Good Reward for McGaughey in Hol Derby
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Shug McGaughey hadn't sent a horse to California for 11 years, since the fall Lure won the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita. It's quite a wait. But it wasn't long enough. Sunday's took more than 121 seconds. Still not enough time. No, not until a lengthy stewards inquiry was completed another five minutes later was Good Reward finally made the official winner of the Grade 1, $500,000 race that completed Hollywood Park's Autumn Turf Festival.
The wait was well worth it. Good Reward's value increased exponentially. The 3-year-old colt is by Storm Cat and is out of the top mare Heavenly Prize. This was his first stakes win, and it came in a Grade 1 race. Ka-ching.
"He helped decide where his stud career is now," said Graham Wolfram, the McGaughey assistant who accompanied Good Reward to California.
"Shug doesn't waste any trips," said winning jockey Jerry Bailey. "For him to come out here, he believed in his horse."
Good Reward got a perfect trip under Bailey, who also won Sunday's Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes with Intercontinental. He was able to get a clear run around the final turn, then battled on despite getting mugged twice near the top of the stretch. First, a tiring Fight Club floated Good Reward to the middle of the track. Then, in a chain reaction, Good Reward was bumped by Imperialism in his hind end, and ducked to his inside.
Good Reward held off Fast and Furious to win by a half-length. He was timed in 2:01.53 for 1 1/4 miles on firm turf. But not until the stewards ruled on their inquiry did the result stand.
"The horse next to me," Bailey said, referring to Imperialism, "hit my horse's ass. It wasn't his fault."
Imperialism wound up third. Timo was seventh, favored Blackdoun ninth - after finding his path blocked much of the race - and Fight Club 10th in the field of 13.
Good Reward ($34.20) was coming off a victory in the Storm Cat Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 10. He had won three times in 11 previous starts. Neither McGaughey, nor Ogden Mils Phipps, who owns and bred Good Reward, were in attendance.
Wolfram Good Reward would head to Gulfstream Park this week and be rested for a 2005 campaign.