Rarified Air ($61.78) rallies, holds off Ocean Pointe in Rushaway Stakes
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FLORENCE, Ky. - Rarified Flair, making the first start of his 3-year-old campaign, returned with a flourish, closing late and edging Ocean Pointe for a longshot exacta in the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday at Turfway Park.
Rarified Flair, with Chris Landeros in the irons for trainer Ken McPeek, rallied in the stretch and then held off Ocean Pointe, who closed from 10th and even farther outside, by a neck. He returned $61.78 to win and combined with Ocean Pointe for a $1,337.80 exacta.
While the top two were just uncorking their runs, Midnight Rising, who was coming off an impressive Turfway debut victory over older horses, had gotten first run and briefly held a length lead on favored Santorini, who had gotten a perfect stalking trip to that point. Santorini, on the inside, refused to concede and those two battled to the wire inside of the top two and just a length back, with Santorini nosing out Midnight Rising in the photo for third.
The final time for the 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta was 1:45.45.
Rarified Flair, an Honor Code colt campaigned by the McPeek family's Magdalena Racing and partners, won once from six starts last year, taking a maiden special weight on the Saratoga turf in August. He went on to contest a pair of stakes later in his campaign, finishing second in the Kitten's Joy at Colonial and fourth in the Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland. The Rushaway marked his first start since finishing sixth in a Keeneland allowance race on Oct. 29.
"Kenny had confidence in him," Landeros said. "He said he was going to run big."
One race earlier, it was the opposite story on the toteboard, as favored Eye Witness ($3.42) was a handy five-length winner of the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters under Irad Ortiz Jr.
The colt finished the six furlongs in 1:11.76 while easily dispatching second choice Olzabal, who led through the opening half. Brazen Boy was well back in third.
The New York-bred Eye Witness was a maiden winner on New Year's Day at Turfway for trainer Wesley Ward while making his second career start.
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