Restrainedvengence thrills with Downs at Albuquerque triumph

Restrainedvengence edged Articulator on the wire to win the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque after a thrilling stretch battle in the meet’s richest Thoroughbred race Saturday.

Restrainedvengence won by a head, while Articulator was 4 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Pendleton.

The race was one of two stakes on the card. In the $50,000 Manzano for 2-year-olds, trainer Todd Fincher accounted for the exacta when Moon Swag rallied to overtake pacesetter Jonathan Who for a three-quarter-length win over his stablemate. Tracy Hebert was aboard Moon Swag, a son of Malibu Moon who covered six furlongs in 1:11.31.

The track was fast for the race and for the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap, for which Restrainedvengence was the 122-pound highweight off a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile in August.

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Restrainedvengence broke well and tracked leader Articulator, in at 116 pounds, through fractions of 24.16 seconds for the opening quarter, 47.69 for the half-mile and 1:11.86 for six furlongs. In the stretch, Restrainedvengence hooked Articulator and the two went at it to the wire. The photo went to Restrainedvengence, who covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.26. He paid $3.60 as the 4-5 favorite. Ruben Fuentes was aboard the winner for trainer Clark Spencer.

Restrainedvengence is a son of Hold Me Back. He earned $111,000 for owners Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bob Grayson Jr., and the first-place check from Saturday pushed the horse’s career bankroll to $625,222.

Restrainedvengenace has won 8 of 25 starts, with six of his victories coming in stakes, including the All American at Golden Gate and the $150,000 Zia Park Championship in New Mexico.