Welder completes triple in TRAO Classic

Welder won the $55,000 TRAO Classic Sprint on Tuesday at Will Rogers Downs for the third year in a row, and it wasn’t even close.

The odds-on favorite, Welder and jockey Travis Cunningham dueled for the lead with Topofthemountain through a quarter-mile in 22.53 and a half in 44.64. That was too much speed for Topofthemountain, but Welder went on with it, pulling clear through the final furlong to win by 5 ½ lengths while stopping the timer in 1:08.74 for six furlongs on a fast track. Topofthemountain held a clear second over third-place Taxman’s Quest in this stakes race for Oklahoma-bred sprinters.

Welder paid $2.80. Trained by Lyle Johnston for Ra-Max Farms, Welder is a 5-year-old gelding by The Visualiser out of Dance Softly, by Tiznow. His record now stands at 17-10-3-2, and he has been a real terror at Will Rogers, winning 6 of 7 starts over the local dirt track.

Also on the Tuesday card, the second-start maiden Rookie Season led from start to finish and scored a blowout win in the $55,000 Will Rogers Handicap for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds. Rookie Season debuted March 31 at Oaklawn, finishing ninth in a sprint race for open maidens, a race that evidently set him up perfectly for this two-turn start against fellow Oklahoma-breds. Under Floyd Wethey Jr., Rookie Season made the front early, held a half-length advantage after a half-mile, and proceeded to run away from the competition, winning by 12 ½ lengths over Call A Cop, who was a neck better than third-place Private Stash.

Rookie Season ran one mile 70 yards in 1:42.38 and paid $11.80 to win. Trained by Scott Young, Rookie Season, a son of Notional and the Candy Ride mare I Want Candy, was bred and is owned by Bad Boy Racing.