Red Crescent takes full advantage of speed bias in romping win

MIAMI – They had run seven races over the main track since the Gulfstream Park West meet opened prior to Thursday’s $46,000 allowance feature. All seven of them were won in wire-to-wire fashion.

Obviously, not every trainer or rider had been paying attention to the decided track bias up to that point. Luckily for the connections and backers of Red Crescent in the main event, his trainer, John Vinson, was.

Breaking from the rail, Red Crescent was hustled along by jockey Albin Jiminez to somewhat surprisingly make the early lead inside favored Cool Arrow, who was rated outside and off the pace during the early going of the seven-furlong dash. And at that point, the race, for all intents and purposes, was over.

Riding the golden rail over the speed-favoring track, Red Crescent readily shook off Cool Arrow upon settling into the stretch, ultimately drawing away to a 6 1/2-length victory with his final time of 1:22.07 just .25 of a second off the track record set at the old Calder Racecourse 23 years earlier.

“He’d trained well into the race and it appeared to me from watching the races the first two days that speed was an advantage,” Vinson said. “So I told my rider to take him away from the pony in the post parade and warm him up good. And if he was sharp leaving the gate, to go for the lead. I was probably as surprised as anybody else, I guess, that he was actually able to get to the front shortening up to seven furlongs. He had never done it before, but once he got there he sure was impressive.”

Thursday’s victory was the sixth in 40 starts for Red Crescent, who joined Vinson’s barn nearly two years ago. He had earned a career-high 90 Beyer Speed Figure winning a conditioned optional claimer going a mile over a sloppy track earlier this year at Gulfstream and a similarly conditioned event over a fast track at the same distance by 3 1/4 lengths in July.

“He’s capable of running some big races when at his best,” Vinson said. “Obviously, he likes it at Calder, and the track helped him yesterday. We had talked about giving him some time off this winter when the better horses come down this way, but off that effort we’ll probably try to run him at least once more at Calder and then see what happens.”

My Favorite Gift comebacking

A field of seven older fillies and mares will decide Sunday’s $46,000 main event going six furlongs on the main track.

If the speed bias, which stretched to 10 consecutive wire-to-wire winners Friday, still prevails, the rail-drawn My Favorite Gift may prove the one to beat if hustled away from the outset under current leading rider Leonel Reyes. My Favorite Gift returns from a lengthy hiatus for her new trainer, Jose Garoffalo. She won her only start at Gulfstream Park West by 18 1/2 lengths a year ago and has been working well for the return.

Other key contenders include Sean’s Idea, who finished second, beaten a length by similar, going seven furlongs two starts back, and Royal Asscher who gets some much needed class relief after having finished third in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney earlier this summer at Gulfstream Park.