Red Mile: Creatine captures 121st Kentucky Futurity
Home cooking did the trick in the $368,900 final of the Kentucky Futurity on Sunday afternoon as 15-1 outsider Creatine, trained in the Bluegrass by Bob Stewart, rallied off second over cover to storm past heat winners Royalty For Life and Your So Vain and score a dramatic upset.
The victory was the second straight for Hall of Famer driver Mike Lachance, who captured last year’s Kentucky Futurity with My MVP.
Royalty For Life, who appeared to have something left in the tank during his 1:53 3/5 elimination win, took the field first into the turn in the final for Brian Sears. The Hambletonian champion cut out rated fractions of 27 4/5, 55 4/5 and 1:24 mostly under solid rating. Your So Vain, who captured a $79,050 elimination heat for driver Tim Tetrick earlier in 1:54 4/5, attacked without cover through the third quarter and gained on the pacesetter into the stretch. That advance towed Lachance and Creatine into the homestretch over the sloppy and obviously tiring surface.
[DRF HARNESS: Sign Up for the FREE DRF Harness Newsletter Today!]
As the mud settled and a host of pursuers came charging down the lane, Creatine emerged a length winner in 1:53 2/5.
Creatine, who entered the Futurity off three consecutive wire-to-wire wins but finished second in his elimination heat while tracking Royalty For Life with limited racing room, seemed to enjoy the change in tactics in the final.
“He was a different horse in the second heat,” said Lachance. “I had him second over on the backstretch and I was sitting on a ton of horse. I didn’t know he could sit on the rail and come at the end like that. At the top of the stretch I saw Brian (Sears) was coming back to me and I felt like I could win there.”
Diamond Creek Racing own Creatine, a homebred by Andover Hall, a stallion trainer Stewart trained during his impressive racing career.
Creatine returned $33.80 to win with longshot All Laid Out closing for second and Spider Blue Chip splitting horses for third. Elimination winners Your So Vain and Royalty For Life settling for fourth and fifth respectively.
The victory in the final was Creatine’s 10th in 20 career starts.
- Derick Giwner contributed to this article