Turfway Park: Flashy Dresser looks like a pro taking Rushaway

FLORENCE, Ky. - Flashy Dresser entered Saturday's $75,000 Rushaway Stakes as a promising maiden winner. More significantly, he exited it as a stakes winner, and perhaps a potential player on the Triple Crown trail.

Despite being the least experienced starter in the field, it never showed in Flashy Dresser's performance. He comfortably stalked the pace in third in his first start around turn turns, and outdueled stakes Gung Ho in a long stretch battle to win by a half-length.

Although Flashy Dresser was not an original Triple Crown nominee, owner-trainer Fred Seitz said after the race that Flashy Dresser would become a $6,000 late nominee for the Triple Crown, due by midnight on Saturday.

"I have to be honest - I called Ben Huffman," he said of the Churchill Downs racing secretary. "I can do it with a credit card over the phone, and I'm going to do it. Maybe the Preakness."

In the shorter term, other stakes await, likely at Keeneland, where Seitz is based, mentioning the April 14 Bluegrass and April 21 Coolmore Lexington Stakes there as the most likely next-race options. He said he would evaluate his options for the colt next week after seeing how Flashy Dresser comes out of the race.

The winner, a 3-year-old son of Flashy Bull who won at first asking March 4 at Gulfstream Park Mar. 4, paid $5.60 as the favorite in the field of eight. He raced 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack under Luis Contreras in 1:45.58.

Gung Ho gave the winner a battle in his first start the year, after pressing Dynamical through a half mile in 49.89 seconds despite an early stumble. He just held second over a fast-closing Gold Megillah in third.