Special Reserve, Frank's Rockette earn sprint stakes victories
Odds-on favorites Special Reserve and Frank’s Rockette won sprint stakes Saturday night at Prairie Meadows.
Special Reserve pressed Quick Tempo’s pace and wore him down in the $100,000 Iowa Sprint, crossing the finish 2 3/4 lengths in front of the pacesetter. Special Reserve ($3.40), who took the lead in midstretch, was timed in 1:08.14 for six furlongs on a fast track in a race that lost four entrants to scratches and went with five runners. Mojo Man finished third.
Junior Alvarado rode Special Reserve for trainer Mike Maker and owners Paradise Farms and David Staudacher, connections who put an astute $40,000 claim on this horse in February at Oaklawn. Since then, Special Reserve, a 5-year-old by Midshipman out of Love Spun, by Hard Spun, has finished second in the seven-furlong Commonwealth at Keeneland and won three six-furlong starts, an allowance race and the Maryland Sprint preceding Saturday’s tally.
Frank’s Rockette was an even shorter price than Special Reserve, going off at 1-10 in the $100,000 Saylorville, but she had a two-length lead at the stretch call whittled down to three-quarters of a length at the finish by Binkers, at 14-1 the longest price in a field reduced to four by two scratches.
Alvarado also rode Frank’s Rockette, who jumped to the lead and paid $2.20 while going her six furlongs in 1:08.89. Bill Mott trains Frank’s Rockette for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations.
Frank’s Rockette, a homebred, is by Into Mischief out of Rocket Twentyone, by Indian Charlie.
Earlier on the Saturday night card, Josie made a successful stakes debut by capturing the $100,000 Iowa Distaff by 1 1/4 lengths over 8-5 favorite Istan Council. Josie, trained by Brad Cox for Steve Landers Racing, stalked the pace and overtook Istan Council in the final furlong to win going away. She ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.77 and paid $8.40.
Josie is a 4-year-old by Race Day out of Spirited Away, by Awesome Again.