No Advantage upsets Schaefer Stakes

BALTIMORE - The sire Posse was a sprinter, and his offspring generally are assumed to be sprinters, too, but for No Advantage, a son of Posse, a switch to two-turn racing has brought out his best. No Advantage finished fifth in the $615,000 Charles Town Classic on April 18, his first true route race, but Saturday at Pimlico, he won the Grade 3, $100,000 William Donald Schaefer Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths.

"Everybody says that Posses can't go long, but this one can," said Joe Besecker, co-owner of No Advantage with Kirk Wycoff and Suarez Racing.

Four-year-old No Advantage was purchased locally for $14,000 at a local 2-year-old sale in 2007 and boosted his career earnings to more than $167,000 with his victory Saturday. The colt has traveled the country this year, moving from Southern California to Louisiana before landing in the Mid-Atlantic region again with trainer Stephanie Beattie. No Advantage has won 3 of 4 starts since joining Beattie's stable and was not a bad fifth in the rich Charles Town Classic.

Saturday, under jockey J.D. Acosta, No Advantage tracked the pace of Real Merchant, who went to the lead from an inside post under jockey John Velazquez, going clear through fractions of 24.51 seconds for the quarter-mile and 48.05 to the half. Acosta moved early, going after Real Merchant on the far turn, and No Advantage was up to the task. He drew even with the pacesetter at the top of the stretch and pulled away through the final furlong. The winner was timed in a fine 1:42.79 for 1 1/16 miles on fast dirt and paid $28.40. Real Merchant dead-heated for second with favored Ea, who was compromised by a stumbling start.