New Jersey-bred Book'em Danno comes through for the hometown crowd in Mr. Prospector
:quality(75))
Book’em Danno Day came to a fitting end on Friday at Monmouth Park, with Book’em Danno stubbornly pulling away to win the $200,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths.
It wasn’t a glorified workout for the New Jersey-bred champion, nor was it the graded stakes-caliber race to which he is accustomed. Instead, it was a good, clean fight, the kind he has relished throughout his 19-race career.
“It's kind of weird everything has gone to plan for the last two years,” trainer Derek Ryan said. “You hate to say it, but this was perfect timing and it worked out the way I wanted it. Hopefully, we get one more race before the Breeders’ Cup.”
In his first race at Monmouth, his home track, in nearly two years, Book’em Danno was tested by a pair of salty Mid-Atlantic challengers but ultimately proved his class to notch his 10th career stakes victory. He remains undefeated in four starts in New Jersey.
A small army of owners representing Atlantic Six Racing poured into the winner’s circle after the race, requiring track officials to usher the group on to the track in droves for the photo.
“We got what we wanted and you’ve seen the crowd that was there,” Ryan said. “All the owners are local, so everyone got to see him.”
Anyone seated in the grandstand who wasn’t backing the the 5-year-old must have been awfully quiet, because with 16 minutes to post before the race, Book’em Danno was the only horse under 30-1. Others were inevitably bet down, but the favorite’s rock-bottom odds never wavered. He paid $2.20 to win.
In what might as well have been a coordinated offensive against the reigning Eclipse Award champion male sprinter, 6-1 second choice Quint’s Brew and New Jersey-bred longshot Boardwalk Jack both went for the early lead in the six-furlong sprint.
The two speedy underdogs hounded Book’em Danno and jockey Paco Lopez on either side on the backstretch. Quint’s Brew, who benefited from an inside position, took a short lead on the rail and completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.42 seconds.
“Quint’s Brew is a good horse,” Lopez said. “He has run some good numbers so I knew he would be pressing us. Everybody seemed like they had a little speed and I didn’t want to rush my horse just to make the lead. I know he can come from behind.”
Boardwalk Jack, who was plucky but overwhelmed for trainer Eddie Owens Jr., eventually relented to the top pair, but Quint’s Brew, a six-time stakes winner, showed more courage against the Grade 1 winner to his outside. Doroteo, Silver Slugger, and Full Moon Madness were never in contention.
Jockey Forest Boyce nudged Quint’s Brew along, and even after Book’em Danno advanced to take a short lead through a half-mile in 45.25, the Ned Allard-trained gelding stuck to him at the top of the stretch. Ryan said he wasn’t nervous watching the race live, but as he watched the replay from the winner’s circle, he reckoned that he probably should have been.
There are very few horses in this part of the world who could have extinguished Quint’s Brew’s fire at Monmouth, but Book’em Danno is undeniably one of them. Ryan said he has been “tearing the barn down” in training recently, and with a stubborn streak of his own, the heavy favorite kicked clear with authority, completing the six-furlong sprint in 1:09.37.
:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports
“He was very comfortable the whole way, even with all of the pressure he had,” Lopez said. “He sometimes waits for pressure. I think he’s a better horse this year than he was last year. He’s more mature, he has put on some weight, and he has a lot of confidence.”
Last month, Book’em Danno defeated the Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Bentornato by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 3 True North at Saratoga. Comparing margins of victory is an imperfect science, but in this case, Quint’s Brew’s 1 1/4-length defeat is inevitably flattering. He finished 4 1/4 lengths clear of Boardwalk Jack in third.
Ryan said he chose the Mr. Prospector, which doubled its purse on the condition that a multiple Grade 1 winner ran, because he did not want to test Book’em Danno in three straight graded stakes at Saratoga. The trainer swept the True North, Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt, and Grade 1 Forego last year, but he did that with the intent to skip the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup is at Keeneland on Oct. 31, and Ryan’s goal is to keep Book’em Danno fresh for it. He will likely return to New York for the Forego next month.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.