy Minister Handicap* at Gulfstream Park.

Fappie's Notebook just did get up in the final strides to nail Twilight Road and win by a head. Binthebest was another 2 3/4 lengths back in third. Kipperscope and Explicit, who dueled through torrid fractions, tired to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the field of seven.

Fappie's Notebook, a 5-year-old son of Notebook trained by Manny Tortora, covered 6 1/2 furlongs on a good track in 1:16.19 for his ninth victory in 18 lifetime starts. He was bred and is owned by Irv and Marje Cowan.

Hook And Ladder, who is unbeaten in four starts at Gulfstream, was the race's morning-line favorite, but he -- and two other Sunday entrants trained by John Kimmel -- all were scratched when the track came up off. As a result, Fappies Notebook was sent off the 7-5 favorite of the crowd of 15,415, and he paid $4.80 to win.

Fappie's Notebook had his cause aided by a red-hot pace. Explicit and Kipperscope traded volleys through an opening quarter-mile in 21.95 seconds, and a half in :44.34. Both were exhausted by the time the field turned into the stretch.

Twilight Road, who had sat in a perfect striking position, took over with a furlong remaining. But he drifted out badly late under jockey Rene Douglas, allowing Fappie's Notebook to roar down the middle of the course to prevail under jockey Jorge Chavez.

"The last sixteenth I wasn't sure, and I was very happy to see that other horse drift out," Chavez said.

Douglas was dejected. "I thought I won the race," he said. "He was getting out."

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