High North finds room, holds on in Iowa Derby

It was not some master plan that led Florent Geroux to steer High North to the rail at the top of the stretch in the $200,000 Iowa Derby.

Geroux already had vacated that position after being locked behind horses around the far turn. But with nowhere to run outside two tiring leaders there was nowhere to go but inside them, and that turned out just fine. High North burst to the lead before the furlong pole and had just enough to hold off a closing Mr Freeze to win his second stakes race of the year.

“I was thinking about coming out, but I had no choice, so I shot through the inside and was able to get through,” Geroux said. “I’m glad it worked out that way. My horse showed a lot of courage.”

Battle at Sea went out to lead, but The Tabulator snuck inside him before the first turn making the front and the fence as that pair set early splits of 23.30 seconds and 47.18. High North broke from post 1 and held his position just inside the leaders, with Mr Freeze just to his outside. Hung farther out with no cover was Cool Bobby, who was bet to 5-2 but broke clumsily and never got much of a trip.

Six furlongs went in 1:11.73 as Geroux waited for a seam – for something – before finally making his move. While he went clear on the inside, Mr Freeze – showing some green-ness in just his third career start – was slightly hesitant to negotiate heavy traffic, and by the time he extricated himself from a clump of horses it was too late. Lionite, who appeared to be one-paced around the far turn, found late life closing in High North’s wake and finished third. Deep-closing Believe in Royalty dead-heated for fourth with Cool Bobby.

High North was timed in 1:44.35 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track and paid $6.60 as the 2-1 favorite. Brad Cox trains him for John Ed Anthony’s Shortleaf Stables, and the pair also campaigned High North’s sister, Benner Island, to win the 2017 Eight Belles Stakes. High North is by Midnight Lute and out of the Awesome Again mare Spacy Tracy.

Earlier this year, High North won the $150,000 Northern Spur Stakes at Oaklawn, and after a fourth-place finish in the Peter Pan at Belmont, High North was scheduled to start there in the Easy Goer Stakes on the Belmont Stakes undercard. A foot problem forced his scratch, but Cox had his horse right Friday – and a jockey that made the right move.