Red Route One uses ground-saving tactics to take New Orleans Classic

Red Route One took advantage of a swift pace and a ground-saving trip to record the most significant victory of his career in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds.

Under Joel Rosario, Red Route One was eighth of nine early, about nine lengths behind the pace duel up front from between Touchuponastar and Best Actor. Those two co-favorites set fractions of 23.16 seconds for the quarter, 46.87 for the half-mile, and 1:11.17 for six furlongs.

Rosario advanced Red Route One (101 Beyer Speed Figure) into contention while never having to leave the rail. Touchuponastar, under Tim Thornton, and Best Actor, the slight favorite under Tyler Gaffalione, took their battle until inside the eighth pole and it was there that Rosario had to guide Red Route One off the fence and into the three path. Once that was accomplished, Red Route One was able to pass a game Touchuponastar and go on for a two-length victory.

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Touchuponastar, a seven-time Louisiana-bred stakes winner making a rare voyage into open company and did well to finish second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Money Supply, who had a five-race winning streak snapped. Behind Money Supply, in order were Velocitor, Best Actor, Gasoline, Happy American, Super Corinto, and Black Belt.

The win was just the fourth from 18 starts for Red Route One, a 4-year-old son of Gun Runner owned and bred by Ron Winchell and trained by Steve Asmussen. It pushed his career earnings past $1.5 million. Red Route One’s previous graded win came in last summer’s Grade 3 West Virginia Derby. He also won the Bath House Row at Oaklawn. Red Route One had also finished second in four other graded stakes.

“He’s been campaigned a lot, he’s traveled a lot, and when given an opportunity he’ll show up,” Asmussen said in a post-race interview broadcast on the Fair Grounds simulcast. “Joel gave him the right trip for the horse, he got a nice set-up today but he was good enough to take advantage of it.”

Red Route One covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.14 and returned $11.80 to win.

Given how well Red Route Run has performed at Oaklawn Park, one possible option for his next start is the Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap on April 20.

Though he finished second, Touchuponastar ran a dynamite race and his owner, Jake Delhomme had said before the race that he would like to take another crack at the Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park, a race in which he finished second last year. This year, the Grade 3 $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile will be run on May 27.

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