Mountaineer: Rapid Redux seeks 18th straight

Rapid Redux will go for his 18th straight victory Friday night when he will be heavily favored against seven others in a $14,900 starter-allowance at Mountaineer Park near Chester, W.Va.

Rapid Redux, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Pleasantly Perfect, has won 17 straight races since last being defeated on Nov. 18, 2010, at Penn National. He is owned by Robert Cole Jr. and trained by David Wells. DeShawn Parker will be aboard Rapid Redux breaking from post 7 in the one-mile, two-run race on the main track.

The Friday race, the eighth of nine, is scheduled for 9:55 p.m. Eastern.

Cole has said he intends to keep Rapid Redux in starter-allowance company as long as the gelding remains eligible for such races, which figures to be through the end of this year. In the next three months, a number of East Coast tracks will have starter races for which Rapid Redux is eligible.

The modern-day record for consecutive victories is 19, which is jointly held by reigning Horse of the Year Zenyatta (2007-2010) and the unbeaten Peppers Pride (2006-08).