Richie the Bull dominates Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity

STICKNEY, Ill. – Richie the Bull scored an impressive 9 1/4-length victory Saturday at Hawthorne in the $65,675 Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity.

Making his first start around two turns after three good sprint races, Richie the Bull disputed solid fractions of 24.19 seconds, 48.07, and 1:13.30 with Cashel Rock and Navy Seabee, put those rivals away in upper stretch, and widened his advantage to the finish far in front of his nearest opponent. Navy Seabee edged Cashel Rock for the place as Richie the Bull ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in a good 1:45.68. Older allowance horses one race earlier got the same trip in 1:46.29.

E.T. Baird rode the winner for trainer Larry Rivelli, who now has won the Edgar three years in a row. Ramblin Richie won with Baird up in 2013, and Dom the Bomb won under Tim Thornton last year. Dom the Bomb and Richie the Bull are half-brothers out of the mare Richiesgirlgotgame, and though Richie the Bull is by Benny the Bull, a sprinter during his racing career, Rivelli expressed confidence this week his horse could successfully transition from one turn to two.

Rivelli said Richie the Bull is a relaxed horse who will rate, and indeed, he responded kindly to Baird’s command and also was aided by a major talent edge over the other five in the Edgar.

Richie the Bull now has four good races to start his career and has won from 4 1/2 furlongs on Polytrack to 1 1/16 miles on dirt. He was bred in Illinois by Rivelli and Richard Ravin and is owned by Ravin and V-Leaf Stables.