Special Reserve wins Phoenix to lock in a spot in Breeders' Cup Sprint

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Special Reserve had enough in reserve to hold off Aloha West by a neck in the Grade 2, $250,000 Phoenix Stakes on Friday at Keeneland, moving closer to completing his rise from claiming horse to Breeders’ Cup entrant.

Special Reserve, a 5-year-old Midshipman gelding, is trained by Mike Maker for Paradise Farms and David Staudacher. That team claimed him for $40,000 out of an allowance victory on Feb. 6 at Oaklawn. Since then, he has won four times and been second twice in six starts.

"He makes a fabulous first impression," Maker said. "He had a bit of a bleeding issue we addressed when we got him."

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Special Reserve is now a three-time stakes winner for Maker, adding the Phoenix to victories in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint in May at Pimlico and the Iowa Sprint in July at Prairie Meadows. In his start prior to the Phoenix, he was second to Lexitonian, beaten a half-length, in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 31 at Saratoga. He earned a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar with his latest victory, which came with Joel Rosario aboard.

“I have a lot of faith in the horse,” Maker said. “Joel did a fabulous job today.”

Special Reserve ($4.40), sent away favored in the Phoenix, broke sharply from post 6 in the field of seven and briefly held the lead. Quick Tempo flew up from his rail position to dispute the pace, and Rosario conceded the lead to that longshot, sitting in second through an opening quarter in 21.90 seconds on the track rated fast.

“The other horse wanted the lead, and he sat very well behind there,” Rosario said. “Very relaxed.”

Just Might, who was seeking his fifth straight stakes victory, sat in third through the opening stages, on the outside of a tracking Mucho. Those top four got some separation from the rest of the field.

Special Reserve began to reel Quick Tempo in around the turn and edged his way in front by the quarter pole, with the half going in 44.69 seconds. He shot clear to lead by a length and a half in the stretch, but then had to hang on at the wire as Aloha West rallied. Special Reserve stopped the clock in 1:08.54 for the six furlongs.

“I was thinking ‘wire, wire,’” Maker said. “I saw [Aloha West] closing. He didn’t have another horse to keep his attention. I was a little worried he’d get run down.”

Aloha West, who had been sixth of seven at the quarter pole, made up more than seven lengths in the stretch to finish just a neck behind Special Reserve in second.

“He ran well. He ran hard,” trainer Wayne Catalano said. “Breeders’ Cup is definitely a possibility after that.”

After the top two, it was two lengths back to Mucho in third. Mucho was three lengths clear of Endorsed, who nosed out Sir Alfred James in a photo for fourth. Just Might and Quick Tempo rounded out the order of finish.