WOW! -- A $40,000 CLAIMER WON BY 32 LENGTHS
AMAZING!
SUPERB!
SPECTACULAR!
A 3-YEAR-OLD FILLY WON A $40,000 CLAIMING RACE BY 32 LENGTHS.
ORDER OF FINISH (no show wagering):
1. GOLDEN DEGREE $3.70 $2.40
2. ADDRESSABLE MARKET (IRE) $3.80
3. THAT'STHEFACTJACK
4. CISNEY
Yes, that is correct: Only four horses left after eight scratches.
Golden Degree is a Bay filly, (Jan foal), by Goldencents - Celsius, by Unbridled's Song.
Trainer: Rice Linda.
Bred by Allied Racing Stable LLC (Ky).
On Thursday May 16, 2024, fifth race, Belmont at the BigA, a three-year-old filly trained by Linda Rice won a $40,000 claiming race by a whopping 32 lengths, geared down -- yes, that is right: Geared down!
Imagine if the jockey allowed her to run the margin would have been larger.
The race was scheduled for turf at a mile -- for maidens, fillies and mares three-year olds and upward -- but the race was taken off the turf and put on the dirt main track at one mile.
As often is the case when there is a switch from turf to dirt, there are plenty of scratches, and this race was no exception, when eight horses were scratched, leaving only four horses to compete.
Yes, that is correct: Four horses!
This three-year-old filly Golden Degree didn't have to beat many horses so her margin of victory could be just an aberration, perhaps!
Aberration or not and four-horse field or not the 32-length margin is not easy to accomplish by any horse in any race.
And yet, Golden Degree did it in a spectacular fashion by running off the TV screen monitor, making viewers of the race unable to see the other three horses behind her for most of the race due to the length of margin was too wide to show on the TV screen monitor.
It was a very spectacular performance by Golden Degree visually and metrically by any measurement.
I don't have access to the Beyer Speed Figure as of this writing but I would guess it to be right around 90 to 99.
That is well above her average speed of right around 70 to 80.
So I expect Golden Degree to show up in the overnight stakes in her next race and perhaps future races thereafter as well.
The race didn't get off smoothly either for Golden Degree when she was bumped in the hind quarters at the start, cruised to the front then opened up a sizable advantage under her own power, extended the advantage in the two path on the far turn, spun four wide into the stretch despite there were no horses to the inside of her, had the rider take a peek behind him inside the three-sixteenths pole while running almost to the middle of the track, widened even more into the final furlong and won easily while being geared down.
The second-place horse Addressable Market (IRE) broke in at the start, dropped well behind the rest of the field, saved ground on the far turn, moved out in upper stretch and narrowly earned the place.
The third-place horse That'sthefactjack veered out at the start then bumped with a foe, angled out early, chased the pace then dropped well behind the leader (Golden Degree), went three then four wide on the far turn and lost the place close to the finish line.
The fourth and last horse Cisney broke out then bumped with an opponent and was off a bit slow, raced on the outside under urging, dropped to the rear late on the backstretch, went five then four wide on the far turn and showed little.
AS YOU CAN SEE -- ONLY FOUR HORSES -- AMAZINGLY THE START OF THE RACE WAS NOT CLEAN AT ALL AND ALL OF THEM HAD TROUBLE AT THE START.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!
COULD THE START CAUSED GOLDEN DEGREE TO RUN OFF BY 32 LENGTHS?
IT'S HARD TO SAY.
To make sense of it, let's see the time.
TIME :23 (3), :47 (1), 1:12 (2), 1:25 (2), 1:38 (3).
Time in hunredths (:23.69, :47.09, 1:12.42, 1:25.34, 1:38.61)
This is a one-mile race with Golden Degree basically running on her own free-will, running 23 and 3 for the quarter mile, 47 and 1 for the half mile, 1:12 and 2 for six furlongs, 1:25 and 2 for seven furlongs, 1:38 and 3 for the mile race.
Those splits and final time are typical of a $40,000 claiming race.
So there is nothing special about that for a $40,000 claiming race, but remember that Golden Degree was basically running on her own free-will.
It was merely a workout-like performance with no pressure put on by other horses nor being encouraged by the jockey.
Had Golden Degree was running in a typical race where she was pressured or being asked by the jockey the splits and final time would have been faster.
Knowing that, wherever she ends up racing next, she'll be a force to be reckoned with at a good price, perhaps.
Stay tuned!
