The Nth Degree celebrates his anniversary

LEXINGTON, Ky. - One year to the day after picking up his first stakes victory, The Nth Degree scored his second stakes win, scoring an upset in Sunday's Grade 3, $110,200 Shakertown Stakes before a crowd of 9,076 at Keeneland Race Course.

His victory Sunday came on April 15, just as his previous stakes victory had in 2006 when he took the Yankee Affair Stakes at Gulfstream Park. As in that race, his margin of victory was the same, a neck.

Racing over a "good" turf course soaked by rain the previous day, The Nth Degree ($26.80) was always well placed in the Shakertown, rating in fifth place early under jockey Eddie Castro. Midway around the turn, The Nth Degree began to advance, and through the stretch he gradually wore down the leaders and outfinished runner-up Congo King by a neck.

Although wide throughout, the ground loss mattered little over the drying-out course. He appeared to stay in the best part of the course, as did Congo King.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Bert and favored In Summation raced along the inside and both came up empty late, finishing third, and fourth, respectively.

The Nth Degree, a 6-year-old gelded son of Distorted Humor out of the Dixieland Band Coastal Wave, raced 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.94, after stalking the pace of Cognac Kisses and Lifestyle.

Castro, who was aboard when the gelding won the Yankee Affair Stakes last year, said The Nth Degree was beaten to an opening at the top of the stretch of the Shakertown, but "then he came on."

The Nth Degree's victory capped an exciting weekend for his connections. Saturday the horse was announced as being the Colorado-bred horse of the year for 2006, trainer Eduardo Caramori said.

The Nth Degree earned a $68,324 payday for winning the Shakertown, a victory that swelled his earnings to $213,304 for owner-breeder Rodney J. Winkler. He has won 5 of 27 starts.