Welder feeling good after TRAO Sprint romp
If you watched Welder run a well-beaten fourth as the odds-on favorite Dec. 14 at Remington in his 6-year-old finale you might have wondered how he’d fare making his 7-year-old debut in the TRAO Sprint Stakes on April 28 at Will Rogers Downs.
Welder had a resounding answer in just 1:09.01 after busting out of the Will Rogers starting gate. That’s the swift time he clocked winning this Oklahoma-bred sprint stakes for a remarkable fifth year in a row, and Welder did that all on his own courage. Jockey David Cabrera never went to the crop as Welder overwhelmed pacesetting Shannon C, cruising home to an easy win and a robust 96 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He did run big, and we’re very, very proud of him,” trainer Teri Luneack said Friday, reached by phone. “He came out of the race really well. He’s feisty. We tried to hand walk him and he’s bucking and playing.”
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Luneack trains Welder for Clayton Rash’s Ra-Max Farms, and Welder looks like he could be as good as ever at age 7. The question now is where and when he might have a chance to race again, and Luneack doesn’t have many answers. One thing she does know: Welder won’t be going back to Prairie Meadows in 2020. Welder has shipped to Iowa to make at least one stakes start the last four summers; he won once there but never has shown his best. By contrast, Welder began his 2019 campaign at Oaklawn Park and finished a strong third behind Whitmore in the Hot Springs Stakes while racing fresh after a winter break.
“I can’t figure out why, but he does not do well at Prairie Meadows,” she said.
Welder does really, really well in Oklahoma. He’s now won 21 of his 32 career starts and has gone 10 for 11 at Will Rogers. Last week, Welder, who has led in a lot of his races, was content to let Shannon C set the pace, attacking on the turn when Cabrera asked for more gas.
“David has given him the confidence to lay back and wait – maybe age has helped with that, too,” Luneack said. “We’re just very, very blessed to have such a special horse.”