Thistledown: Raise the Reward rebounds strongly in George Lewis Memorial
Raise the Reward, who finished ahead of only two horses in a 10-horse field as the 7-5 favorite in last month’s Gendelman at Beulah Park, reversed his form Saturday when he scored by 1 1/2 lengths over last season’s top female Ohio handicap runner Startin Something in the $50,000 George Lewis Memorial Stakes for Ohio-accredited horses at Thistledown.
The 7-year-old Raise the Reward ($6.20), second in last year’s running of the 1 1/8-mile Lewis, ran the distance in 1:52.60. He was ridden by Jake Radosevich for trainer Jeff Radosevich and owner Michael Annehino. Raise the Reward is now 10 for 47 lifetime. In his last appearance at Thistledown in May, Raise the Reward won the six-furlong Mike Rowland Memorial.
Startin Something, the 9-5 favorite, was 1 3/4 lengths clear of third-place Uncle Virgil.
The 12-year-old Catlaunch, coming off his 24th career stakes victory in the Gendelman, finished last of nine at 7-2.